If you are looking for a type of exercise that is easy to maintain, or you are looking for a new challenge, running every day could be the answer!
Running Every Day (Streak Running)
What in English is called a “running streak” is basically a “positive streak” in which, for a certain period of time, you go for a run every day. According to the rules of the United States Running Streak Association, each run must be at least 1.6 km long to be considered as such. The positive streak ends when you don’t go running for a day.
Running Every Day: The Benefits For Mental Health
Regular exercise has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression levels. Without a doubt, it is good for your mental health. In this specific case, those who exercise regularly have a more positive experience of running. One study showed a significant improvement in mood after a run in those who exercised regularly compared to those who didn’t.
Daily habits can significantly contribute to improving our health, and physical activity is an essential component of a healthy daily routine. Playing sports can improve sleep, reduce stress, promote weight loss, and stave off the risk of diabetes and cancer. Did you know that these benefits increase significantly if the frequency with which you exercise is constant and regular?
Running every day is great for being able to train consistently and introduce a rhythm into your daily life!
How To Start Running Every Day
1. Create A Schedule
Running every day can be challenging for any runner, beginner or expert. Choose a distance that suits your needs and level, and schedule a specific time of day to go for a run.
2. Choose Suitable Routes
It is important to find routes that are at least 1.6 km long in your area. Make a small list so when you’re short on time, just tie your shoes and go, without wasting time planning your route.
3. Start Slow
Motivation is usually skyrocketing when starting out. In order not to lose it all of a sudden, you should start slowly. Running every day doesn’t mean constantly trying to beat your personal best. Plan your distance and training sessions well, alternating long and short distances, slow and fast workouts. This is indeed a great way to improve your potential.
By starting your workouts with short, slow runs, you give your body time to get used to the effects of exercise. This way you protect your joints, avoid overtraining and prevent possible injuries.
4. Moderation Is The Virtue Of Those Who Run Every Day
Unlike other forms of physical activity, daily running doesn’t have to be intense to have a profound impact on mental health. Many studies have shown that runners who go out for a relaxed run experience more confidence and good humor than those who participate in competitions or run at higher intensities (e.g. marathons or sprints).
Additionally, these mental benefits become more evident over time. In one study, those who ran regularly for three weeks were happier than those who ran every day for just two weeks. Three weeks of moderate-pace daily runs are therefore a good goal.
5. Plan Some Recovery Time
Does resting and running every day seem like a contradiction to you? Not necessarily. Here are three ways to make sure your body has the recovery time it needs:
- Alternate intense runs with more relaxed ones, during which the muscles are in active recovery.
- Stretching relaxes the muscles, and the foam roller stimulates the connective tissues and relaxes tension and contractures.
- If you need rest but don’t want to break your streak, you can run early in the morning and plan your next run for the evening of the next day.
6. Sports Nutrition For Running Every Day
Along with adequate recovery, proper nutrition contributes to improved performance. It may seem trivial, but you burn more energy running every day. So make sure you are drinking enough and eating a balanced diet. Eat quality carbohydrate-rich meals, such as wholemeal pasta, to replenish your body with glycogen. This way you will have the energy you need for your daily runs.
Don’t forget fats and proteins in your diet (meat, fish, legumes, nuts, eggs), as well as fruits and vegetables for the right amount of vitamins and minerals.
7. Listen To Your Body
Just like in any other sport, even in streak running an excess of ambition doesn’t always help. Beginners especially should pay particular attention to the goals they set themselves. Give your body time to get used to running.
When you feel like you are working out too much, take a break. Watch out for problems caused by overtraining. The classic shin pain and ankle sprains should not be underestimated. Knee and back problems, often related to poor running technique, are other side effects of overtraining. A proper warm-up helps prevent these possible injuries.
Bodyweight training strengthens muscles and also improves running performance.
In short: Know when to stop – especially if you’re recovering from an illness or injury. Every positive streak has an end. You can always start a new one!
8. Run In Company
Find an Adidas Runners group in your area or ask a friend to run with you in a park (by the way, running outdoors has greater benefits than running indoors).
If you need to convince someone to train with you, here is an article that lists the benefits of physical activity with friends.
Running Every Day: What Science Says
While being able to run every day may depend on willpower or good weather, there are complex psychological processes going on when you start exercising on a daily basis. Here’s what happens in your body and mind:
Virtuous Circle
Many runners find it easier to stick to a daily run than to train every other day. This is because exercise and our ability to control our behavior (such as sticking to a training plan) are linked to a virtuous circle. If you run every day, your brain gets used to resisting the temptation to skip a workout.
As several studies have shown, constant and regular exercise improves brain health by stimulating memory, concentration, willpower, and learning ability. Great news for those who run every day!
Cognitive Transfer
Overcoming inertia and running every day, even when you have a difficult day, increases the motivation to face the other challenges in life.
There is a proven connection between regular exercise and the ability to stick to a healthy diet. This phenomenon is known as cognitive transfer. The theory suggests that if you decide to run every day, your ability to make other decisions, such as sticking to a balanced diet, is also strengthened. More good news!
New Habits
On average, most people establish a new habit in 10 weeks. Imagine the strength of a habit that lasts for years, as in the case of many runners who continue undeterred with their passion for running and stop at nothing! There are many stories of those who go for a run even when there is a wedding, or on the saddest days. These are stories to draw inspiration from, but the secret is very simple: habit.
Our brains have a tendency to be efficient. When we sit in the car, we spontaneously fasten the seat belt. We save energy by automating the response to a signal (getting in the car). Over time, therefore, the decision to run every day becomes automatic and requires less effort.
Read Also: 7 Tips For Making Fitness A Lifestyle
