This is what happens to your body when you run...
The best workout you can do is running. It is completely free and it requires no membership. Yes, you do need a pair of sneakers but even if you do not have them, you can always run barefoot. I do not recommend it, at least not in the beginning but the point that I am making is that you do not need money to run. You do not need fancy equipment or gym membership, only your body, and a strong determination.
I started running seven days ago and I do not consider myself an expert but since I have a freaky mind that needs to know everything about everything, I have done my homework and prepared myself. Now I know what is happening with my body while I run and after it and I am willing to share with you what I have learned and experienced. The first thing you have to know is that running is highly addictive and I too have become an addict after only seven days. Endorphins are your friends...
I will not lie to you, everything will hurt and I mean everything. I have muscles in my body, I did not know existed, that now ache. You would not expect your stomach to hurt or your back and hands, but they do, legs are the least of my problems now.
If you accept that it will hurt it will be easier for you to deal with it but there are some things you can do to help yourself and prevent it to hurt more than it has to.
Right footwear
After reading about running and how to prepare myself, I have found that a lot of experts and professional runners suggest that you run in half a size too big sneakers. The important thing is to have them tightly around your ankles but loose around your toes. This way, your toes will not get hit or rubbed by your footwear. Just do not over do it. A little oversize is fine, Duffy Duck style is not.
Stretch before and after
Think of it this way, every stretch you do will lower your chances of getting hurt and you NEED to stretch before and after your run. A lot of people stretch before and forget the after part. This can lead to serious injuries so please always remember to stretch.
Do not run on a full stomach
It is far more difficult to run after you had a meal or have a lot of liquid in your system. Yes, you should stay hydrated but do not fill your stomach to the full. This will add to your troubles because you will feel like you are carrying additional weight and you will get sick probably. Wait at least an hour after eating before you go for a run. If you are a smoker, avoid smoking before you run.
Whenever you exercise and in whatever way, you will feel a certain amount of discomfort. If you do not feel it, you are not doing it right. The trick is to find a balance between discomfort and pain and to listen to your body. You will get better with time and more and more practice, do not push yourself beyond your limits. It will only result in injury. The best thing (at least for me) is to monitor your breathing. As long as you can control your breathing, you can continue running. In through your nose and out through your mouth. When you start experiencing trouble and battle for breath fast and strong only through your mouth without the ability to control it, stop running and continue walking. When your breath is back under your control, start running again.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
When I started, a week ago (and could only run for 100 meters because I had not run for a decade) I had troubles with breathing (being a smoker does not help lol). After a couple of times, breathing got sort of under control but the thing I have troubles with are muscles surrounding my shin bone. This is known as medial tibial stress syndrome and it hurts like hell. When it starts hurting too much, I have to stop running and start walking. There are many reasons for this pain, from rough terrain to bad footwear and of course, lack of strength. An interesting thing that I found is that your abs strength is correlated with your shin pain. When you get stronger abs that can hold your body as you run, your shin will not hurt so much. I am looking forward to that :)
Here is what happens when you run. Every part of your body is working and that work is different from one moment to the next.
ATP to ADP
When you just start running, you feel a sudden burst of energy. Depending on how fit you are, that burst will be felt longer. It comes from converting one molecule into another in order to release a net gain of energy. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) turns to Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) and during this time you feel like you have all the power in the world. Again, this may last only for a brief moment but it always is there and it will last longer with every run, sometimes up to a full minute or more.
Lactid acid
The next phase you will get into is the release of lactic acid. When you hear someone saying how he or she feels the burn, this is what they are talking about. Your muscles need to produce "fuel" for your running and they do it through a process called anaerobic respiration. The byproduct of that is lactic acid. It is produced more and more as your body is burning more and more glucose. This is when your brain gets the signal that you are under physical stress.
