I thought it will be interesting to create a quick list with the most important 10 health related benefits of running. Here is the list:

1. Weight Control

Most people start running because they want to control their body weight. You start loosing weight when you burn more calories than you assimilate, thus making your body turn to the fat it has stored in order to compensate the energy deficit. Running is considered to be one of the most effective exercises when it comes to burning calories. In fact, a typical runner who takes running seriously can burn up to 500 calories in less than an hour.

2. Building Up Your Bones and Muscles

There is a very strong connection between the development of our muscles, bones and effort. Muscles and bones will grow depending on the efforts required of them. By sitting at your desk all day, your bones and muscles will get weaker in time. A very good solving solution for this problem is running, because this exercise is highly demanding on your bones and muscles. Running will trigger bones to become more dense and will also help build muscle tone.

3. Heart and Blood Benefits

In response to running on a regular basis, your heart will be more healthy and your blood pressure will lower. Running also lowers your cholesterol level and reduces the risk of blood clots and heart attacks.

4. Relieving Stress

It’s a proven fact that running lowers stress level. Speed running can also release anger and frustrations and can calm you down. Running long distances can help you find solutions to your problems or, even better, can make you forget about them for awhile and clear your mind for a few moments. After a running session you’ll feel better, be more optimist and have a better morale in general.

5. Building Up Self-Esteem

People who exercise by running have shown to be more confident in their own strengths. After constantly surpassing the limits of your own body, you will get stronger with every run and your self-esteem will build up. Results like loosing weight, stronger muscles or better health in general, after maintaining a rigorous running exercise program, will also make you feel better about yourself.

6. Slowing Down the Aging Process

As mentioned above, regular running exercises will make your bone and muscle structure stronger. Those who live a sedentary life will have a weaker skeleton and muscle loss, thus making them more susceptible to various diseases. Having strong bones and muscles becomes more important as you age and both will leave a mark on your looks.

7. Willpower

Running is not easy. It can be a very painful experience, especially for newcomers and that is why most people drop it after a few runs and fall to their old habits. By surpassing that pain and the temptation to just stay comfortably in your house and postponing the running session for tomorrow, you earn the determination and willpower to succeed in other areas of your life.

8. Boost Body Immunity

Running increases the number of lymphocytes, also known as white blood cells which are essential to your immune system. It also reduces the risk of diseases like breast cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes.

9. Better Coordination

Surprisingly enough, coordination does improve with running. Some people may be reluctant to acknowledge it, since it’s such a simple sport, but running involves coordination especially on hard terrain with small obstacles like rocks and tree roots. Experienced runners who use trails as their rout, learn how to avoid stumbling and tripping on such obstacles.

10. Sleep Better

How much and how well we sleep has a lot to say for our health. After an intense exercise like running, your body needs to recover and repair itself. It is vital that you don’t overexert yourself as this will cause a lot of damage to your body. By keeping this in mind and exercising regularly you will feel more relaxed and you will sleep more soundly and profoundly. Runners usually fall asleep quicker and stay in a deep state of sleep longer than people who aren’t very active.

Hopefully these 10 reasons will be enough for you to get your eyes of the computer, put on a pair of sneakers and go out for a quick run. Go for it!

But it’s important not to hibernate and stay active during winter, especially after the feasts of winter holidays. If you follow a few basic precautions you can overcome the setbacks that winter season brings to running outside.

1. Check the weather first

A strong and chilly wind could cause frostbite or even hypothermia. Be sure to check the weather forecast. Even if it’s nice and clear now, the weather can change fast. If it looks bad it would probably be best to stay inside. You don’t have to act like a hero and go out into a blizzard!

2. Don’t go out when it’s dark

Besides the temperatures dropping fast after sunset, there is also a problem with visibility. Wearing reflective materials could alert drivers of your presence. The best time to run would be just before sunrise.

3. Use the right shoes

You should use special running shoes for winter, designed for snow and ice with thick rubber soles, rubber cleats or even sharp metal spikes.

4. Dress in layers

Wearing three layers of clothes help insulate your body and eliminate moisture.

The base layer is in contact with your skin and it should keep you warm and dry. Any of the following materials are a good choice: polypropylene, silk, polyester, wool. Cotton however should be avoided as it traps moisture and it stays wet.

The mid layer is for insulation. Materials as polyester, wool and fleece would do the job.

The outer layer should be water and wind resistant and should also allow moisture to escape. Gore-Tex is an excellent material but other options that are not so high tech would still perform well.

5. Protect your extremities

Your hands and feet are the most vulnerable to frostbites so make sure you wear proper gloves, socks and shoes. A scarf and hat that covers your ears are also necessary. Research shows that you can loose up to 30% of your body heat through hands and feet and up to 40% through the head.

6. Avoid icy areas

It is best not to go out running if the ground is too icy or snowy. A fall could be very serious especially if you are alone. A cell phone with full batteries is “a must” for any runner in the winter.

7. Hydrate

Even in the cold you loose water through sweat, so be sure to stay well hydrated.

8. Protect against hypothermia

Hypothermia is defined as a significant drop in body core temperature. It starts with shivering, cold sensations, numbness and confusion and leads to lack of coordination, muscle stiffness and unconsciousness.

To protect against hypothermia you should dress in layers, cover your head and mouth, stay dry, especially at your feet, and hydrate.

9. Don’t wander around

Weather changes can be very abrupt so make sure you have places where you can stop and rest or seek shelter if things get to the worst.

10. Go with a friend

Having a friend beside you not only gives you extra security but the company also takes away the boredom and might increase running motivation.

11. Don’t overdue

If you have certain health conditions it would probably be best to avoid such activities.

If you hate the gym, running during the winter can be a healthy and invigorating experience. Even if nature is against you, it’s the difficulties that make it so appealing.

The body also uses energy to keep vital organs functioning. The energy is allocated especially for heart, brain and lungs. The skeletal muscles are always working (except when sleeping), to maintain body position.

The human body uses 1 watt per kilogram of body mass just to stay alive (this effort is named the basel metabolic rate). So, a woman of 55 kilograms who does not move, uses 55 watts continuously, representing about 1100 calories per day.

EXERCISES
To make a diet more effective, a person must complement it with exercises. Aerobic exercises are very useful, for dieting and for good health as well. To be useful, the exercises must be performed 3 – 4 times a week and must maintain a target heart rate of more than 50% of one’s maximum heart rate for 30 minutes.

When speaking of exercises, 8 rules apply referring to diet:

1. The diet must contain all the needed macro and micro-nutrients
2. The person must plan a meal or a nutritive supplement at every 3 – 4 hours (4 – 6 meals a day)
3. Drink a sufficient quantity of water
4. Drink cocktails containing carbohydrates and proteins, after training
5. Never skip breakfast, who should be rich in carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals
6. Exclude as much as possible sugar, alcohol or other similar products
7. The diet should not be very strict (but be careful with products that can’t be refused: chocolate, cookies, etc.)
8. Before going to bed, eat something with less calories as possible, to assure a constant and extended flux of aminoacids in blood

Rather small modifications in someone’s lifestyle, modifications that are not time-consuming, can have a significant positive impact on dieting. Usually, these modifications refer to daily activities, like walking rather than driving, climbing stairs instead of taking elevators, etc.