Benefits of Running 5 miles per week

Running as little as 5 miles per week can have huge health benefits. A very large study has come out that shows running as little as 5 miles a week or about 5-10 minutes a day at slow speeds (10 minutes per mile) can reduce the risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease. 

A Runner's World article about the research says: 

Lead author Duck-chul Lee, Ph.D., of Iowa State University, says that runners who run less than an hour per week gain the same mortality benefits as those who run more than three hours a week. 

"Since time is one of the strongest barriers to participate in physical activity, the study may motivate more people to start running,” Lee said in a press release accompanying the research. “Running may be a better exercise option than more moderate intensity exercise since it produces similar, if not greater, mortality benefits in 5 to 10 minutes compared to 15 to 20 minutes of moderate intensity activity.”

If you don't currently run or do any cardiovascular exercise, hopefully this will motivate you to get out and run today, even if it's only for a minute or two. Start with what you can do, and know that even that small amount of running is giving you benefits. If you start with 1 minute today, and do 2 minutes tomorrow, and 3 minutes the next day -- in less than a week you'll be running enough to improve your health and lower your mortality rate. Pretty amazing! 

If you can't run because of pain or injury contact Oregon Exercise Therapy for a free posture evaluation and consultation and we'll help you get your body balanced and fit for running again. 

Runner's World: New Research: Big Benefits From Running 5 Miles A Week
Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Leisure-Time Running Reduces All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Risk