Running is such a great way to stay healthy and feeling great. There are many benefits to beginning and continuing a running program. Here are some reasons that you should be out there on the roads. Some of these you may not be aware of.

Running is good for a healthy heart. It strengthens the heart muscle and helps the blood and oxygen flow through the body. These two things are helpful in preventing heart attacks. Regular running may also help you control high blood pressure.

Running will help you to lower your cholesterol. Running increases the levels of HDL (good cholesterol) while lowering your LDL (bad cholesterol). This will help you to have less of a chance of having a stroke or heart attack.

Your lungs will be healthier. The correct breathing technique for runners is belly breathing - deep breaths coming from deep in the belly, not shallow. This deep breathing forces your lungs to use more of their potential. And, as a side note for former smokers, running will help you to recover some of your lung potential lost by smoking.

Running will help you to ward off osteoporosis as you get older. Weight bearing exercise (as running is) helps bones stay healthy and produce more bone cells. As you exercise the muscles and tendons pull away from the bone. But, this is a good thing and is what causes your body to produce more bone cells. This helps your bones to get strong and stay stronger.

Another health benefit of running is that it helps with your immune system. Runners seem to not have as many colds, allergies or menstrual discomfort as those who do not exercise. Studies have also found that long distance running can help you to have resistance to infections and certain cancers. A study that was done showed that 61% of recreational runners had fewer colds than they did before they started running.

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