Here’s How Far You Actually Need to Run to Reap the Health Benefits
How to get the most out of your daily run.
— -- If you like to run but don’t looove to run, here’s some news that’s sure to put a bounce in your step. A recent review of studies found that to score the major health perks of running, you don’t have to pound the pavement for long: Jogging just five or six miles a week is enough.
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The researchers report that people who logged that many miles over the course of one or two runs (and less than 51 cumulative minutes) per week had a lower risk of certain cancers, stroke, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol compared to people who jogged less or not at all.
It gets even better: When the reviewers looked at the effect of running on cardiovascular mortality and death from any cause, they found that the low-mileage group had the same reduction in risk as people who laced up more often and covered more ground every week.
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“Maximal health benefits of running appear to occur at quite low doses, well below those suggested by the US physical activity guidelines,” the researchers write in the study, which was published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. (The government recommends 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.)
But of course, if you’re running to lose weight, the same logic still applies: More steps means more calories burned. You may want to stick to your usual schedule and route. But for anyone who’s been pushing herself on long-distance jaunts in pursuit of optimal health, the new findings may offer some sweet relief.
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So what is a good goal to shoot for, according to science?
Carl J. Lavie, MD, the review’s lead author and the medical director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, offered this advice to the New York Times: “Running for 20 to 30 minutes, or about a mile-and-a-half to three miles, twice per week would appear to be perfect.”
This article originally appeared on Health.com.