Why Running is the Best Exercise for Busy People

Running is the most inclusive exercise in the world; it can be done anywhere, at any time, by anyone, at any age and any size. There are different types of running to suit everyone’s taste. Long distance, short distance, sprinting, intervals, fell running, cross-country and road running.

Running seems to scare many people as they remember the pain of being made to run in school. Unfortunately, most school activities are designed to cater for the majority, rather than giving everyone a bespoke type of run to suit their style and fitness level.

In this article we will explain the type of running options available, how to get into running, what gear you need and why running is such a great exercise for busy people.

 How to get into running.

The best way to get into running is using the coach to 5K app developed by the NHS. The app aims to get you running a 5K in just 9 weeks. It will be done at your pace and it will make running feel like a walk in the park. The most important aspect is to be consistent. As consistency tends to slip due to anxiety, but after seeing how easy it is in your first session, you will actually look forward to you sessions.

The couch to 5K plan is developed for absolute beginners, if you feel like you need more time to complete it, then you can repeat the weeks until you feel ready to move to the next step. If you feel like it is too easy, you can skip a week or two until you find a level that works for you. Using a mixture of running and walking, it will gradually get you running for 30 minutes non-stop.

Different types of running to suit you.

There are various types of running, which may or may not be suitable to what you crave. As the focus of this article is on how to fit running around a busy work lifestyle, we will be discussing they type of running that can be done around your neighbourhood, the park or on a treadmill.

You do not need any equipment

Running requires little equipment; the only thing we recommend is running shoes and shorts. You can actually run in anything you like, but we recommend wearing the right type of footwear, the wrong type of footwear might cause injuries in the long term.

You can make running fit around your schedule.

You can run in the morning before work, during your lunch break or straight after work. It can be done whilst you wait for your children to finish school, whilst you are waiting for them to finish whichever activity they are participating in or whilst you are travelling for work.

You can go for a run whilst your child is getting a haircut, whilst you are waiting for your car to be serviced, as a commute into work, from your car to your place of work. There are countless opportunities to fit in a run if you lead a busy lifestyle. All you need to do is think ahead the day before and have your trainers and running gear with you to go. We recommend always having your running gear in the car, in your bag and with you at work. Because you never know when an opportunity may present itself.

For example if you know you will be waiting for your child whilst they are at gymnastics, then go there wearing your running gear. That way you can go for your run as soon as you have dropped them off and come back for when they have finished.

All you need to do is think ahead about either showering or the route you may take. Do remember that you may need a head torch if you are running in the evening, especially in the winter when it gets darker earlier.

Different types of run to suit your mood

That is right, not every run should be done at maximum intensity. In fact, most of your runs, or 8 out of 10, should be at around 60% of your maximum. There is the long run which you can do on a weekend, a tempo run which only takes 20 minutes but is more intense if you are struggling for time, interval runs if you get bored with the long runs, easy or recovery runs if you’re feeling tired or demotivated. If you are feeling motivated and have a lot of energy then you can attempt a personal best run, if you want to socialise then you can do an easy to medium run, easy enough to hold a conversation. You can plan your runs ahead, or just see how you feel before you start.

 It is great for weight loss

There are not many activities that burn as many calories as running. An hour of running burns on average 600 calories, this is twice as much as an hour in the gym, with the added bonus of no gym membership and commute to the gym.

It does not require a commute

The only commute is from your front door to the pavement. There is no need to drive to the gym, look for parking, taking a gym bag to shower and change after a workout. All things that start to eat away at our time, but also play a role in putting you off exercising.

You can do it with a friend

Running at a slow pace or doing intervals allows you to run whilst having a catch up with a friend. Not only that, but a study has shown that two people walking up a hill find the hill a lot easier to climb than one person doing it on their own. Therefore, if you run with another person, it will not feel as hard as it might on your own and you will not be counting down the seconds until it is over.

Conclusion

As you can see running is great for busy people, if you’re still not convinced about running or if you can’t physically run, check out this article on the other types of sport or exercise you can do fit around your work.