Jogging is the perfect sweet spot somewhere between a quad-burning sprint and a stroll. Although it’s considered a moderate exercise, you’d be surprised to know its many benefits to the body, especially if you’re on an exercise plateau. So what does jogging for 30 minutes do to your body?
The Science Behind Jogging
Jogging means running at a pace of less than six miles per hour. Similar to running, jogging can improve your cardiorespiratory health, along with several other boons.
Because jogging is less rigorous than running but slightly more challenging than walking, anyone would be able to maintain a steady pace or tempo throughout a whole jogging sesh without straining the body. And because the momentum is somewhere in the middle of running and walking, even if you’re a noob to exercise, you’ll likely maintain your pace for a longer period.
While jogging is usually associated with cardiovascular health, jogging, in actuality, involves several muscles, such as the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. Likewise, the core and upper back muscles contract to help rotate and stabilize the trunk as our legs move back and forth. Because jogging puts stress on such muscles, it will force them to adapt, hence becoming stronger and eventually creating a positive impact on your movement while lessening your chances of getting an injury. As jogging becomes a routine for you, you’d be surprised to see significant improvements in your walking, climbing stairs, and even carrying heavy things.
What is the Difference Between Running and Jogging?
Running and jogging are often confused with each other. But the difference between the two lies in intensity. Running is much faster than jogging and requires more kilojoules (energy) and more effort from the heart, lungs, and muscles. It requires a higher level of fitness than jogging.
For example, a seasoned runner may run 14 km per hour. But when jogging, that same seasoned runner may run only at 12 km per hour.
On the flip side, both running and jogging are forms of aerobic exercise. This means that they both produce energy with a combination of oxygen, blood glucose, and body fat.
What Does a 30-Minute Jog Do for Your Body?
Exercising regularly significantly impacts our overall well-being. With that said, jogging for 30 minutes brings out its own unique set of benefits. Here are a few:
1. Cardiovascular Benefits
One of the benefits of jogging every day for 30 minutes is having a more efficient cardiovascular system, specifically the resting heart rate.
Because jogging is a form of aerobic exercise, jogging benefits our cardiovascular system, composed of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. It helps increase the heart and breathing rate to provide the working muscles with oxygen-rich blood for energy. Such a dynamic removes waste products from the body, like carbon dioxide.
2. Weight Management and Metabolism
Whenever you jog for 30 minutes, you kickstart your metabolism and you help your body burn around 200 to 500 calories which is a fantastic step to any weight loss goal. But like any other form of exercise, you should also do mindful eating to hit the bull’s eye of your weight loss goals.
As you get used to jogging so will the burn of calories. Think up to 10 more calories per minute per mile.
3. Muscle Strengthening and Toning
Hello, well-toned legs!
Our lower body muscles will thank you for your every 30-minute jog. You’ll be amazed to see how toned your leg muscles will look after several regular jogging sessions.
Jogging utilizes several leg muscles for speed and technique. But keep in mind that form plays an important role whenever you jog.
Our tendons and soleus render power to the calves and help lift our heels and push forward.
The quads and glutes serve as an anchor to our pelvis to stabilize our movements. Our thighs or quads dictate our stride and uphill running skills while our hamstrings help in producing force in push-off phases.
While we may not be aware of it, jogging works out our core muscles to help support the spine and reduce compression along it.
4. Bone Health and Density
Goodbye, osteoporosis!
While strength training is usually associated with affecting bone health, jogging for 30 minutes not only builds muscles and endurance but also affects bone density. Bone density refers to the amount of minerals within our bones. Higher bone density means greater strength.
The impacts related to foot strikes, whenever we jog, help develop bone density. As a further consequence, we effectively improve our bone health and lessen the risk of developing osteoporosis, a kind of bone-wasting disease.
5. Mental Health Benefits
Feeling a little under the weather?
A 30-minute jog every day not only reaps physical strength but also improves mental health.
Several studies have shown how aerobic workouts can significantly improve our mental health and prevent the onset of mental diseases. So if you’re feeling a little blue, lace up those running shoes and hit the pavement to cast away sadness and anxiety.
Whenever we jog, we help our body release endorphins, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters. This is why most seasoned runners experience a “runner’s high.” Jogging can help you naturally feel good without breaking the bank.
6. Improvements in Respiratory Function
A jog for 30 minutes a day can improve your breathing and overall respiratory function.
Whenever we jog, our muscles depend on the delivery of oxygen throughout the process while excreting carbon dioxide. Good breathing allows for better muscular function of the diaphragm, a key to stabilizing our core and eventually improving our running form.
7. Joint Health and Flexibility
Jogging is a milder form of running.
Running, in general, is associated with an activity that’s bad for the knees. This is because your feet are constantly striking the ground with a lot of force. However, it’s surprising to note that with the proper form and supportive shoes, running can decrease our risk of developing arthritis as we grow old. Why?
The compression that happens to our knees as we run brings in more fluid to our joints. Hence, they become more lubricated. Moreover, running has been proven to help hydrate the discs in our spine. As such, we improve our joint health and flexibility.
Safety Tips and Precautions
Congratulations on choosing to start jogging! But before you hit the pavement, take note of some safety and precaution tips to make your jog a blissful experience.
1. Choose a safe route
Start your 30-minute jog on a familiar and safe route. You would not want any foreboding danger to surprise you when you jog. But it is equally important that you vary your routes to prevent anyone from memorizing your schedule or movements.
2. Wear reflective clothing
If you choose to jog for 30 minutes at night, it’s important to wear reflective clothing, like a reflective jacket or a pair of reflective cycling shorts, so that you can be seen at a distance by other people, especially by drivers and cyclists. Doing so can help them avoid you or give way for you and avoid accidents.
3. Consult a healthcare professional
Before undertaking any physical activity or workout, it’s best to consult first a healthcare professional to assess your overall health and condition. They may give you pieces of advice to help you maximize each jogging session and help you know certain things to avoid or limit to help you stay healthy and strong.
A 30-Minute Jog Goes a Long Way
We’re one with you in your #healthgoals if you have decided to start getting physically active by jogging for 30 minutes every day. Just remember that safety comes first so that you can reap the many benefits of jogging.