An influx of oxygen
As your brain realized you are under physical stress, all the fun stuff begins to happen. Your heart will begin to beat fast and direct more blood towards your muscles and away from the parts of your body that you are not using like digestion. In order for your muscles to get the best out of that glucose, they need an influx of oxygen so you start breathing heavily. As you are starting to burn energy, your body is warming up and your brain is doing everything it can to cool it down. You begin to sweat and there is extra blood going to your skin so you get a red flush. You can always say that you are just shy but we all know that is not the case :)
You feel like you are slowing down
Your feeling is not wrong. After some time, and this depends on your level of fitness, your ATP supply will no more be able to keep up with the demand and lactic acid will start to flood your body. It will be harder and harder to lift your legs off the ground and you will go slower and slower feeling like your body is made of lead. You will breathe heavier and heavier and decide it is time to stop.
And now, THE BEST PART...
Here comes the best part. When you stop and your breathing returns to normal, your brain will reward you with a little party. Endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine will kick in. Yes, running high is NOT A MYTH! I have felt it! It is a strange feeling to explain. You feel upbeat but calm, full of energy but focused, buzzed and reeeeealy happy. You feel energized. This is the part you get addicted too, at least I did.
I mentioned that running will have an impact on your entire body, all your muscles, heart, and brain. Let's see what those amazing benefits are.
- Active people are less likely to develop colon cancer
- It is a GOOD excuse to eat more carbs, trust me, you will need them
- It will boost your metabolism
- You will live longer
- You will get more flexible (and in the mood for sex more often, KUDOS!)
- You will get a rockin’ runner’s body
- It will keep your mind sharp and reduce symptoms of dementia
- You will become more positive
- It will improve your self-esteem
- Running can help lower blood pressure in just a few weeks
- Running builds stronger bones
- It will decrease fatigue
- It strengthens your core
- Running encourages higher quality sleep
- People who run for an hour a week can reduce their risk of heart disease by almost half
- Running boosts the brain’s serotonin levels
- You will be calmer and more stress resistant
Oh yeah, I will end this post with pictures of me on my pink unicorn that I found after one of my runs. I hope you liked what I wrote about here and that I got you interested in running. Until next time, KEEP YOUR SMILE ON and LOVE MY PINK UNICORN!!!!
Check these resources for more:
30 reasons to start running
6 things that happen to your body when you run
What happens when you run for 30 minutes
Benefits of running
Image sources:
- cover image is from pngtree.com and royality free, you can check it out here
-clipart in my titles is from FREE CLIPART LIBRARY and, you can check it out here
- images used are from unsplash or FREE CLIPART LIBRARY are free for personal and commercial use, you can find them by clicking on these links: filmazzarino , matthewlejune, alexanderredl, clemono2 & running
- pink unicrn images are mine
- gif image is from gify and can be found here
PROUD MEMBER OF:
@steemitbloggers
6 things that happen to your body when you run
What happens when you run for 30 minutes
Benefits of running
Image sources:
- cover image is from pngtree.com and royality free, you can check it out here
-clipart in my titles is from FREE CLIPART LIBRARY and, you can check it out here
- images used are from unsplash or FREE CLIPART LIBRARY are free for personal and commercial use, you can find them by clicking on these links: filmazzarino , matthewlejune, alexanderredl, clemono2 & running
- pink unicrn images are mine
- gif image is from gify and can be found here
-clipart in my titles is from FREE CLIPART LIBRARY and, you can check it out here
- images used are from unsplash or FREE CLIPART LIBRARY are free for personal and commercial use, you can find them by clicking on these links: filmazzarino , matthewlejune, alexanderredl, clemono2 & running
- pink unicrn images are mine - gif image is from gify and can be found here
PROUD MEMBER OF:
@steemitbloggers
Congratulations! This post has been chosen as one of the daily Whistle Stops for The STEEM Engine!
You can see your post's place along the track here: The Daily Whistle Stops, Issue 199 (7/18/18)
The STEEM Engine is an initiative dedicated to promoting meaningful engagement across Steemit. Find out more about us and join us today.
