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How to Reap the Benefits of a Good Run

By Brad Scott

Running provides a great cardiovascular and respiratory workout and can be fun too. Now coming from me this may seem like a huge shock for many readers because most people know that I do not like to run…at all. I remember when I first joined the Air Force out of high school and was told I had to run for miles and miles. I asked why I needed to run so much because I'm prepared to stand and fight. After a quick butt kicking from the training instructor I was told to shut my pie hole and just run. I never did get a real answer then and I never enjoyed running. I did however learn to run for miles and miles thanks to a friend of mine, Sam White, who was a track star from my home state of Indiana.

That is when I learned the benefits of running and even a few ideas to make it enjoyable. The largest benefit you will get from running is of course cardiovascular and respiratory endurance. Running taxes the heart and lungs heavily and thereby causes them to adapt by increasing the amount of air exchanges your body can handle as well as the volume of air your body can handle. All movement that takes place in your body creates waste products which are exhausted by way of your cardiovascular and respiratory systems. When these systems function at a high efficiency everything you do becomes better. You are able to exercise better, play sports better, and even make love better. When you can perform at a higher capacity while keeping your heart rate and breathing rate down, you are running on high efficiency.

Now even with the benefits that running can provide, the fact remains, running for must people is boring. But you can think of ways to keep it interesting. When I first started running with Sam I would do about 2 miles and pretty much be done. But Sam was awesome and would find ways to keep me going. Sometimes it would be by picking little milestones along the way such as, "let's just run to the edge of the park" or "let's keep going till we get to the parade field". Other times we would just talk about an upcoming test or our plans for the weekend. The biggest thing he did for me was to keep my mind off the fact that we were running. And before I knew it I was finishing 15 and 20 mile runs.

You can do the same thing. First of all I suggest you run outside whenever possible. The change of scenery as you run is inspiring. Run with a friend if you can. If you must run indoors, such as on a treadmill, where headphones with your favorite music or a good audio book. You can also break up you runs into intervals changing between sprints, walks and jogs to achieve you milestones. If you keep it fun and interesting, you will keep it going and then you can reap the benefits of a good run.

Live for the Moment.....Exercise for Life

About the Author:

Brad Scott is Owner and President of Sport and Life Fitness in Melbourne Florida. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Sports Conditioning with the International Sports Sciences Association. With over 20 years of experience, Brad offers a wide variety of fitness solutions for most anyone. Visit him online at www.SportAndLifeFitness.com today and start your fitness journey.