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I need to write one paragraph on the benefits of running
I need to write one paragraph on the benefits of running
I need to write one paragraph on the benefits of running
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Human beings have been running since the beginning of mankind. Then, humans ran for survival. Men and women were forced to run in order to catch their food and to move from place-to-place.. But running has since then evolved into something more than survival. Whether it’s to stay physically fit or for the enjoyment, humans have made running into a common activity. Personally, running is a hobby of mine. I run on a daily basis for both the exercise and the euphoria. However, running has become not only a form of exercise for a multitude of people, but it’s also a popular worldwide sport. In 776 B.C.E., the first recorded Olympic Game was held in Greece (Rosenberg). The first event in this game was a footrace of approximately two-hundred and ten yards. Running is still an event in todays Olympic Games, but it’s also a common sport, known as Track and Field, in schools, colleges, and on the professional level. Even if someone is involved with other sports during their lifetime, the likelihood of running is still high, as it’s a major part of most sports. Since running is such a common activity, we often overlook the effects it may have on our body. Is running a physically healthy activity?
An efficient runner is physically fit, but not in the sense of a weightlifter. Runners lack the upper body strength of bodybuilders, but have the lower body strength to run miles on end. Perhaps the most common reason that people run is that they believe it’s an effective weight loss tool. In fact, running has been proven to have effective results on weight management. In a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researchers conducted a large survey between thirty-thousand runners and fifteen-thousand walke...
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...eynolds, Gretchen. "Is Marathon Running Bad for the Heart?" Well. New York Times, 23 May 2012. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. .
Reynolds, Gretchen. "Is It Better to Walk or Run?" Well. New York Times, 29 May 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. .
McGrath, Tom. "The Severe Health Risks of Marathon Running." Men's Health. N.p., 14 Oct. 2008. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. .
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "History of the Olympics." About. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. .
"Running History Story." Just Run. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. .
Harvard Medical Group “Best medicine: The science of exercise shows benefits beyond weight …..loss.” Harvard Heart Letter. 23(11) (2013) 6
inspire people through running, as it states on their website at nyrr.org “Running takes your
If nothing else before has motivated the slothful to take up an active lifestyle, perhaps the promise of a natural high will finally lure couch potatoes away from the tube and into the gym. For years, long distance joggers and runners have reported feelings of euphoria replacing the pain of physical exertion caused by long bouts of exercise. This euphoria gives them a feeling of effortless movement and has become a mythical goal known as "the zone." (Goldberg 1988) This speculation of the existence of "runner's high" has even inspired a legal controversy - in 1992, a jogger who was hit by a car brought a lawsuit against the driver. The driver's attorney claimed that the jogger had acted recklessly when crossing the intersection where the accident happened - euphoria brought upon by an extended period of exercise was responsible for giving the jogger a false sense of invincibility. (Shephard 1992)
Running may have a heavier toll on the body than any other sport, literally. With each stride, force of two to three times the bodies weight is hammered on the joint, muscles, and tendons.
Weight, L. M. & T. D. Noakes. (1987) Is running an analog of anorexia? Medicine and Science in Sport and Exer-cise, 19(3)
Of the more than twenty million Americans who are running today, most who start do so for the wrong reasons, with the wrong attitude, and tend to lose interest after a few weeks or months. Many quit. This is usually because they become concerned with superficial goals such as time and distance and never discover the more profound mental benefits that running offers. (Lilliefors 15)
As a distance runner for the Buena Vista University Cross Country and Track team, in Storm Lake, Iowa, my experience with low mileage training and high mileage training came out wit...
Running can improve your mood, as well as physical health, “Running reduces stress by boosting levels of serotonin in your brain and creating a more positive mood. Self-esteem is improved and goals are achieved through running. Runners realize a greater sense of self-reliance and accomplishment… Cardiovascular health is greatly improved through running by increasing your heart rate and working the heart muscles on a regular basis” (RunAddicts). Running is similar to a drug, however without the withdrawal effects. Similar to MDMA (ecstasy), running releases serotonin. After running one feels tired but refreshed and energized due to the serotonin released, which is referred to as the “runner’s high”. This runner’s high, somewhat similar to a drug intoxication, causes a euphoria and creates a positive and energized mood, which temporarily regulates anxiety, improves sleep quality, and constructs a better self-image. As well as being mentally advantageous, running is also physically constructive. Like running and swimming, through working the heart muscles and increasing your heart rate running can also improve endurance and cardiovascular health by allowing the blood to pump more powerfully. Furthermore, running can drastically improve one’s
Vuori, I 2007, ‘Physical activity and health: Metabolic and cardiovascular issues’, Advances in Physiotherapy, vol. 9 pp. 50-64, April.
Running is not easy, but most Saturday mornings in the summer, I convince myself to step outside and test the strength of my heart by running a few miles. Half-Marathon US Champion Julia Stamps once stated, “Running away, can also be running toward something.” That is exactly what I do. When I start running away from my house, I end up running towards a specific destination. Two miles in, I stop at my destination to enjoy the view of Ted Grinter’s
Smith, Stephen. "In The Long Run, Marathon May Hurt.” Boston Globe: 0. Apr 01 2003. ProQuest. Web. 14 May 2014 .
Powell, S., & Howley, E. (2012). Exercise physology. (8th ed., pp. 273-274). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
“With the exception of nutrition, more fallacies exist in the area of exercise than in any other area of health” (Dintiman, Stone, Pennington, & Davis, 1984). Exercise produces significant physical and mental benefits and is extremely vital to life. It substantially improves stamina, strengthens and tones muscles, helps prevent diseases, enhances flexibility, controls weight, and prolongs the quality of life. In order to gain all the benefits from exercise and be truly healthy, it is very important to understand and take action with both types of exercise: anaerobic and aerobic. With the combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, an individual will greatly increase their overall health and wellness significantly.
The running phenomenon has blended into society in many different aspects of our lives. This does not only include track and field, but also cross country, road-racing, and jogging for health and leisure. Many Americans make running an essential part of their day. Running is not only good for your heart and lungs, but it is very beneficial for relieving stress, keeping your metabolism high, and keeping you trim and muscular. Another expanding characteristic of running is using it as a social experience. It is a part of people’s routine to meet with friends and to catch up with one another.
Since the dawn of humanity, exercise has been crucial for physical survival. In recent times, however, exercise is losing its significance to human survival. Some would argue that it already has lost its significance, and as exercise becomes less important, people exercise less. According to fitness.gov, only 33% of adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week (citation). Clearly there is a problem. However, there is still a fraction of the population that exercises diligently. Why do these people stick with it? Exercise has countless advantages that are still extremely important to our lives. So even though the need of exercise may appear to be diminishing, the practical effects should be enough to encourage people