Running continues to be a popular physical activity for individuals across the age spectrum. We at The Habits Fit love running as our weekly cardio workout. It is an easily accessible sport to perform and can significantly impact your long-term health. 

First, let's take a closer look at the benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness (such as running). In 2019 The article "Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing" was published. The study included 122,007 adults undergoing treadmill testing to measure their cardiorespiratory fitness and its impact on mortality. The study shows that going from low cardiorespiratory fitness to below average gives a 50% reduction in mortality over a decade! Suppose this makes you enthusiastic, and you keep training until you reach above-average cardiorespiratory fitness. In that case, your mortality risk reduces from 50% to a maximum of 70%! A very reachable goal to work towards.

How can we reach this above-average cardiorespiratory fitness? The Dutch Standard for Healthy Exercise (NNGB) describes, 'to maintain good health, it is desirable to have 30 minutes of moderately intensive physical activity at least five days a week. But to achieve good cardiovascular fitness, at least 20 minutes of intensive exercise three times a week is required.

Now back to running. The American College of Sports Medicine created an infographic to offer cues that can be adopted to help endurance runners reduce running motion features related to preventable injury. This overview shows many different features we could change in our running technique. To implement as many of these features as possible without changing your running technique too much, they advise you to start by shortening your cane. By doing this, you will automatically tighten your glutes and core. After this change, they recommend that you focus on your arm swing. 

We now know why we run and how to run. It is up to you to start your running adventure! Set your goal, and have fun running! 🏃‍♂️🏃🏃‍♀️

 

Reference list:
Friedman, L., Zeigler, Z., & Crandall, J. (2020). Healthy Running Habits for the Distance Runner: Clinical Utility of the American College of Sports Medicine Infographic. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 19(6), 215-220. DOI: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000728.
Kokkinos P, Faselis C, Myers J, et al. Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(3):e190058. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.0058
Sportzorg.nl. (n.d.). Nederlandse Norm Gezond Bewegen (NNGB). Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://www.sportzorg.nl/sport-bewegen/bibliotheek-archief/nederlandse-norm-gezond-bewegen-nngb