Running is not for everyone. Here are 4 tests to determine if you are suitable.

Jogging is the best way to stay healthy. The key is that it can effectively increase oxygen supply during exercise. The oxygen supply capacity during jogging is 8 to 12 times more than that during sitting still. Scientific research in recent years has proven that running can increase blood flow and improve the blood's ability to transport oxygen; running can enhance lung function, thereby improving lung capacity and the ability to inhale oxygen; running can improve heart function, prevent the occurrence of heart disease, make the myocardium strong and powerful, and improve myocardial blood supply; running can increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis.

Four tests to determine if you are suitable for running

Test 1: Hamstring flexibility

Using a stretch rope or towel wrapped around a loop, do the straight-leg hamstring stretch. Try lifting one leg to a 90-degree angle in front of your body, hold for a few seconds, then switch to the other leg.

If you can't reach 90 degrees, lower the rope and repeat the stretch, gently pressing the back of your legs toward your chest, doing two reps on each foot. For best results, do this stretch every day.

Test 2: Core Muscle Stability

Try doing 20 sit-ups in a row, using only your abdominal muscles.

If you can't do that, try the following: Bend your knees 90 degrees, tuck your chin in, and then lean forward toward your knees, engaging your abdominals without your hips and upper torso touching your legs. Do two sets of 10 to 20 reps. If you want to achieve better results, stretch your arms upward and do two sets of V-shaped sit-ups, 10 in each set.

Test 3: Upper Body Strength

Do 10 standard sit-ups without sagging in the hips; men should do 20.

If that's not possible, do the following exercises. Hold a 1-8 catties dumbbell in each hand, bend your elbows, place your elbows on your hips, and quickly raise your fists to your chin alternately. Do this set for 10 seconds, and do two sets each time. For better results, increase the time for each set to 20 seconds.

Test 4: Leg Strength

Lift your legs forward 45 degrees, then lower them without your feet touching the ground. Do this 20 times in a row.

If you can't do this, try touching the ground each time you lower your foot. Try this 20 times. If you can finally complete 20 leg raises without touching the ground, you can tie a 1 to 2 pound weight on your ankles and try to do another 20. For maximum effect, tie 3-pound weights around your ankles.

Going running without doing anything will increase your heart load

Many people have the habit of doing morning exercises, which is a very good thing, but morning exercises should not be done too early. If you do it too early, you often don’t have breakfast. Such exercise is harmful to the body, especially for people who choose to run. If you often run on an empty stomach, it will cause great harm to our heart.

What are the dangers of running on an empty stomach?

Scientific research has found that when people are fasting in the morning, their blood sugar level is lower. This is because from eating before 8:00 p.m. the previous day to the early morning of the next day, more than 10 hours have passed. At this time, the blood sugar level is very low, and the body's physiological functions have not really started when you get up in the morning. If you go running at this time, you will consume a lot of energy reserves in the body. It seems that this is good for reducing excess fat, but it is not.

Many obese people like to run on an empty stomach. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. After the body consumes fast energy through strenuous exercise, the protein in the muscles is consumed even faster, which will damage the body. Because the consumption of body fat requires a very long period of time and very complex physiological reactions, and at the same time there must be sufficient carbohydrates. In addition, running on an empty stomach will increase the burden on the heart and liver, making it easy to have irregular heartbeats. Running on an empty stomach can cause harm in the following three aspects.

1. Morning jogging on an empty stomach affects the stomach and intestines. An empty stomach means there is no food in the stomach, which is very harmful to the stomach. After a night of metabolism, many organs of the human body are in an unfavorable state and urgently need to replenish energy and nutrients, just like a car needs gasoline to start. If you don’t refuel the car at this time but let it run, the damage will be great. In addition, morning jogging on an empty stomach irritates the stomach and increases the burden on the stomach.

2. Running in the morning on an empty stomach is not only bad for the stomach and intestines, but also for the heart and blood vessels. The elderly, in particular, need to be especially careful. Running in the morning on an empty stomach may also cause sudden death in the elderly. Do not ignore this point. Some elderly people think they are in good health and insist on exercising, but an accident may happen at some point, so please take it easy when you go for a morning jog.

If jogging in the morning on an empty stomach is not appropriate, then is it appropriate to jog in the morning with a full stomach? In fact, eating too much is not suitable for morning jogging, because if you eat too much, all the blood is concentrated in the stomach, which can easily cause ischemia in other organs of the body, which is also very dangerous. So the correct morning jogging is not to be on an empty stomach or eat too much, but to properly replenish the body with some energy and carbohydrates, such as drinking a glass of milk, a spoonful of honey, and eating a boiled egg before running. This will provide both energy and calories, which will be more beneficial to the body when running.

In any case, being able to stick to morning jogging is a very good habit. Life lies in exercise and in persistent exercise. As long as we follow the physiological laws of morning jogging, it will definitely help our health.