Thank you 💚💚💚
Haha loce the pink rhino/unicorn lol... I went through a stage of running and managed to do 5km in under 30 minutes and then retired from the park fun runs lol it wss very hard on my knees but I do love the endorphins you get from it. Great work on keeping it up for seven days.
That is a great time for 5 km!!! Very nice. I hope I will one day be that good 💚
Haha, it was ok, I pushed myself hard to get there and then stopped as I hit my goals, I tend to do that a lot, have a goal hit it and if I dont' have another one set I stop.
Nice Post. Been trying to ge the wife to run with me for years and she is now just at the stage if rolling her eyes at me before I even finish the question.
It's not the most fun you can have, but what a great workout.
Try this fir a week. 1 min walk, 1 min grandpa jog (just faster than walk), 1min slow jog, 1min jog, 1 min almost sprint, repeat. Do 4x sets if this but on the final set the last minute is a sprint as fast as you can fir the minute.
This kills you, takes 20 minutes to do and drops the weight quickly too. Great exercise to do.
Enjoy your running.
I have been planning to do something similar soon, those kinds of exercises really have great benefits. Thank for reminding me 💚
Good luck with all your running then....cheers
I'll never run due to physical limitations, but you make it sound good! I'll try to get a similar experience with swimming and hope to get a swimming high :')
If you swim really fast I think you can get the same reactions from your body, I have not tried it because I am not a fast swimmer. I love being in the water and splashing around, does that count? :) Just kidding, my idea of swimming was always connected with relaxation and slow movement, I never saw it as exercising. You do not have to worry about swimming high, you will soon have (or you have it already) a swimming body and that is way better 💚
ohhhhhh you're making me want to try running again... but... hmmm i never got the runner's high!!! i pushed and pushed - and it never seemed to come! LOL but you make it sound enjoyable! hehehehe
(are you lying to me @zen-art??? is it REALLY enjoyable??? LOLOLOL)
because you told me there was a pink unicorn in this post... and there was only a pink rhinoceros!!!!! hehehehehe
Please do not discriminate fat unicorns, that is not nice, they have feelings too...
Yeah, it is enjoyable, I love it but then again, I am a bit of a freak :D
hahahahahaha i see two horns! i think its a duocorn! LOL you tricked me
congrats.. its a great discovery! i also discovered it two months ago.. i NEVER ran before.. suddenly my whole day was lifted after a 20 minute session.. i stopped now as i live on the mountains.. but ur RIGHT.. i should get back in to it.. it feels SO good (afterwards ;-)) xx]
Oh yes, only 20 to 30 minutes and I am high :) Living in the mountains provides great places to run, you are lucky 💚
The barefoot running crowd says that people do best with running sandals or minimalist shoes. These contraptions are usually little more than a stiff sole.
I use them for hiking.
I did try barefoot running but only on the sand and on the soft soft grass with nothing on it. Feels great. As for the hiking I need to have strong footwear because my ankles are kind of special lol :D
Okay, all the scientific stuff is interesting, but when you got to the pink unicorn part, you were really talking my language. ;) Keep running! You're inspiring me, as always!
Pink unicorn is the best, it was really hot because it stands there in the Sun for the entire day but I managed not to hurt myself climbing on it :) Much love honey 💚
That was a very cool explanation of the joy of running. I have known a few running addicts, myself. But never got hooked.
You make it sound so appealing, I may have to try it after all.
Try it for a few days and find out what we are all talking about, you will not regret it 💚
I love to run and am feeling like a caged rat after breaking my upper arm late last week. "Keep it still" the Dr said. "In the sling. No running". Urgh!! I shall dream tonight of heavy breathing & the trance-like rhythms and the flood of euphoria. Lovely post. :)
Sorry to hear about your arm, I hope it gets better soon and you are back in motion 💚