February is Heart Health Awareness Month and running is incredibly effective at making your heart healthier in a number of ways.
1. Improve Cardio Health
Running is a fantastic way to improve your heart strength. As you run, your need for oxygen and blood flow increases, therefore making your heart pump harder and more frequently to supply the muscles with the energy they need to keep you moving. As you continue a running program, your heart, much like your other muscles, get stronger and more efficient.
2. Prevent Disease
Research shows that running can raise your levels of good cholesterol while also helping you increase lung function and use. In addition, running can also boost your immune system and lower your risk of developing blood clots, high blood pressure and stroke.
For women, running can actually help to lower your risk of breast cancer. Many doctors today recommend running for people who are in the early stages of diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis, and it is proven to help reduce the risk of having a heart attack. By helping the arteries retain their elasticity and strengthening the heart, your chances of suffering a heart attack can be significantly reduced.
3. Improve Emotional Health = Mend a Broken Heart
On a physiological level running increases the activity of serotonin and/or norepinehrine and stimulates brain chemicals that foster growth of nerve cells but also on an emotional level, because you are taking charge and becoming the master of your mind and body.
Being part of a social group may help decrease risk for depression. There is an enormous community centered on those who enjoy running. You may benefit from seeking out a run buddy, but even if you choose to run solo, you can be active socially with online and in-person running groups. Share your triumphs and tribulations with those who can relate.
Plus, you may meet some new friends.
Running is also great for helping you sleep better at night, therefore giving you more energy during the day. It also increases endorphins, which are what prompts the runner’s high.
4. Improve Resting Heart Rate by Maintaining your Target Heart Rate
The target heart rate is a range of the person’s maximum heart rate. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends the target heart rate of 50% to 85% of the maximum heart rate. To know this, you need to find out your maximum heart rate by basing it on your age. So, you need to deduct your age from 220. The target is expressed in range because it can vary on your physical condition. For example, if you are just getting back to your workout from a long hiatus, try to aim for the low end of your target heart rate, which can be anywhere from 50% to 65% of the maximum. However, if you have been exercising for a while, you can go for 60% to 75% of your maximum. There are those who can go as far as to their 85%. In time, your resting heart rate will improve.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Paula Smith, ACE CPT