\nAlways pushing harder, faster and longer when it comes to running may not be necessary to reap mental and physical health benefits.\n<\/p>\n
\nThat is what a growing chorus of health and fitness voices \u2013 and research \u2013 has been saying.\n<\/p>\n
MORE:\u00a0Fishtown man is biking from Indiana to Pittsburgh to raise money for cancer research<\/a><\/p>\n \nRunning at a glacial pace, sometimes even at a pace slower than walking, has been linked to elevated mood, better blood pressure and heightened focus.<\/p>\n For instance, a recent study found that running with shorter steps, at “walkable speeds” of about 17 to 21 minutes per mile, for 10 minutes at a stretch, was enough to “brighten moods and sharpen prefrontal function,” the study’s lead author, Hideaki Soya, told the Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Soya, a professor emeritus of exercise biochemistry and neuroendocrinology at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, said the study confirmed that “running does not have to be hard to be good for your brain.” Japanese researcher, Dr. Hiroaki Tanaka \u2014 author of the 2016 book “Slow Jogging: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Have Fun with Science-Based, Natural Running<\/a>”\u00a0\u2014 calls slow jogging\u00a0“niko niko” running, or running at a “smiling” pace.\n<\/p>\n \nNiko niko running calls for slowing to a pace at which it’s easy to chat with a buddy. Such a pace that varies from person to person.\u00a0But there are some key elements, Tanaka, an exercise physiologist, explains<\/a>. Here’s her advice:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2022 Take small steps.
“A 10-minute slow run before a presentation or a demanding mental task,” or to get a mood boost, “is exactly the kind of use we have in mind,” Soya said. “The benefits appear immediately afterward.”<\/p>\n
\u2022 Pay attention to footfalls and land on the ball of your foot, not on the heel or toe.
\u2022 Keep the back straight.
\u2022 Relax the arms and shoulders.
\u2022 Keep your chin up slightly and look ahead.
\u2022 Relax your arms and shoulders.
\u2022 Don’t kick the ground.<\/p>\n