National Runner's Health Study: Part II

Two Miles a Day Keeps the Grim Reaper Away

There is no question that running and other forms of physical exercise improve your health. What are the health benefits of running and how does it extend your life?  Funny you should ask! Researchers at the University of British Columbia investigated that very topic in March of this year.  In that study Warburton and associates found that recent research shows that sedentary individuals can reduce their risk of premature death between 20% and 50% by simply becoming more active. Even moderate amounts of running will decrease your levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), increase your HDL (good cholesterol), lower your blood pressure and improve your cardiac function. The researchers also found that if you increase the amount of calories you burn through physical exercise by 1000 calories or about 10 miles of running per week, you can reduce your risk of premature death by another 20%.

 
That’s great news for people who are healthy and do not currently have cardiovascular disease. What about those whom are already at risk?  Good news! The benefits of running also apply to individuals that already have cardiovascular disease. The researchers determined that burning around 1600 calories or 16 miles of running per week may stop the advancement of cardiovascular disease and 2200 calories or 22 miles of running per week could actually reverse the disease.