Be Thankful. Be Grateful.

 

Welcome to December! Despite all that is 2020, I ask you to be the person who is Thankful. Be Grateful. It's a simple idea, but like most ideas...it isn't easy. But it's possible. While we haven't been able to do a lot this year, the outdoors and personal growth are still possible! We can still et outside and get fresh air. With that in mind, I am sharing a GREAT article written by a young patient of mine, Jake Willeford. It originally appeared earlier this month in Strike Magazine, and it's better than most of the stuff I try to write on my own! As you know, I enjoy running. It's the simplest and purest form of exercise, and Jake does a great job of explaining and pointing out aspects of running that you may not have thought about. Happy Trails! (or sidewalks, or country roads, wherever...just get outside and put one foot in front of the other...

With the global mental state at its worst in decades, it’s safe to say that we’re all looking for methods and suggestions to get us back to a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Anxiety, depression and apathy are just some of what each and every one of us are dealing with on a daily basis. For some, this is new, but for others, this even more of a weight added on to a struggle that started before the infamous 2020.

Physical health is a little bit of a different story. The late ‘2010s have already been a time of advocating for physical wellness, deemed the “health craze” after light was shed on fast food establishments and United States obesity rates in the mid ‘2000s. Add a pandemic onto the already popular health conscious culture, and now everyone is starting to get into a consistent exercise routine. If you want to start conquering your physical and mental health simultaneously, running is the undeniable perfect start, especially when Orlando has such a beautiful climate for it. Here’s a list including some of the ways that running can help not just your mental health, but overall health.

It Can Relieve Symptoms of Depression

Multiple studies have been conducted over the years showing the direct relationship between running and endorphins in the brain. According to PodiumRunner’s Candice Rasa, “strikingly, in one study, running was found to be as effective as an intervention for depression as psychotherapy.” To get even more specific about what’s actually going on in your body to illicit that, Johns Hopkins Medicine’s David J. Linden P.H.D. talked about a naturally occurring substance in your body called endocannabinoids. He says that they move easily through the bloodstream directly to the brain where they help “promote short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anxiety and feelings of calm.” If I didn’t already run myself, knowing this would have definitely got me to consider starting.

It Helps You Sleep

This is something a lot of college students neglect for various reasons, but just like there being no better natural medicine than quality foods, there’s no better supplement to your mental health than an appropriate amount of sleep. Doctors, scientists and athletic trainers all have different opinions on the right amount of sleep you should get per night because everyone’s body functions slightly differently. However, 6-8 hours is often collectively agreed upon. If you’re struggling to get into that zone, running might be the key to get you there. Psychology Today says there can be a quicker onset of sleep, including deeper sleep (REM) and the reduction of symptoms in those with insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. Given that most of our time is spent sitting indoors at the moment, our body isn’t getting that activity to make it tired. In my first-hand experience, this definitely helps, the more my body moves, the better I sleep.

It Gives You A Boost in Self-Esteem

Running, paired with the right nutrition, can definitely assist in weight loss, and therefore improving physique altogether. This kind of thing would definitely increase anyone’s self-esteem (look better, feel better). However, this also has to do with endorphins in the brain again, creating a response that makes one feel better about themselves – and why shouldn’t you? Being active is something that you should be proud of, you took the steps to better yourself and improve your daily lifestyle, go you! Multiple studies have shown that this is the case, and that running with a partner or a group can provide an even larger boost.

Bonus: Try Running With Music, an Audiobook, or Podcast

According to an article from Women’s Running, retrieved from a study done by London’s Brunel University School of Sport and Education, music while running can “reduce the perception of effort significantly and increase endurance by as much as 15 percent.” In my personal experience this is definitely the case, but in my less technical terminology, I’d say that it allows one to escape into their own world, so thoughts are more so on what is developing outside the reality of running itself. That’s why the perception of effort decreases. The endurance increase is just a side effect of running consistently, but that endurance certainly translates into all aerobic activity in your life. Walking up steps, carrying things, spending a day on your feet at a theme park, you name it. An audiobook or podcast can also have similar effects, essentially distracting yourself from the exercise being done while still achieving the physical and mental benefits. Personally, I choose music because nothing really gets me as motivated, inspired, and joyful.

These times are hard, we’re all busy, we’re all stressed. Always make sure that you’re making time for a little self-care. That can take so many forms, and running should definitely be one of them.