There’s something so wonderfully symbolic about running. Why does running appear to be so meaningful? It’s a combination of the dogged determination it takes to run so arbitrarily added with the simple but elegant motions of the racer. Day after day, night after night, the competitor jogs on. Still, it is not the appearance that captures the imagination of racing fans everywhere but the wonderful feelings you get and that ultimate achievement, learning to push yourself harder and harder until you reach your absolute capabilities and learn what it feels like to push yourself to the edge of your capabilities. Not just the the limits you set on yourself subconsciously but the actual empirical limits of your body. There is truly nothing in the world as satisfying as pushing yourself to the absolute limit of your own physical endurance in a contest of speed.
Setting aside all of the above, there are significant healh benefits to running:
- Running burns fat
- Helps fight the aging process by preventing muscle and bone loss that occurs with age
- Running reduces the risk of stroke and breast cancer
- Running lowers blood pressure
- Running raises HDL, or good cholesterol
- Running helps boost your immune system by creating more white blood cells that fight sickness
So, the next time you decide that you want to sit down on the sofa and watch re-runs, you might want to think about popping on some jogging shoes and going for a run around your neighborhood. You certainly won’t feel better overnight, but over the course of a few weeks or a month, you will certainly begin to feel noticeably better.