Running once a week: A small step to big changes

Running once a week has huge impact on health (Image via unsplash/ jenny hill)

When you hear the word 'running', you may picture a daily grind of miles and sweat. However, running once a week also has substantial health benefits.

Running is one of the most basic human movements, with most of us walking or running every day. However, running for fitness has often been niched down to weight loss and cardio benefits. Nonetheless, running once a week can kick-start transformative changes in your body.

Benefits of running once a week

Benefits of running (Image via unsplash/ candra winata).

There's a continual debate: running or High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)? While HIIT can burn a lot of calories pretty quickly, running, especially long-distance, can give a solid boost to your heart health. It helps to shape up your heart, increasing the amount of blood your heart can push out (stroke volume), and the total amount your heart can pump (Qmax). This contributes to a lower heart rate when you're chilling, and eventually to better overall health.

There's more to running than just burning calories and losing weight. It's also about improving how your body moves. To move correctly while running, you need good core stability. You unwittingly practice better movement patterns which can vitalize people who often have to sit for a long time.

Here's a quick secret, running can bolster your hip muscles, helping you avoid uncomfortable knee pains and injuries.

Impact of running once a week on your body

Running once a week impacts your body in unexpected ways (Image via unsplash/ Onur binay).

Let's break the myth that intense running is the only effective one. Even a calm, peaceful jog can give plenty of benefits. Running affects your body beyond just burning off a few extra bites. It can help grow more blood vessels (angiogenesis), improve the health of your arteries, pump up your blood supply, and improve your bone density.

Running ain't just about physical health. It can also give a tremendous boost to your sensory experience, especially when done outdoors. Running in minimal shoes encourages natural and healthier foot movements. It allows you to interact better with the environment and can also be a source of vitamin D. Not to forget the cognitive benefits that come along – from improved memory and mood elevation to stress reduction.

Power of running once a week

Morning runs are highly beneficial (Image via unsplash/ Jenny hill).

Running once a week regardless of how intense it is, helps overall well-being. Inspirational personalities like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan incorporated running consistently during their prime. Indeed, if our bodies are designed for running, as a fundamental human movement, incorporating it into our routines even once a week can be a significant positive step.

Sticking with running can take time. Like a lot of things, the more you practice, the better you get, and the more joyful it becomes. If coffee is your first love in the morning, you may find running once a week close second on the list soon, bringing miles of smiles to your day!

Running, like life, isn't a sprint, but more of a marathon. It's about consistency. Each run, each minute, adds up and gradually we grow stronger, and running becomes an integral part of our identity. But remember, run once a week because you want to, not because it is good for you. It's a small step to take, but it's also a stride towards being healthier and happier.