Our society is becoming more modern. Home office has been common practice in almost all industries since the pandemic at the latest. In agencies and offices there are fruit baskets for a healthy snack during the lunch break. Donuts are a thing of the past as lunch break saviors. There are also a variety of hacks that you can use to use your time more effectively. In cars, massage seats are no longer an absolute specialty, functional fitness compresses your workout into an incredibly short period of time. You'll be flatter afterwards than you would after twice the time in a conventional gym. And why all this? Because functional fitness wants and should make you better in all areas of life.
However, there are areas of life that we tend to forget. Beyond cars, trains and e-scooters, there is a mode of locomotion that, in the truest sense of the word, is neglected. The running. In sports as well as in everyday life, stable ankles and well-trained legs play a huge role. They are the foundation on which we stand. But enough with the metaphors. The weather is turning rainy, the summer heat is a thing of the past. In your gym dress, off to the street or across the dirt road. The wodstore explains why running intervals and jogging bring a lot of points. Speaking of points: we'll give you 11!
Point 1: Running leaves you time for more
Running sends you out into nature or downtown. Inevitably, however, you have to move outside of your own four walls. But that doesn't mean that you're wasting your time step by step. As you get on the track, you can throw your oldie playlist on your ears without anyone else around. You can also learn vocabulary just as well by having it spoken to you through headphones. Who can claim to have learned a new language through sport?Lifehack on a small scale:
However, we have another impulse for you: we don't talk on the phone enough, we talk to each other less and less. Meetings and dinners often trade places with voice messages. Why not call up an old friend during your run and ask a few of those questions you've always wanted to ask. So you use your time twice and can check your pulse at the same time. If you gasp into the phone, nobody understands you!
Point 2: Running improves your cardio
Cardiovascular units keep your body busy. In other words, endurance sports get your blood pumping, and that's a good thing. The higher heart rate achieved during cardio activates your blood flow and oxygen is pumped through your body at lightning speed. With regular endurance units, the oxygen transfer within your immune system and your organs improves, your heart health improves significantly, your lungs last longer. In short: Running gives you more bite; in every area of functional fitness.
Point 3: Fresh air clears your head
We told you before: Running forces you to go outside. Especially after a hard day's work or a drunken weekend, the couch and frozen pizza call more than the cool autumn air. And yet: We humans, despite all progress, were not born as modern cave dwellers. You need sun exposure, you need fresh oxygen, you need a change of scenery for a few minutes a day. So running combines the pleasant with the useful. Just do us one favor, please: don't go to a gym and only use the treadmill there. It is inevitable that running will not be fun for you.
Point 4: Running means you against yourself
Are challenges your thing? Then you should run against yourself, against the clock, or against the track of 400 meters. Your bastard fights you, meter by meter, step by step. Nobody stands by your side. Your mental strength is just as important as your physical strength. Come on: Rocky didn't just run up and down a flight of stairs just to stand his ground in the ring afterwards. He defeated and lapped himself. You can too.
Point 5: Develop a new perspective
When was the last time you walked through your neighborhood with really open eyes? After all, you always have something to do. Be it shopping for dinner, the way to the post office or the way home from the dog walk. What is inherent in all these situations is the tunnel vision with which we move. Inevitably, we shield ourselves because we have goals that lie behind the path. However, when, and literally, the journey is the reward, it benefits you more than you might think. You might discover a restaurant you've never seen before. You might strike up a conversation that will brighten up your day. Or maybe you just pause your mind and body for a moment.
Minimalism but sporty:
Breath in, breath out. Keep your pulse steady, put your legs down in a controlled manner. That's all there is to running. Running, whether long-distance or interval, is a natural practice for mindfulness in everyday life. What is often decried as esoteric and unnecessarily emotional posturing is important and actually simple. Learn to see things. Learn to be present where you are. Running will help you with that. Promised.
Point 6: You don't need anything to start running
Many sports demand things from you: Bodybuilding wants machines and free weights, MMA wants pads and a cage with mats, functional fitness relies on kettlebells, ropes, sleds and barbells. What do you need to start running? Healthy shoes, two feet and clothes you feel comfortable in. All that is required of you is a certain route planning and a healthy body feeling. Sounds doable, right?
Item 7: Stability in the joints
Running is often associated with broken knees. However, arthrosis and similar diseases are (not always and not necessarily) caused by this. Joint problems come from worn shoes, sprints on asphalt and hard floors, not resting and poor technique. The same applies as in any other functional sport: if you do it right, you do it well! Stabilizing muscles build up around the knees and ankles, reducing the risk of malpositions and overstretching. Study your technique and pay attention to your equipment. Stay alert and you won't do anything wrong.
Point 8: Running kills negative energy
Have you been really angry lately and didn't know what to do with yourself? Secure. We all feel that way. You smoke one cigarette after the other. You aggressively sit in front of you, glaring at the wall in front of you. Your mind boils up, your head heats up. You won't get rid of this burgeoning hatred of everything and everyone because you can't exhaust yourself. Put on your running clothes and go. Run anywhere. Run no matter how fast. Don't stop until your lungs are burning and your mood has calmed down. Afterwards you are more refreshed. Maybe all is not well and done after you go for a run. Hopefully the first barrage of negative thoughts is over.
Item 9: Brainstorming made easy
The increased heart rate and increased amount of oxygen pulsing through your functional movement strained body turns you into a machine. You can imagine a warmed-up engine like a petrol engine that is driven for a few kilometers at 80 km/h: it is fuel-efficient but highly efficient. The same goes for your brain as the command center for strength and endurance. If nutrients, oxygen and blood are transported faster, you will think faster too. So are you stuck on your latest project? Are you upset because you just can't get an argument out of your head? Go for a run with nothing but yourself. Take a long shower afterwards. This gives you a recipe to be able to think and plan calmly and sorted at the end of the day. It all comes from a bit of exercise.
Item 10: Daily Challenges in Sport
Running can take place anywhere, anytime. This also means that you are not bound by time. No commute to the gym, no expensive memberships, no equipment needed. So you can start whenever you feel like some action. The course of the route or the running route is not always decisive here. Rediscover your childhood play instinct and start a race against yourself: Can you make it to the lamppost on the next corner in under a minute? If so, your following feelings of happiness are guaranteed. If not, you know what to do. You have to bite until the lamppost falls behind you.
Point 11: Running is ageless and timeless
Both the athletics team in the elementary school and the Nordic walking groups sixty plus are guaranteed to have one thing in common: they run. Putting one foot in front of the other doesn't require much from you, just perseverance. Running is an ideal tool for staying fit in old age. Your circulation keeps going, your entire lower body is moved. what more do you want
If you are still looking for clothing that will make you stand out at every running event: Lift Heavy doesn't just wear well in the box!