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4 A Woman's Step-By-Step Guide to Running

conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that people who ran an hour or
more each week were forty two percent less likely to develop coronary heart disease—
the more intense the exercise, the greater the risk reduction.
Physical activity can also offer increased protection against stroke. The American
Heart Association (AHA) recommends thirty minutes of moderate physical activity dai-
ly to help reduce the risk of ischemic stroke (a type of stroke that occurs when blood flow
to a part of the brain stops). Research conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab-
oratory has shown that exceeding the AHA guidelines offers further protection. Women
who ran more than five miles per day were at sixty percent lower risk than women who
ran very little. Even if you aren’t ready to run five miles yet, starting a regular running
routine, regardless of the distance you run, can help reduce your risk of stroke.
In addition to reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, running can also help
prevent cancer. There are very few individuals in the United States today who have not
heard of the obesity epidemic. One of the many negative effects of obesity is an increased
risk of multiple types of cancer. Furthermore, although current studies are just emerging
and data is not entirely clear, it appears as though exercise may alter biological processes
in other ways that provide increased protection against cancer as well.
Runners often experience mental and emotional benefits on top the physical bene-
fits of running. In 2012, the Journal of Phenomenological Psychology published a study
illustrating the many emotional and mental benefits of running. Women reported an
increased sense of well being, reduced fatigue, and decreased levels of stress after the
completion of an eight-week running program. Individuals suffering from depression
and anxiety had improved mental health with as little as twenty minutes of brisk walking
or jogging three times a week.
Many long time runners frequently state that running is relaxing and peaceful. Stud-
ies have confirmed that the combination of the rhythmic movements and intense efforts
required to run relaxes the mind into a meditative like state. Surprisingly, therapeutic
massage can often produce the same result (of course, without the added benefits of a
cardio workout). Therefore, think of running like getting a free massage and, as an added
bonus, you burn hundreds of calories in the process!