9 Positive Benefits Of Running On Your Mental Health
We were made to run. It’s in our anatomy and even our biochemistry. To raise awareness of R U OK? Day, held on the 14th of September 2023, Sportitude Running is going to share with you why we run – looking beyond the physical benefits to your body and taking a deep dive into how movement can nurture your mental health.
There are uplifting benefits to your mental wellbeing from your very first run, whether you’re soaking in the cascade of feel-good endorphins from a runner’s high, or simply finding peace and mindfulness in movement.
By run we’re talking about the way you move. There’s no right or wrong pace or distance. Whether you walk, jog or sprint - you’re free to use your body in whatever way you feel comfortable or inspired to do so to cherish yourself from the inside out.
Lace up with your favourite running shoes to embrace positive thinking and give your brain a ‘hug’ today with these mood-boosting and brain-loving benefits of running.
1. Running is a healthy outlet to ‘run out’ emotional tension
If sometimes you just want to scream or cry – that’s OK. We all need an emotional outlet to vent, release tension and work through feelings of stress, sadness, anger, disappointment, frustration – whatever is burdening you. It’s only human and you’re not alone.
When it’s all too much and you’re feeling overwhelmed, running is a safe space to turn to. Running is empowering. When you are running, you are in control. You can practice mindfulness on the run by focusing on your senses – the burning in your legs, the hard pavement beneath your feet, your deep breathing and the momentum of one leg churning in front of the other. You set the pace.
Running can provide a distraction from heavy feelings, but even more importantly, it provides a means to accept them, work through them and carry on. Running can soothe the weight of emotion as you find the steady calm of a consistent and comfortable pace, or it can unleash an explosive build-up of feeling as you power uphill or sprint at heart-pumping speed. It’s not about running away from your feelings but running through them – whether it helps you find your calm centre or releases a rush of emotion.
Movement is a joy and it’s invigorating. It allows you to reconnect with your body, reframe your feelings in a new light and let go. There is no judgement on the road – and you’ll feel lighter for every stride.
2. Running reduces anxiety and builds your resilience to stress
As you demand more from your body and increase the intensity on your runs, your heart rate accelerates to transport nutrient-rich blood to your hard-working muscles, and your lungs work harder to take in oxygen. Feel-good endorphins - the 'happiness' hormones - are released by your brain to give you a mood-boosting runner’s high, and norepinephrine levels that help build tolerance to stress and anxiety increase. The benefits are instant from your first run.
Keep in mind that your body produces the stress hormone ‘cortisol’ in many situations – whether triggered by emotional stress (e.g. pre-race anxiety, preparing for a big job interview) or physical stress (e.g. exercise, particularly overtraining). Both sources of stress can affect your body in similar ways. In fact, you can use running or other aerobic fitness to improve your resilience to both emotional and physical stress.
The human mind is highly adaptable when given the opportunity to grow. The trick is to manage and increase your training load gradually, allowing you to build your stress tolerance. Eventually the situations you would typically perceive as high stress will feel simply like a moment in time that you can endure and conquer without feeling overburdened. When given the opportunity to adapt to higher stress levels with a regular running routine, daily adversities may not seem like such a big deal.
3. Running is ‘moving meditation’ to support positive thinking
Over time running as ‘moving meditation’ may help manage the symptoms of mild to moderate depression, warding off feelings of hopelessness, doubt or poor motivation as you take a step in the right direction to support the health of your body and mind. In some cases running has even been compared to anti-depressants in its ability to stabilise your mood and effectively relieve stress.
Weirdly enough, movement is relaxing. ‘Busy brain’ syndrome, where chaotic or worrying thoughts can weigh you down may be soothed through movement at any pace. Connecting with your body or taking the time to soak in nature with beach runs or trail runs can help put seemingly big problems into perspective – allowing you to realise this is temporary or manageable.
With movement comes focus. When you’re running, thoughts are free to flow and negative thoughts (e.g. “I’m not good enough”) are challenged as you build your self-confidence on the road.
