Everyone knows that exercise is good for your health, but what you might not know is that running just 50 minutes a week could reduce your risk of early death from all causes by 27%.
According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, even minimal effort can have huge rewards. In a recently published report that studied data from 232,000 participants from 14 previously published studies, researchers found that people who ran less than 50 minutes per week experienced a 23% lower risk of death from all types of cancer and a 30% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, compared to people who did not run.
Željko Pedišić, Ph.D.,who is one of the report's authors said that the benefits of moderate running are comparable to running excessively. Basically, you don't have to run fast or far. “This finding may be motivating for those who cannot invest a lot of time in exercise, but it should definitely not discourage those who already engage in higher amounts of running,” Pedišić said.
One of the studies that contributed to the report followed more than 55,000 runners from ages 18 to 100 and found that running just 5-10 minutes every day (even at slow speeds) reduced risk of early death and heart disease. Another study looked at runners over the age of 50, and found that people who ran from middle to older age had reduced disabilities as they aged and lived longer than those who did not run.
The benefits of running include improved aerobic endurance, heart function, balance, and metabolism, plus it reduces the risk of:
- obesity
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- type 2 diabetes
- heart disease
- cancer
Whether you decide to hit the treadmill or head outside to pound the pavement, medical experts advise you to start slow and build up to a sustainable routine.