Okay, I want to know who out there has ‘regular exercise’ as one of their New Year’s Resolutions?? Come on..I know a lot of you have it at least somewhere on your list! How often do we find ourselves starting each year thinking and saying ‘this year I WILL be better at getting healthier, I’ll exercise more, eat better, etc. etc’ I don’t know about you, but for me it’s like “Groundhog Day” with some of my resolutions. (As I hang my head in shame now….) I start each with the best of intentions in mind, however before I know it (for one reason/excuse or another) I have fallen off the wagon and let go (given up…shhh) on my resolutions. One of my biggest ones each year is to exercise more regularly. If this is one of yours, then I have an invitation for you!
A few years ago, our office did a Couch to 5K training program, with the goal of running a 5K race at the end of it. We had many practice members participate and run the race. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. It was also great to see so many try something new and improve along the way. I have decided to bring it back for 2016. There has been quite a few people asking if we would do this again, so I decided to host another Couch to 5K program. This time the race we are choosing to train for is the Rockin Road Race in Concord! It’s one of Concord’s biggest races that happen in May of each year, and it draws a huge crowd of not only runners but walkers too.
I would love to see many of you join us in this Couch to 5K fun. You absolutely DO NOT need to be a runner already or ever have run in your life! This program is designed to take a person from never running a step to completing a 5K. For those of you that are hesitant, I promise that this program is extremely do-able. In the beginning, you actually do more walking than running, and as the program goes on you add in a bit more running each time until you’re finally running more than walking. You may wonder why the heck people want to run anyway?
There are many health benefits of running. It can help you lose weight by burning extra calories; can help strengthen your bones and decrease your chances of osteoporosis (or of it worsening). It helps improve your cardio-vascular health and reduce the risk of having a heart attack by helping arteries increase their elasticity and by strengthening the heart muscle. It also plays a role in boosting your immune function and helps raise your levels of good cholesterol.
Not all benefits of running are physical ones only. Running can help boost confidence and self-esteem by setting goals, seeing improvement and achieving the goals. It definitely helps to relieve stress, (and less stress helps improve health) and it can help reduce the chances of suffering from tension headaches. Running is known to also help eliminate depression. This can be tricky because when you’re feeling down, the last thing you want to do is run, however if you can get out there you’ll find your mood will change due to the release of certain hormones that are secreted during exercise (ever heard of “runner’s high”? This is brought on by endorphins that are released during running that help us feel good and be happier).
One other benefit I want to add in about running, and especially participating in a group program is the sense of community it can build. When you participate in a group run, you’ll most likely be meeting new people which can lead to new friendships and broader sense of your community. I’ve recently joined a group I found on Facebook called “Mom’s Run This Town/She Runs This Town” which is a large group of women in the greater Manchester/Concord area that run. People will post about group runs that seem to happen at all different times on all different days with all different paces which anyone can join. I was hesitant in the beginning to join one (I was afraid I may be too slow, etc) but once I did I loved it. By running with someone it not only helps the miles and time go by faster, but it has also expanded my community. Another huge bonus to it is the fact it helps with my motivation to keep running regularly; when I see group runs posted, I’m more likely to actually get out there with others than I would be on my own.
As you can see, there are loads of benefits to running. I truly hope that many of you will use our upcoming Couch to 5K program to add another healthy habit into your life and expand your community. I would be honored to help you learn the joys of running and be there when you finish The Rockin’ Road Race! Check out our workshop schedule for the informational meeting about it and reserve your seat. See you out there!
In Health,
Dr. Jen