There has been much awareness about the health benefits of activities like walking, jogging and running towards building a healthy heart and a happy body. Running is not only great for the soul but good for your well-being.

The gospel truth is that exercise is medicine.

Scientific evidence had proven that regular exercise (150 minutes per week, which is about 30 minutes five times per week)—and running in particular—has health benefits that extend well beyond any pill a doctor could prescribe.

Studies have shown that running can help prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, some cancers, and a host of other unpleasant conditions. What’s more, scientists have shown that running also vastly improves the quality of your emotional and mental life, and even helps you live longer.

Fast walking and running especially in women has immense benefits as it leads to endorphin boost which is responsible for happiness and prevents anxiety and depression. The increased oxygen delivered to the muscles keeps the joints healthy.

Most important is the immense benefits to the heart health. The important contributory factors to a cardiac event are hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and an altered lipid profile. All these lifestyle diseases can be treated only by incorporating a healthy habit of walking and running.

For the beginners the Jeff Callaway program of walk-run is extremely helpful. I would suggest that for beginners walk a 100 steps and run a 100 steps, or even walk and run from pole to pole. However the stance and cadence has to be observed.

No one is born a runner, one needs to train the body and mind.

For starters … just get up from the couch and go, head out of the door.

After all it has to be Dil se re…