With a satisfying uphill climb or run around the block, negative thoughts can be replaced with the mantra, “You can do this”. You are capable beyond any doubt. You just need to solidify a belief in your ability, and it begins with the first step.
4. Running improves your sleep quality
There is a strong connection between sleep and stress – stress makes it more difficult to get a restful night sleep, and disturbed sleep makes you more stressed! It’s a vicious cycle that regular running can help break to keep you more energised and motivated in day-to-day life. We’ve already discussed how running can reduce and build tolerance to stress levels, but that’s not the only factor that makes running the best friend to a peaceful night’s sleep.
Running increases serotonin, a hormone that helps regulate a healthy sleep-wake cycle. Morning runners can smile knowing that running in the bright hours of the day reinforces healthy circadian rhythms. Exposure to natural light helps keep your internal body clock in check, triggering the release of adrenaline and cortisol to keep you alert in the day. When daylight wraps up, the relaxation or sleep hormone melatonin can be released earlier in the evening to catch quality sleep when your head meets your pillow.
Running also boosts your core body temperature – making you feel revitalised, just like taking a warm shower first thing in the morning. 30 – 90 minutes following exercise, your core body temperature decreases, comparable to the drop in temperature your body experiences as it prepares to sleep. This is good news for everyone that loves to run at night or in the evening as these similarities encourage your body to wind down as you cool down to gain restful shut-eye. Just don’t kick off your running shoes and hop straight into bed, as your body requires 1 to 2 hours for your endorphins, adrenaline and cortisol levels to settle before quality sleep can kick in.
5. Running outdoors boosts the 'sunshine' vitamin in your body
Vitamin D or the ‘sunshine vitamin’ can’t be generated by your body without the right stimulus. No surprises here, but the best natural source of vitamin D is exposure to the sun, specifically UVB radiation. You may know vitamin D plays a key role in calcium and phosphorus regulation to ensure these minerals are more effectively absorbed and utilised by the body to strengthen bones, muscles, support your immune system health and prevent disease.
Of course, we’re all happier when we’re not sick but the mood-boosting benefits of vitamin D may go deeper than that. Studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency may be linked with depression. Although it’s unclear whether vitamin D deficiency is a cause or effect of depression, we suggest playing it safe by taking your runs outdoors to enjoy the sun and let it shine good vibes on your mood.
Outdoor yoga, cycling or other activities will have the same effect – but in our opinion nothing beats the reward of the sun kissing your skin, birds singing and the sweet scent of nature when you put foot to pavement. By no means does this mean you should forgo sun protection – be sun smart and follow the advice of the Cancer Council based on the UV index and download the free SunSmart app.
6. Running increases your self-esteem & shapes a positive body image
A stationary lifestyle can make you feel sluggish, unmotivated and be damaging to your self-esteem and body image. Yes, we said in the intro we we’re going to focus on the mental health benefits of running, but how you treat your body can be a pivotal part of that.
You live in your body your entire life – it sounds obvious but unfortunately, it’s often an underappreciated fact. Your body is unique and irreplaceable. Having a love and respect of your body, gratitude for what it can do for you and caring for it through movement and other self-care (e.g. massage, bubble bath, yoga) can do wonders on how you perceive yourself beyond your weight, age or insecurities.
With regular running - whether on the road, trail or treadmill - your muscles naturally become stronger, and you can breathe easier. With the better fitness and health an active lifestyle brings, you’ll feel happier living in your skin.
7. Running nurtures feelings of achievement & self-fulfilment
Every time you lace up and put in the miles, however long or short, is an achievement. Celebrate every run, and you’ll look forward to your time on the road as you chase and catch that feeling of self-satisfaction. You don’t need to commit to a daunting distance or to beating a PB either – simply getting out there is enough and once you find the momentum, you may want to stretch out your run for longer. Every stride of progress goes a long way to fuelling your optimism, and even better when you enjoy that experience with a supportive running buddy.
