Running is one of the physical exercises that provides a wide range of health benefits, including calorie burning, stamina building and boosting heart health. You can obtain a lot of health benefits once you start doing this simple form of exercise.
When is the best time for running? The answer could be anytime. However, jogging early in the morning is considered to be the best time to run. If you plan to run in the morning, get ready to be showered with these health benefits of running in the morning.
Some people run after work or in the afternoon because it fits with their schedule. Meanwhile, some other people enjoy running early in the morning as there are a lot of benefits you can gain. Are you curious of the health benefits running in the morning can give you? Let’s examine each of these 7 health benefits of running in the morning.
- Boost your Productivity for the Day
There’s a saying ‘the early bird catches the biggest worm’. Surprisingly, this saying also applies well to a morning run. Running early in the morning will help you keep “catching worms” throughout the day.
Why? It is because when you exercise, both your mental and physics are stimulated at the same time. Not only your alertness that is increased, running early in the morning will help you getting out of bed at the right time.
After a good run, your body will release endorphin and adrenaline. As a result, you will feel an exquisite feeling called “runner’s high” which can last for hours, even after you finish your exercise.
- Improve Sleep Quality
Do you know that morning run is able to promote better sleep quality? There was a study which is published in Vascular Health and Risk Management, found out that early morning may be the most beneficial time to engage in aerobic exercise.
Some other studies also found out that morning workouts may be helpful for those who have difficulty falling asleep.
- Improve Mental Health
Not only physical health, morning running has a very powerful impact on your mental health. Morning run can also be viewed as an investment in your body.
While you’re running outside, you can also relieve some stress as you can take in the beautiful sights of nature. Running early in the morning will be more enjoyable as there won’t be many people or cars around.
Stress is one of the problems of mental health. If you are stressed, you can do some simple things to relieve it, such as popping bubble wrap. Read more about it in health benefits of popping bubble wrap.
- Improve Bone Health
Running is a weight bearing exercise, a type of exercise which puts stress on your bones. It is different with the other exercise like swimming. Weight bearing exercise can make you more resilient to developing conditions, such as osteoporosis later in life.
- Control Your Weight
Running or jogging at any time can help you burn calories, reduce body fat, promote weight loss and improve your body composition. When you pair jogging program with a nutritious and calorie-controlled diet, it will be helpful to reach and maintain a healthy weight.
- Improve Heart Health
If you want to reduce the risk of getting heart disease by almost half, then go running. A 5-minute run every day will be helpful to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. There’s research which shows that runners have a 27% lower risk of early death and a 30% lower risk of death from cardiovascular problems.
Running helps you stay healthier and live longer. Try to spend some time and get ready to experience these benefits of running 20 minutes a day. It might be too short, but it surely brings a huge impact in your life.
- Support Immune System
Exercise and immunity are closely related. Most studies have shown that people who engage in moderate exercise have better immune health.
By running most mornings, you can set up your immune system in a prime position. When your immune system is set in a prime position, it can help fight off potential intruders every day.
If you want to strengthen your immune system, you can combine running in the morning with healthy diet. Include citrus fruits in your diet and you will be able to obtain all of these health benefits of citrus fruits for immune system.
Running may be enjoyable to do. Moreover, it brings a lot of health benefits so that you can live longer and healthier. However, keep in mind to always be mindful of your own capacity.
Some people might be able to run 20 miles a day, while some other aren’t able to do that. So, if you’re tired, never force yourself to run further. It is better to do small and frequent steps and do it consistently.