Last updated on November 19th, 2023 at 04:48 am
I’m pretty sure at one time cavemen sat around fires and argued about what was more important: cardio or weightlifting. Can’t you just hear the conversation in your head? Picture it. Two hairy men, Meathead and Zippy, holding mutton sticks, deep in the throes of passionate conversation one night out by the fire…
Meathead: “Dude, I’m telling you, you’re not going to outrun a pterodactyl. That joker’s got wings. You need to be strong enough to beat him up when he tries to land on you.
Zippy: Nah bro listen. If I could keep up a steady pace, bobbing and weaving through the underbrush, there’s no way he could keep up with me. I just have to make it to the cover of the treeline
Meathead: Alright, well what about those stegosauruses? Them boys can fit you in their mouth with room to spare. Surely we can agree you need to be strong enough to fight them off?
Zippy: Stegosauruses are herbivores you idiot…
Do you catch my drift? All jokes aside, there is a huge debate today regarding where a man should allot the majority of his exercise time. Should he be hitting the trails, or lifting dumbbells? (see what I did there haha) There are good arguments for both sides, and we explore both of them here on the site, but, as you can tell by the title of this post, we’re going to be dealing with the importance of establishing a good cardio routine today.
I talked about this a bit regarding jumping rope, but there is something about a good cardio session that is hard to top. When you get out on the open road, or you’re on the treadmill in that zen zone, it’s pretty peaceful. When all you’re thinking is breathe in, breathe out, there isn’t too much you can focus on to worry about.
You see… I’m somewhat of a chronic worrier, so I learned in my early years of high school that I needed an outlet. I needed something that was healthy that I could use to knock my stress levels down, while also keeping me in shape. Because of my rigorous academic schedule, I didn’t play sports, and I didn’t want to have to pay for a gym membership for a bunch of specialized weightlifting equipment, so I got a pair of running shoes and hit the road. It also helped that I had a crush on a friend of mine who ran track at the time. We’d sometimes go out on weeknights and run loops in her neighborhood for her training. There was NO SHOT I wasn’t gonna be the best I could be for the ladies to see 😉.
So I got into it. I wore my Hoka Rincons out till the treads were falling off. In fact, as I’m writing this article, I’m in the process of cooling down from a run. I really enjoy it that much. If you are a boy or man who leads a sedentary life, it’s time for change. You don’t have to be Trevor Lawrence, but no one should ever be able to look at you in good faith and describe you as a couch potato. Cardio is the best way to get out of that funk. The two easiest and most accessible forms? Jump rope, and running. So let’s go ahead and examine some benefits of becoming addicted to the latter, shall we?
Manage your weight
There comes a time when the metabolism of your teenage years wears off. Or maybe you feel like you never had any to begin with. Regardless, running is one of the easiest ways to control weight gain. When I went into college, I was the only one in my friend group that didn’t experience a “freshman 15”. This is where bad eating habits (and sometimes drinking habits) are paired with a more sedentary stage of life. Statistically, college kids eat late, they stress eat, and they eat more fast food. How do we combat this? Well, you could just NOT DO THAT, but how realistic is that? I currently average 58 hours at work every week. I’m out of college and I STILL eat late. I may partake in a stress bowl of ice cream occasionally as well. BUT, I do cardio. Running is a high-intensity cardiovascular exercise that burns a significant number of calories. As you engage in regular running or jogging, you can create a calorie deficit, which is essential for weight loss. Additionally, running boosts your metabolism, helping you burn more calories even when you’re at rest. Thus, I can afford the stress ice cream or the 9 pm dinner and still hover around the same weight, because my intake-outtake on the calorie count is balanced by running.
Improved Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular is a big word, but we’re basically just talking about “heart health”. Running is an excellent way to promote cardiovascular health. It strengthens the heart muscle, improves blood circulation, and lowers the risk of heart disease. Regular running can help raise your “good” HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels and lower your “bad” LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels, reducing the buildup of plaque in your arteries and decreasing the risk of hypertension. Heart disease is a genetic problem in my family, so I make a conscious effort to partake in cardio for the specific reason of warding off possibilities for problems to develop. The health benefits are running are interesting to read about. Numerous studies have linked regular running and jogging to increased longevity. Engaging in these activities can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, stroke, and certain types of cancer. You can never be too careful with those kinds of things!
