The benefits and harms of running in the morning for the human body

You have been thinking about starting to play sports for a long time. From time to time these thoughts pop up in your head, and then disappear again somewhere. This happens every day.

The simple idea of ​​“I wish I could start running” begins to turn into a dream. Sometimes it can get ridiculous. To prevent this from happening, think and answer the questions now:

• Do I want to be in good athletic shape?
• Do I want to wake up quickly in the morning, be energetic and feel alert all day?
• Do I want to get into the habit of morning jogging?

If you answered “yes” to at least one question, you should definitely start running. If so, don't wait until Monday and get your running clothes and shoes ready tonight. Tomorrow we start running! Before you go to bed, set yourself a goal to jump out of bed as soon as the alarm clock rings. Don't be alarmed, soon this will become your habit and it will be as comfortable for you as brushing your teeth.

How to run in the morning to feel energized

The effect of jogging is greatly influenced by the person’s condition. For early risers, getting up in the morning is not a significant problem, even if you have to get up an hour and a half earlier than usual.

For owls, whose vital activity occurs in the evening and night hours, and bedtime usually occurs well after midnight, early morning training can be a real challenge. The body does not have time to properly rest and is completely unprepared for intense exercise. If changing the schedule is impossible, do not torture yourself and put yourself in a state of stress. It is better to choose the most comfortable time for training, which optimally matches the rhythm of life.

Important advice! Before you start jogging, you need to stretch your joints and muscles to avoid sprains.

For beginners, a gradual and gentle system of exercises is recommended until the body gets used to the stress.

To get the maximum effect from morning running and not to overload the body, it is advisable to adhere to general recommendations. At moderate intensity, positive changes will be felt after 2-3 months of regular training. To get an idea for beginners how to run properly in the morning, you should read the article at the link.

Pre-warm-up

Before you start jogging, you need to do a set of simple and dynamic exercises to warm up your joints and muscles and prepare them for the upcoming loads. Stretching is recommended for both beginners and experienced runners.

Before jogging, you need to do light joint exercises, then jog for a short time (5-10 minutes) to warm up your muscles. After this, you need to do a full warm-up for 10-12 minutes. During the warm-up you need to stretch your muscles. Spend 1-2 minutes on each exercise and do the exercises on both legs alternately. After completing your warm-up, you can begin your running workout.

Basic rules for morning jogging:

• follow the recommendations for preliminary warm-up and duration for beginners;
• try to maintain a moderate pace while moving, without sudden accelerations;
• monitor the level of pressure, pulse and body position;
• choose comfortable shoes and clothes for training that do not restrict movement and breathing. Try to avoid using things that create a greenhouse effect;
• after intense training, give the body a day to rest, avoid overwork;
• at the end of your morning run, do a few gentle muscle stretching exercises;
• After a run, you can take a contrast shower.

In addition to general recommendations, you should listen to the opinions of your doctor and sports coach, who will take into account individual characteristics and help you create the right training schedule.

Important advice! For those starting out running in the morning, a half-hour workout at moderate intensity will be enough.

Running technique

1. You need to breathe through both your nose and mouth to saturate your lungs with oxygen.
2. Keep a steady pace of running - the speed should be such that you can talk comfortably. The arms are half-bent (the angle at the elbow is about 90 degrees) and tense when moving forward, and relaxed when moving back. Hands move at the waist in synchronization with steps.
3. The chest is turned out, avoid slouching.
4. You need to run, lowering yourself onto the middle part of your foot, or, if this is still difficult, then step on your heel, smoothly rolling onto your toes. You cannot run by landing on your forefoot and toes.

If you experience pain in the muscles or joints, as well as general discomfort, you need to reduce the intensity of your training and consult a specialist. You may need individual recommendations to avoid overload and injury.

Literature

1. Kulakov V. N., Popov Yu. A., Tikhonov S. A., Suslov F. P. Middle and long distance running / ed. ed. V. V. Kuznetsova. – M.: Physical culture and sport, 1982. – 174 p.
2. Athletics: a textbook for physical education institutes / ed. N. G. Ozolina, V. I. Voronkina, Yu. N. Primakova. – 4th edition. – M.: Physical culture and sport, 1989. – 670 p.
3. Polunin A.I. Methodological features of training highly qualified long-distance runners / A.I. Polunin, S.A. Snesarev. – M.: Soviet Sport, 1986. – 44 p.

Author: Korolev E. S.

Reviewer: reflexologist Kurus A. N.

What are the benefits of morning jogging?

Having decided to go jogging in the morning, first make sure there are no contraindications so as not to harm the body. Individual recommendations will allow you to achieve maximum effect.

Running is useful because it gives a person:

• the ability to lose excess weight and improve overall body tone;
• a surge of endorphins that helps normalize sleep;
• increasing endurance and strengthening the heart muscle due to regular training;
• strengthening the immune system by increasing the content of hemoglobin and red blood cells in the blood;
• improvement of skin condition;
• stabilization of pressure and respiratory organs, shortness of breath stops;
• increase in overall performance;
• activation of brain activity due to an intense rush of oxygen-enriched blood.

It is better to conduct classes in parks, squares, along the embankment, in places with clean air, away from heavy traffic, to minimize the entry of exhaust gases into the lungs.

The effectiveness of running by time of day for weight loss

What is the best time to run for weight loss? The choice of what time of day to run is influenced by many factors and life circumstances.

You can choose to run at any time of the day, but you should take into account the advice of experts

Professionals advise listening to the daily (circadian) biorhythm to which a person is exposed. Almost all body functions exhibit daily rhythmicity.

