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We could make so many excuses not to run. There is the "not enough time" excuse. For those of us working or going to school full time, there is little time left in the day to gear up and run. Then there is the excuse, or in some cases, a genuine belief, that running is too strenuous and our bodies just can't handle the stress. Rather than making excuses not to run or looking at the negatives, I will examine here some of the benefits associated with running.

Weight loss, is on many people's minds today. Sure we like our food and we hesitate to sacrifice some to the good stuff we consume for a trimmer body. Well you don't have to. Running can take care of those extra calories for you. Take a casual ten minute a mile run and you can burn 200 calories in twenty minutes. You can burn more than twice the calories as you would by walking for the same period of time. With running, your resting metabolic rate is greatly increased. This means that even when resting, you burn more calories, reducing body fat and giving you a trimmer, more toned body.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of people in the US, the UK and Canada which is a huge concern. So how does running help to prevent this epidemic? For one thing, running strengthens your heart and prevents stiffening of the arteries. As you run, you benefit from lower blood Triglycerides (fat) and cholesterol levels. Not only does running lower the bad cholesterol, it also raises the good cholesterol, HDL High Density Lipoppotien cholesterol. Overall, this translates to better cardiovascular health and a decrease in the risk of death associated with cardiovascular related diseases.

The most common cancer among Canadian women is breast cancer. Every week, over 400 Canadian women will be diagnosed and every week, over 100 will die from breast cancer. In the US, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women and is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that physical activity lowers the risk of breast cancer. The theory is that vigorous exercise like running, can suppress the secretion of progesterone and estrogen. Both have been linked to breast cancer. As well, running lowers triglycerides which in turn reduces the level of estrogen in the bloodstream.

The health benefits of running are too numerous to mention in this article. I will merely touch of some of the other benefits here. Running enhances your respiratory system by allowing it to function more efficiently. It can lower your high blood pressure and heart rate and reduce the risk of stroke. It is good for your joints and muscles and overall helps you to lead a happy and long life, having taken care of some of the major health risk factors.

With all the health benefits of running, finding time to run should be the least of our problems. If you are unsure that you are physically capable of running, as with any new exercise programs, talk to your physician. You may discover that there is really nothing preventing you from from running. You may also find that some of those nagging aches and pains will soon disappear.

Learn more about this author, Joan Schroeder.
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