Latest Research Confirms It: Running Makes You Happier!!

 

According to a latest research conducted by Glasgow Caledonian University, people who use running as their main physical activity are happier than the rest of us!

And not only that, but they tend to be more confident, healthy, and are able to make friends more easily than an average person.

The researchers of the study gathered the data from more than 8,000 participants who were asked different questions regarding their health and wellbeing in general and the way they incorporate running on their daily schedule.

The main intention of the study was to provide a better understanding on how running affects ones general wellbeing while using the Oxford Happiness Scale.

The thing that made the whole difference was the fact that all runners who participated in the study, were able to score 4.4 on the Oxford’s scale which is well beyond the average score of 4 in normal people.

Almost 90% of the runners admitted to feeling happier and as well as feeling mentally healthy and more beautiful compared to the ones who doesn’t run or incorporate themselves in something similar.

Dr. Emmaunuelle Tulle, Sociology reader at Glasgow Caledonian University claimed that running is definitely able to make someone feel like having achieved something worthy.

“Running adds to a general sense of wellbeing, you feel good and it helps boost your self-confidence. The combination of attending Parkrun and being able to track your progress on Strava makes runners feel as if they are not on their own, it enables them to see the point of running. They are much more likely to maintain regular exercise as a result and reap the benefits,” he added.

“There is a combination of competitiveness and togetherness, which is extremely beneficial.”

Pregnant runners: Why it’s super cool to run during summer

 

Almost every pregnant mom-to-be has thought at least one time whether she should go out for a run, especially when it’s burning hot.

Since pregnant women are fully aware that their physical condition is not the same anymore, and being extra cautious when it comes to what you should consume and do, is a must, running might seem like a tough, challenging, and muscle-breaking activity which translates into a big no-no for pregnant women.

In reality, things don’t need to be so black and white. According to a recent study conducted by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, running during hot summer days doesn’t necessarily translates into a bad thing, quite the opposite in fact.

Even though going out for a run during peak temperatures isn’t the best thing you can do, choosing another time during the day when temperatures tend to be lower, is always the smartest choice. Running has tons of benefits and if you love doing it, you should.

What studies have to say

Now a long time ago, an international team of researchers decided to conduct a systematic review of different studies related to pregnant women and their core temperature.

After carefully examining the data, they came up with the conclusion that pregnant women can in fact continue to exercise in a more safely manner for even up to 35 minutes a day at around 85 percent max heart rate in 75 degrees F.

In other words, the results indicate that pregnant women are free to go for a run, and for a pretty intense one as well, in a normal summer day. However, that doesn’t mean that every woman should hit the road.

It all depends on the way running makes you feel and the type of pregnancy you might be experiencing.

“There are some people who should not exercise during pregnancy. Higher-risk people: anyone with significant lung disease, or any heart disease that’s valve-related and would increase the risk of heart attack. Anyone at risk of pre-term labor,” Lia Wrenn, M.D., a gynecologist at Affiliates in Ob/Gyn in Burlington, Vermont, said during an interview for Runner’s World.

Experts suggest that if you experience any of the below-mentioned symptoms while running, you should stop exercising and call your doctor immediately:

  • Dizziness
  • Chest pain
  • Amniotic fluid leakage
  • Vaginal bleeding
  • Regular painful contractions

3 reasons why every runner should start Yoga ASAP

 

We know, you love running and you probably don’t feel the need to add anything else to your fitness routine.

However, the thing experts have started to suggest hasn’t much to do with your love for running rather than it has to do with the way you enjoy and perform this type of physical activity.

You see, several studies have shown how beneficial yoga can be when performed alone and also, when accompanied by other activities such as swimming, running, and weight lifting among others.

Yoga acts like a balancer, a routine that can help you both mentally and physically to better handle different physical challenges. It can also bring a set of other benefits related to your posture, muscle relaxation, bones, and breathing techniques.

Let’s find out the main benefits Yoga can bring to your favorite workout routine:

 It will help you gain more stability

Everybody knows Yoga “obligates” its performers to move their body in different challenging and demanding positions while keeping themselves balanced from one point to another.

This means it can strongly increase your muscle efficiency and your stability and strength while running. For example, whenever you perform the Warrior II pose, it means you will have to bend your knees and try to keep your pelvises as stable as possible, increasing their efficiency while running as well.

It keeps you going

Yoga is a great mind-body negotiator and it certainly helps your mental health stay in shape.

Since it works on making you more focused and aware of your challenges, surroundings, and capacities, it won’t let you give up so easily but instead, a yoga-trained mind is more capable in seeking a solution to whatever life thoughts at you.

This means, in your next race, you will certainly be more mentally prepared than your competitors who don’t see Yoga as a great coach that is able to help them deal with tough situations.

You will learn to resist more while breathing properly

One of the main benefits Yoga can bring has to do with breathing techniques. People know that in a certain way, their breath works as their inner GPS that helps them better plan the next move, its pace, and the amount of effort needed to handle a certain move.

Well, when it comes to breathing, yoga can help you better control it so your body can save as much energy as it can, at least enough to send you at the finish line.

If you don’t learn how to talk to your body through breathing, it won’t be able to detect whether you’re running from someone who is trying to hurt you or just for fun.

Breathing can help your body save a lot of energy so you don’t end up exhausted whenever you’re running from “nobody”.

Fitness Apps make NO difference to one’s health, study finds

 

Researchers have been studying different fitness-related apps for a while now and the recent discovery indicated that almost not a single app has proven to be beneficial for users’ health.

Experts suggest that almost every one of them failed miserably to deliver any type of improvement or in some cases, made the problem even worse.

The researchers from the Bond University in Queensland, after examining more than 250,000 fitness, diet, and weight loss apps available, came to a shocking conclusion.

They found out that, after choosing some of them to investigate their benefits in a more long-term way, almost none of them proved to bring any real benefit.

“However, the overall evidence of effectiveness was of very low quality, which hinders the prescribability of those apps,” the research that was published in the international journal Nature a few days ago, found.

“Our recommendations for improving the quality of evidence and reducing research waste and potential harm in this nascent field includes encouraging app effectiveness testing prior to release, designing less biased trials, and conducting better reviews.”

According to the lead author of this study, Dr Oyuka Byambasuren, any app that strongly claims that it can improve one’s help, should automatically bring enough evidence to back the claim up.

There have been also several time so far that different US-based app developers have been fined for large sums of money for making false claims about their app’s health benefits.

“The evidence for many apps is low but I still believe apps have potential to change health-related behaviours and help people with chronic conditions,” Byambasuren added.

“But evidence is a must. And the truth is it’s just really hard to change human behaviour and health-related behaviours. No matter how many apps you download, they only work if you change your behaviour.”