Running Makes My Stress Melt Away, So I Asked a Doctor If There’s Actually a Link

Group of diverse adult females trail running as the sun sets behind them Cardio used to be the be-all, end-all of my fitness routine. Specifically, running. It wasn’t until an injury sidelined me (turns out your knees don’t love running five miles a day) that I found high-intensity interval training (HIIT), weight training, and swimming. Changing up my fitness routine helped me get the physical results I wanted and I eventually realized that I didn’t actually have to run to maintain my fitness. Yet, there was one major reason why quitting altogether was never an option. It has to do with mental health, namely stress relief and overall sanity. In terms of keeping me calm and relieving stress, nothing is more effective than running. That goes for the good runs, when my body is in perfect sync, nothing hurts, and my mind gets to wander without a care in the world, and the bad ones, when my Achilles starts pinging, my knees ache, my sides cramp, and I’m grumpy and unfocused. One is more enjoyable, but they both leave me noticeably calmer than when I started. They both make my problems seem smaller, more manageable, and less important. Why Does Running Relieve Stress? Running is often touted as a way to relieve stress , and the deeper mental health benefits of cardio, and especially running, are just starting to be explored. One recent study, performed on mice, actually showed a possible connection between cardio and dementia prevention . But it’s one thing to read about mental benefits and another to experience them for yourself. It’s the ultimate brain hack. Really? All I have to do to feel better is go for a run? According to Douglas Noordsy, MD, a sports psychologist at Stanford Health Care, it’s based in biology. […]

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