When you are looking for ways to boost your overall health, running is a great way to go. Running provides dozens of documented benefits for the body and mind. Together with resistance training, proper dental care, meditation, and self-affirmation, even light jogging can provide the basis of a healthy, fulfilled life.

Running

The health benefits of being a runner are well known. Even five to ten minutes of low-intensity running each day has been shown to improve longevity.

Being a runner benefits the entire body. Runners enjoy a lower body weight and fat percentage, less stress and depression, and better cardiovascular health.

Resistance Training

Resistance training is an important counterpart to jogging. Start small and work your way up. Resistance training also boosts your bone health, making you stronger over time than people who do not participate in this training. It will increase your endurance and make you a better runner.

Brushing Your Teeth

When building a healthy lifestyle, the importance of tooth brushing and proper dental care cannot be overlooked. Many people believe that there is no connection between dental health and overall health. Poor dental health, including periodontal disease, affects the entire body. Periodontal disease can even cause heart problems. When dental problems are overlooked, they compound themselves and cause costly issues in the future.


Make sure that you brush at least twice per day, using a fluoridated toothpaste. Floss your teeth once a day to promote gum health. According to Sycamore Dental, children and adults should receive a professional cleaning to remove plaque and protect enamel every six months. These simple steps will help to preserve your health for the long-term.

Meditation

Meditation has many important health benefits. It lowers your heart rate and blood pressure while reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also affect asthma, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, tension headaches, and sleep difficulties.

Beginning a meditation practice is easy. Breath exercises are the simplest way to start. As you grow more experienced in calming your mind, you may wish to use more advanced forms of meditation.

Self-Affirmation

When you need a boost, self-affirmation techniques can keep you on the path to good health. Rather than letting life’s stresses bring you down, try self-affirmation to encourage you to practice healthy habits. Self-affirmation has documented benefits for stress and anxiety as well as problem-solving. According to Carnegie Mellon University, “A brief self-affirmation was effective in eliminating the deleterious effects of chronic stress on problem-solving performance, such that chronically stressed self-affirmed participants performed under pressure at the same level as participants with low chronic stress levels.”

These five aspects of a healthy lifestyle can help you boost your mental and physical fitness. Along with the mental and physical benefits, these five elements can help you increase your sports performance.

For more articles that will inspire you to run, check out more of our blog!

October 04, 2018 — Brian Maniscalco

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