Health Tips: Running has several health benefits and is considered to be one of the best physical activities. It can help you achieve all your fitness goals – be it losing weight or simply being active. Running gets your blood pumping and encourages different body muscles to work hard together.
Things to keep in mind
But there are certain things that one should keep in mind while running. Some of them include pace, duration and safety. The one thing that people always wonder about this is whether they should run faster or run longer.
According to experts, running longer is more beneficial than running faster. Dr Sudhir Kumar – Neurologist, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad – suggested that one should aim for running longer at a slower or moderate pace than running faster at a greater pace and soon feeling out of breath.
Pace thrill (but kills)
Responding to a Twitter user, Dr Sudhir Kumar said that ‘pace thrill (but kills)’ is true for running as well. He said this when a person shared his experience of reducing his pace from 7.05 to 7.45 minutes per kilometre. The user said he increased his run time by 10 minutes and it resulted in his heart rate dropping to 143.
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“Today I reduced my pace from 7.05 to 7.45. Increased the time by 10 minutes. The heart rate dropped to 143. Thank you sir!” said a Twitter user.
Exertion can be harmful
To this, he replied – “Great going; it will help you, in the long run, to be fitter and healthier. Pace thrills (but kills)- true for running as well. For maximizing health-related benefits– run slower and run lesser.”
According to experts, any kind of exertion can be harmful to our bodies. They feel that a higher pace encourages an adrenaline rush but it can be harmful to someone with high blood pressure.