Lack of motivation can be the biggest hurdle to kick-starting your running journey. Running with a goal in mind can make all the difference – whether it’s to stay on track of your fitness by running 3 times a week, or competing in your first half marathon. It’s no secret that it feels good to achieve your goals. Run yourself proud with our motivation and goal-setting tips to help you turn running into your new healthy habit.
Although the first couple of Ks of your early morning run may be an uphill battle, you’ll naturally find your stride and be filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment for having beaten the temptation to stay bundled up in bed. Even rainy runs and night runs can make you feel just as satisfied as running on a clear, fresh morning, if not more so. You’ll feel proud for having thrown on your rain running jacket and braving the challenging weather to put foot to pavement on a road that feels like it was made just for you.
8. Running sparks your creativity & productivity
Getting your body moving in turn gets your creative juices flowing, with the increased surge of oxygen to your brain, the release of feel-good endorphins and dopamine helping stimulate new ideas and sparking the 'reward centre' of your brain to keep you motivated. Even stepping out the front door out of your office or home provides a fresh perspective that allows you to absorb new surroundings and shake off your creative block – whether you’re a writer, graphic designer or in need of inspiration to solve a problem or complete a project.
Although there are benefits of listening to music on your running performance, running provides an opportunity to disengage with technology. Carrying your smartphone along for the ride is a matter of safety, but you don’t have to interact with it. When you slow down the pace on your runs, take the opportunity to look up rather than down at your phone and you may see something that inspires you and helps build your appreciation of the little things.
Essentially, the repetitive nature of running helps sweep away the clutter of your brain to nurture deeper, more focused thought. While your body is on autopilot as you find a steady rhythm in your breath and stride, your brain is free to wander calmly without inhibitions.
In terms of your productivity, running helps quench feelings of being overwhelmed with a cluttered brain, agitated or disheartened which can stall progress. It allows you to focus on the task at hand with a clearer perspective and revitalised mind, boosting your ability to solve complex problems. You’ll find that motivation comes easier as you ride the wave of dopamine and adrenaline after a run well-done and apply it to good use for the rest of the day.
9. Running is a brain-booster at all stages of life
Running not only gives your legs a workout but provides a workout for your brain. By increasing blood flow to your brain, running helps your hippocampus (the part of your brain responsible for memory and learning) to work better– making post-run the perfect time to study for a big exam and retain information more readily.
We could say running jogs your memory, but the benefits go deeper than that. Regular running may even help ward off dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders as you age, keeping your mind sharp as increased blood flow to your brain naturally improves your verbal skills, problem-solving skills, mental acuity and memory.
Running and muscle movement increases levels of the dopamine-triggering protein BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and helps maintain your brain tissue volume. BDNF has been referred to as ‘food for the brain’ – supporting the growth (neurogenesis), health and survival of nerve or brain cells. Keeping your brain stimulated through physical exercise (e.g. running, dancing, bouldering) and mental exercise (e.g. crossword puzzles, learning a skill-based hobby) helps your brain stay healthy in later life and helps slow cognitive degradation.
Trading in road running for the more complex task of trail running – which relies on you to think on the fly as you navigate twisted roots, sharp turns and soak in stunning views – can boost your BDNF further as you put your balance, coordination and proprioception (awareness of body in space) to the test. In life, the goal should be to constantly challenge your mind through physical and mental activity, because like a muscle, it’s important to use your brain to keep it running strong and healthy.
The Wrap Up
Running shoes are an investment in positive thinking and a healthy brain! So, when is the best time to start running?
Now. The benefits of running regularly are accumulative. Committing to running as a healthy habit that you can enjoy now and for the decades to come, will put you on the right path for a healthier mind and body in later life.
If you’re a late bloomer to running, the good news is that no matter when you start your fitness journey, your brain and body will benefit from this healthy lifestyle choice – so run your brain happy by lacing up today.
If you ever feel depressed or overwhelmed, please seek the support and guidance of a mental health professional.
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