An Overview
Jogging is a softer alternative to running for those who do not have medical issues that could be adversely impacted by jogging, as well as for those who are not heavily overweight. If you aren’t jogging yet, here’s a beginner’s guide on how to start jogging. These health benefits will, hopefully, convince you to get started. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week – and jogging qualifies. They suggest you break it down into half hour slots five days a week so you don’t miss out on your exercise. Of course, if you can manage more, that’s even better. In fact, a surprising amount of these benefits are unknown to the majority of us, and even those that do jog may only feel some of them. However, this does not mean that the first associations we make with jogging are any less beneficial, so they are a good place to start in this list.
• Start with brisk walking. Aim for 30 minutes per session. Allow a minimum of six weeks to build up to regular running. Aim to increase your jogging time each session, and alternate between walking and jogging.
• Make sure you warm up and stretch thoroughly before you head out. Cool your body down with light stretches when you return.
• Make sure you have plenty of fluids and take a water bottle with you on your run. Try to drink plenty of water before, during and after any activity.
Running versus jogging.
The difference between running and jogging is intensity. Running is faster, uses more kilojoules and demands more effort from the heart, lungs and muscles than jogging. Running requires a higher level of overall fitness than jogging.
Both running and jogging are forms of aerobic exercise. Aerobic means ‘with oxygen’ – the term ‘aerobic exercise’ means any physical activity that produces energy by combining oxygen with blood glucose or body fat.
Benefits Jogging
1. Aids Weight Loss:
Walking is an effective way to burn calories and lose weight. Researchers at the University of Alabama designed an experiment that involved obese patients walking together (a concept known as the ‘walking bus’) to their destinations in and around the city.
2. Burn Calories, Lose Weight:
Jogging at a speed of 6.67 mph, or a 9 minute mile, you stand to burn between 290 and 365 calories in a half hour long session.2 If you jog at 5 mph, you can expect to burn off between 240 and 355 calories in that same half hour.3 As you burn off those calories, you can also see weight loss if you control your diet and build in some strength or resistance workouts that build muscle.
3. Improves Heart Health:
Walking helps improve heart health. A study conducted on adult women in rural New York showed a positive correlation between walking and improved biomarkers of cardiovascular health. Indulging in regular aerobic exercise can reduce the incidence of ischaemic heart disease and improve cardiovascular health overall.5 Studies have found that those who exercise and use jogging to stay fit, had improved lipid profiles. The burning of cholesterol reduces blood pressure which subsequently lowers the risk of heart disease and strokes. Just like the lungs grow extra alveoli, capillary density will increase around the body to ensure that the oxygen is getting to new muscle and to already existing parts of the body.
4. Respiratory System:
Jogging is an aerobic activity, which means that the use of oxygen features heavily. This is the opposite of sprinting which is anaerobic, as no oxygen is involved; sprinters generally hold their breath for the duration of the sprint. In aerobic activities each cell in the body requires oxygen and produces carbon dioxide as a waste product.
5. Regulates Blood Pressure:
Walking can also help lower blood pressure by improving circulation. Researchers at the Wakayama Medical College, Japan conducted an experiment on individuals with mild hypertension, where 83 participants walked 10,000 steps per day for 12 weeks.
6. Muscles:
New muscle will grow and existing muscle will become stronger and more efficient. The muscle that gains the most benefit aside from the heart is the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the muscle which controls your breathing and separates your lungs and heart from the abdominal cavity.
Every time it contracts, your lungs draw in air. This is going to happen a huge amount of times during a jog, which means that it gets much stronger, and can help your lungs fill with more air as well as cope with any further strenuous activity.
7. Improve Immune Function:
Jogging also helps improve immune function in your body. 10 When you exercise, the white blood cells and antibodies responsible for immune function circulate better and faster, which may help in early detection of illness.
8. Cut Inflammation:
Researchers have found that the exercise can also help reduce inflammation. When data from the Cardiovascular Health Study in the United States was analyzed, researchers found that there was a link between levels of physical activity in a healthy elderly population and inflammation associated with the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. Four out of five inflammatory markers were lower in those who were more active, leading them to conclude that exercise was linked to lower inflammation.
9. Brain:
The organs of the body benefit enormously from the increase in oxygen, and although all are important, the most impressive improvement is in the brain. Experiments have shown that jogging leads to new neurons being created in the brain. Neurons are cells in the brain, and an increase in their number has shown to lead to better learning and memory capabilities while tackling diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease.
10. Regulates Blood Glucose Levels:
Going on short walks on a regular basis can help improve fasting and post-meal blood glucose levels. Scientists recommend no less than 5,000 steps a day – with more than 3,000 of those steps being a brisk walk – to help manage type 2 diabetes.
11. Bones:
Jogging can strengthen the bones and may help prevent certain bone diseases from forming. Having healthy bones is important for a number of reasons. For example, red blood cells are produced by bone marrow. Jogging could also contribute to building stronger and more flexible joints.
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