Jogging is a popular exercise that is more challenging than walking, but not as challenging as running. While there is no exact line between jogging and running, jogging is generally considered to be running at a slower pace. Jogging has many health benefits for your body, brain, and overall well-being.

1. Allows you to gradually increase the intensity of your training

If walking isn’t challenging enough for you, but you’re not ready to hit the ground yet runJogging is an option that allows you to increase the intensity of your training gradually.

Start with jogging intervals. Walk for four minutes and jog for one minute. You’ll be ready to increase your distance once you can jog for 30 minutes straight.

Don’t add more than 10% to your distance each week to help reduce your risk of injury.

2. Improves cardiovascular fitness

Jogging strengthens the heart muscle and improves your cardiovascular health (heart and blood vessels). Physical activity increases heart rate, which, over time, strengthens the heart. When jogging, your heart needs to work harder to pump more blood to your legs. The blood vessels open wider and extra oxygen reaches the muscles from the heart.

Other cardiovascular benefits of jogging include:

3. Develop muscle strength

Jogging strengthens your leg muscles.

Muscles targeted by jogging include:

• Gastrocnemius (calf)
• Gluteus maximus (buttocks)
• Hamstrings (back of thighs)
• Quadriceps (front of thighs)
• Soleus (calf)
• Tibialis anterior (front of lower leg)

4. Leads to stronger bones

Jogging can strengthen bones. High-impact activities put pressure on the bones that support your body weight while you exercise. These types of activities stimulate the bones to deposit more calcium and activate the cells that form new bone tissue.

Weight-bearing exercise is important to reduce the risk of osteoporosisa condition that weakens bones as we age.

5. Strengthens the immune system

Moderate-intensity exercise, such as jogging, can benefit your immune system. Physical activity boosts the immune system by increasing the number of immune cells in the circulating blood and increasing the activity of infection-fighting cells.

6. It can help you lose weight

Many factors affect weight loss and physical activity plays a role. Weight loss occurs when the calories burned throughout the day exceed the amount consumed.

When combined with a healthy diet, jogging can help contribute to a calorie deficit. The exact number of calories burned during your jogging workout depends on your body weight, speed and distance.

The American Council on Exercise provides the following information on calories burned per minute of jogging with specific body weights:

• 120 pounds = 9.3 calories per minute
• 140 pounds = 10.8 calories per minute
• 160 pounds = 12.4 calories per minute
• 180 pounds = 13.9 calories per minute

7. Decreases insulin resistance

Insulin is a hormone that helps control blood sugar by converting food into energy. Insulin resistance occurs when the body does not respond as it should to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar, causing blood sugar levels to rise. Over time, chronically high blood sugar levels can cause type 2 diabetes.

Aerobic exercise, such as jogging, can improve insulin sensitivity in the short and long term. insulin sensitivity It has been shown to improve up to 72 hours after an exercise session. With consistency, initial blood sugar levels can also decrease over time.

8. Improves sleep quality

Jogging has the potential to improve your sleep. Research shows that physical activity increases the time spent in deep sleepIt helps people fall asleep faster and reduces the chances of waking up during the night.

However, the timing of your jogging workouts also plays a role. Jogging activates sympathetic nervous systemincreasing your heart rate and making you more alert. Exercising too close to bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep.

Physical activity can also improve sleep disorders, such as insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (a partial blockage of the upper airway during sleep that can interfere with breathing).

9. Protects you from the side effects of stress

Exercise, such as jogging, decreases stress hormones (such as adrenaline and cortisol) in the bloodstream. It also helps prevent the adverse side effects of chronic stress, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, forgetfulness, and a weakened immune system. It also gives you a break from stressful daily tasks to clear your mind.

10. It can help you cope with depression

Jogging releases feel-good chemicals in the brain (endorphins). This well-known phenomenon is often referred to as “runner’s high,” an emotional state associated with euphoria (intense happiness) and decreased pain and anxiety.

The more often you jog, the more significant the positive effects on your mood will be.

11. It can help prolong your life

While jogging is not directly linked to a longer life, it can help reduce the risk of many diseases or conditions that can shorten your life expectancy, such as:

• Cancer (some types)
• Dementia
• heart disease
• Hypertension
• Obesity
• Osteoporosis (which can lead to falls and injuries)
• Stroke
• type 2 diabetes

How often should you jog?

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recommends that adults in the United States engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (such as jogging) each week to reap health benefits. However, if you are just starting out, this may be too much.

With any new exercise, you can expect some soreness. Often, you won’t feel this pain right away. Doing too much too quickly increases your chances of getting delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)which causes pain within 12 to 24 hours of activity and peaks up to 72 hours later.

For this reason, you can try jogging twice a week with rest days in between until you know how your body will respond.

What is the best time of day to run?

The best time of day to jog is any time you are most consistent. This varies from person to person. However, there are things to consider, such as:

• Adequate lighting, especially if you are jogging outdoors.
• Bedtime, as running too close to bedtime can make it harder to fall asleep.
• Energy levels throughout the day.

Summary

Jogging is running at a slower pace. This is a good activity for people looking for something more challenging than walking but not as strenuous as running. Jogging has many health benefits, such as stronger muscles, better heart health, weight loss, lower blood sugar levels, and better sleep. It can also improve your mood. To start jogging, add short intervals during your walking workouts. As with any new exercise, check with your healthcare provider to make sure it’s safe.