The effects of running – what does running do? 5 key results.

No one really needs convincing that sport, including running, is good for your health. If you’re one of those people who know running is worth it, but at the same time wonder what results you can expect, you’ll find the answer in this article.

Discover 5 key effects of running. Find out what to do to maximise them, and also see which myths about physical activity can be safely dismissed.

What effects does running have?

There’s no short and clear-cut answer to that question. That’s because not all running is the same, and the final results of this type of effort depend, among other things, on how intensely you run, how often you do it, and what goals you set for yourself. Below you’ll find some of the basic effects you can expect.

Effect no. 1: running for weight loss

Running is one of the most effective ways to burn calories and, as a result, lose excess weight. However, how much you need to run to lose 5, 10, 15 or perhaps even more kilograms depends on several factors. These include:

First of all, consistency matters. A single 5 km run (or 30 minutes) lets you burn from 200 to as many as 500 calories. If you stay determined and run at least a few times a week, you may notice the first effects after just a month of this kind of effort. Really satisfying results, on the other hand, can come after around 3 months.
Secondly, intensity counts. Fast training sessions will help you improve your pace and build and strengthen muscle mass. Slow running, in turn, is ideal for building your aerobic base.

Effect no. 2: running and improved fitness and endurance

If you’re asking yourself, “How do I run without getting tired?”, the answer, paradoxically, is this very form of physical activity. With each training session, your body will start adapting to this kind of effort. And from there, it’s a short road to better endurance and covering even more kilometres. And in less time too!

The endurance base you build through running will also translate into other aspects of your life. After just a few months of practising this sport, you’ll start to notice that:

Walking a few kilometres is no challenge for you at all.
Going up a flight of stairs no longer leaves you short of breath or red-faced.
Skipping the car and heading to the shops on foot becomes a real pleasure.
You have more strength, you’re full of energy, and ordinary tasks no longer make you feel tired so quickly.

Effect no. 3: running to strengthen muscles and improve your physique

Regularly engaging in an activity like running also has a positive effect on your body shape. The results can include building the muscles of the thighs, calves and glutes, as well as generally “sculpting” and “slimming” the upper body, with the stomach leading the way.

Covering changes in elevation will help you strengthen the lower body overall (for example, running in the mountains, on hills or simply up stairs).

Effect no. 4: running and its positive impact on health

It’s no exaggeration to say that regular runs can trigger a very welcome domino effect. Increased calorie demand helps you effectively burn excess body fat, which in turn leads to losing unnecessary kilograms.

This kind of “relief” for the body supports an effective fight against high blood pressure, gives your joints and spine a break, and as a result may have a beneficial effect on the whole body. Other advantages also include support in preventing diabetes and osteoporosis.

For women, it can help effectively fight cellulite, while in men it may cause an increase in testosterone (this applies to intense running).

Effect no. 5: wellbeing and motivation

Regularly engaging in this kind of activity significantly improves sleep quality. It also helps “clear” the mind, which boosts creativity and greatly reduces stress levels.

All these aspects will then lead you to the most important one of all: a powerful dose of happiness and satisfaction that you’ll begin to feel during, and especially right after, a solid running session well done.

From our own experience, we can say there’s really nothing better than the dopamine hit that comes with practically every workout.

What can you do to make the effects of running come faster and be even more satisfying?

Warm-up – start every running workout with a warm-up that prepares your body for increased effort. After finishing, remember to stretch and roll your muscles.
Recovery – give your body time to rebuild and regain strength. Regular massages, baths and simply taking a break from physical activity will help.
Diet and nutrition – provide your body with healthy nutrients that will serve as fuel for action. Before running itself, try to eat easily digestible meals.

Does running every day bring results? How many times a week should you run?

If you’re only starting your adventure with this discipline, running every day may not be the best idea. You need to realise that your body, especially if it isn’t used to this kind of effort, needs proper time to recover and rebuild strained muscles. If you don’t give it that time, doing this activity every day may end in painful injuries and a long return to full fitness. For that reason, try to run 3 times a week (with at least 1-day breaks between runs). This approach will not only give you satisfying results, but also protect you from overworking your body.

It’s different if you already have plenty of runs behind you and hundreds or even thousands of kilometres “in your legs”. In that case, your body may be used to high intensity and, as a result, allow you to run practically every day. Of course, you need to remember that, as with everything else, moderation matters in sport too.

When and at what times should you run to get the best results?

In this area, unless you do sport fully professionally, you have almost complete freedom. Our advice: fit your training sessions into the schedule of your day, week or even month.

If your plans allow it, you can run in the morning, at midday, in the evening or even at night. It’s up to you!

Myths about the effects of running

So far, we’ve said quite a lot about what running does. So now it’s time to mention a few popular and often repeated statements that aren’t entirely true.

“Running is expensive” – if you’re a professional athlete travelling around the world and competing in events, the costs may indeed seem high. But if you treat this activity as a hobby, you should know that there is probably no other sport that is quite so cheap. To get started, all you need is properly chosen footwear, comfortable clothing and, of course, the motivation to run!
“Running always makes you lose weight” – yes, this form of activity is one of the best ways to burn calories, and an excess of them may cause weight gain. You should know, however, that weight-loss effects only come when sport goes hand in hand with a proper lifestyle, including nutrition. Even running 5, 10 or 15 kilometres every day will do nothing if you don’t give up fast food, sugary drinks and other high-calorie meals.
“Running lets you burn fat from specific parts of the body” – there is no magic method, and certainly no running technique, that will let you get rid of body fat, for example, only from your stomach or exclusively from your thighs.
”Running causes pain in the joints, bones and muscles” – while some muscle pain may be a normal effect of intense training, pain in the bones or joints is more likely due to poor footwear, lack of recovery, incorrect running technique or the specifics of your body.
“Running causes varicose veins” – in this case, it’s actually the opposite. While sources of this kind of issue may include excess weight, lack of activity, injury or pregnancy, moderate running may turn out to be one of the ways to reduce them.

What does running do? Summary of 5 key benefits.

If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this article, thank you! We hope the benefits described above have convinced you why running is worth it. Before we finish, here’s a quick summary. Running helps you:

Burn calories intensively, which results in losing excess weight.
Improve fitness and strengthen endurance.
Strengthen muscle structure, build and endurance, as well as improve the overall look of your physique.
Positively affect your health and overall condition.
Gain motivation and improve your wellbeing.

As you can see, running is a great activity that you can do absolutely all year round. All it takes is choosing the right outfit for this activity to be possible in spring, summer, autumn and winter alike. If rain, snow or low temperatures make you uneasy, remember that you can always join a gym and simply run on a treadmill instead!