For example, scientists have found that the lowest body temperature occurs in the early morning hours, and the highest temperature is observed in the afternoon and also in the evening. Athletes train more effectively at higher body temperatures.

Research has also found that lung function follows the same pattern.

Since the body temperature is low in the morning, the muscles lack flexibility, which means the risk of injury is quite high. Lung function is slow. Energy reserves are also depleted during sleep.

It is important to know! Research shows that heart attacks and strokes are most likely to occur in the early morning hours. After breakfast, lung function improves, body temperature increases and energy levels are much higher due to the proteins and carbohydrates received at breakfast

This time is suitable for training, but is not optimal

After breakfast, lung function improves, body temperature increases and energy levels are much higher due to the proteins and carbohydrates received at breakfast. This time is suitable for training, but is not optimal.

At lunchtime, the body experiences a slight slowdown in vital processes, body temperature is lowered, and lung function is not at its peak.

Note! In the afternoon and especially in the evening, the body is at its maximum temperature, the muscles are flexible, and the lungs work optimally. This is the time when training will give the best results.

Therefore, the question of what time is best to run for weight loss can be answered unequivocally - in the evening

But it is also important to know how much, when and how to run

What changes occur in men and women who start running regularly in the morning?

It is also worth mentioning the reaction of the female and male body to constant exercise.

The benefits of running in the morning for the fair sex:

• The happiness hormone is produced, which guarantees an elevated mood throughout the day, will help withstand stressful situations and reduce the craving for sweets;
• Intense exercise promotes blood circulation, which has a positive effect on oxygen saturation and cell renewal. The face acquires a healthy glow, the skin becomes elastic and toned;
• Rejuvenation of the reproductive system of the body, thanks to the flow of blood into the pelvic organs. Jogging is also recommended for women on the eve of and at the onset of menopause. Loads allow the body to rebuild faster;
• The body acquires slender shape and elasticity, muscles are tightened evenly throughout the body, thanks to the distributed load;
• Self-esteem and self-confidence increases, especially if training becomes regular.

For the stronger half of humanity, morning running contributes, in addition to the positive factors listed above, to the production of hormones that affect potency. Increased testosterone levels, decreased fat mass and increased blood circulation enhance sexual desire and erectile function.

Strengthening the walls of blood vessels prevents early impotence and coronary diseases.

Saturation of blood with oxygen promotes the active functioning of areas of the brain responsible for libido.

Important advice! It is advisable to start your morning run slowly, gradually increasing the pace.

Who should avoid morning jogging?

Despite the many positive factors of morning jogging, in some cases doctors recommend refraining from training. Intense exercise is contraindicated at any time of the day:

• with diagnosed glaucoma;
• women who are four months or more pregnant;
• for diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as those who have suffered a stroke or heart attack;
• suffering from dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal system, in the presence of intervertebral hernias;
• during the active stage of infectious diseases;
• after surgery or injury, until the body is completely restored;
• for serious pathologies of internal organs, liver, kidney disease, etc.

There are other contraindications in which you should refrain from morning jogging. In order not to harm your health, it is better to consult a doctor and undergo an examination.

Doctors often recommend running in the morning to patients with various diseases as a preventive measure for overall strengthening of the body.

How morning running helps with weight loss

Many novice athletes complain that they have been engaged in intense sports exercises for 1-2 months, but the hated kilograms do not go away. In order to achieve not only a general health effect on the body, but also to lose weight, it is necessary to take into account a number of rules.

During the first 35-40 minutes from the start of training, glycogen is burned in the body and, as such, a decrease in body weight does not occur. The fat begins to “melt” in the next 15-20 minutes. Therefore, the desired effect occurs if the total training time is at least one hour. For beginners, it is better not to exceed the recommended intensity and stick to a regime that is comfortable for the body.

Progress is impossible without periodic rest; muscles and joints must recover. After 2-3 months of training, if there are no contraindications, you can gradually increase the intensity, alternating jogging with cross-country runs lasting 1 hour or more. There should be no more than 2 training sessions with increased load per week.

Running over rough terrain for 1-1.5 hours gives a good effect, but this requires some physical preparation. The maximum number of calories is burned during interval running, when cross-country on flat areas alternates with acceleration uphill.

Don't forget to monitor your pulse and proper breathing. Aerobic exercise is more effective when your heart rate is within the specified limits. Therefore, a heart rate monitor will be useful for training, which will allow you to check your heart rate while running and adjust your speed relative to your heart rate.

Much attention should be paid to the choice of shoes. If you are overweight, choose sneakers that have additional cushioning. When training, the main thing is not to damage your joints, otherwise your dreams of quickly losing weight will have to be postponed.

Start with a nice jogging walk

Maxim Denisov, founder and head coach of the Gepard school:

Running should bring joy and pleasure. Only then will it become a habit, and even more: it will become a need. Start running in the warmer months, when going outside is easy and pleasant. The end of spring, summer is the most ideal time. The sun is shining from early morning, it is easy to get up early.

Consider a route with good, even surface, preferably in a park or stadium. Leave extreme city or forest routes for later. At first everything should go perfectly smoothly, there should be no irritation. Let it be a pleasant walk, not too intense - light jogging or even running + walking. So you will feel the joy of movement, of the morning silence and of the air, which is so clean only in the early morning. At the same time as running, add elements of meditation, this will help you concentrate before the work day. After such a leisurely run, you will definitely feel a surge of strength and energy.

And then, when you love your morning jogging walks, you can gradually increase the load and move on to more complex training programs. There is no need to “plow”: after a morning workout there should be no fatigue, only slight cheerfulness. The more “pumped” you are in running, the higher your performance will be in everything else.

Read on: How to start running: a complete guide to running for beginners