Stress Reduction
I’m a professional stressor. I’m so unhinged that I’ll make up junk to stress about if there is nothing pressing on me immediately. Forget pre-gaming, I’ll pre-stress in a heartbeat (no pun intended). That’s why cardio is like crack. It removes the ability for me to stress, because, in that moment, I can’t focus on anything other than my feet and my breath. And, if I’m able to get in a really good session, I can’t even stress laying in bed at night, because I’m so tired I’ll go right to sleep!
Finding healthy ways to cope with stress is essential. I know people who turn to alcohol, hookup culture, drugs, shopping binges, food binges, and other negative responses when they get stressed out. They do this because these things provide endorphin rushes. Endorphins are the “feel-good” hormones in your brain. Do you know what other activity releases those? You guessed it. Cardio. These endorphins can help reduce anxiety, boost your mood, and alleviate stress, leaving you feeling more relaxed and content. I know some of you are saying “Sam, I’m definitely not relaxed when I’m gasping for breath and I’ve got sweat burning my eyes.” I doubt you are. But when you finish that half mile, or mile, or 5K, and slow to a walk, that’s when the rush hits. Every bone and tendon is limber from movement. It is the most relaxing feeling. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you haven’t tried it.
Stronger muscles and a stronger mind
Wait a minute Sam, you just said there was a difference between weightlifting and running. There is, but you can still strengthen your muscles with cardio just as you can with weightlifting. It’s just not in the same way. Running is a weight-bearing exercise, which means it helps build and strengthen both muscles and bones. The repetitive impact of running stimulates bone growth and density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis as you age. Furthermore, running engages various muscle groups, including your legs, core, and even upper body if you swing your arms while running. This can lead to increased muscle tone and overall strength.
Running isn’t just beneficial for your body; it also has positive effects on your mind. Regular runners often report improved mental clarity, better concentration, and enhanced cognitive function. This could be attributed to the increased blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which can help sharpen your mental faculties and boost creativity. I majored in Computer Science in college, with a minor in Math. I can tell you without a doubt that there were nights I would be stuck on an algorithm or a math problem I was doing for homework. I would put down my pencil and go for a run. When I came back, the problem would look COMPLETELY different, and I’d be able to solve it and move on. It’s almost as if my brain would approach it a different way, or the run acted as a “reset” of sorts, helping me step back from the weeds of the problem and see the solution better.
Get in the habit now.
All in all, I can say I’m glad that I established the habit of running early on, and I would encourage you to do the same with some form of cardio. That being said, there was a night when I went on a run to blow off steam and ended up messing my knee up for months. My foot landed on a rock wrong, twisting my leg, and I tried to run through the pain. Dumbest idea ever. Don’t do that. But definitely try to get into the habit of cardio.
If you’ve never done consistent cardio before and you want to try running, start small. Do a quarter-mile jog or half-mile jog 3 days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Recover on your Tuesdays and Thursdays, and take the weekend off. Drink plenty of water before and after every session, and never go from running to standing still. You always need to walk a short time AFTER you run as a cool-down period, to prevent cramps. If you get a runner’s cramp while running, you can either slow to a walk, breathe deep and run through it, or take a mustard packet straight (that stuff is like magic sometimes) As you get more comfortable, the runner’s cramp will disappear and you will be able to increase your distances.
As of this writing, for my workouts, I’ll usually run a mile or two and then do a full-body workout with dumbbells in the gym a few times a week. If I’m just running, I’ll do 3 miles. That’s the sweet spot for me, but you find what works best for you. Remember, when it comes to exercise and establishing healthy habits, it’s not how much you can do. Rather it’s simply that you do. Don’t procrastinate. You’ll thank yourself tomorrow.
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