Running is a great exercise as it can benefit the whole body. However, running can be dangerous, impossible to achieve or unavailable at its moment of need like during bad weather, when you have busy work schedules or when you simply do not feel like going out.
This is where running in place comes in. For an introvert and freelancer like myself, jogging in place comes in handy because I can work out and still keep up with other work projects.
The Difference Between Running and Running in Place
Normal running requires you to keep moving forward unlike running or jogging in place. When running outside, you use your muscles to advance your pace and distance covered while jogging in place is all about maintaining the same position for a set that can last up to half an hour depending with your endurance.
Jogging in place requires you to use the balls of your feet and toes to land well. This way, you end up building lower leg muscles like calves and ankles. On the other end, running involves the stable landing of both of your feet to avoid injuries especially in rocky or unpredictable terrain.
Another significant difference is that when you are jogging in place, you require minimal gluten energy. This is unlike typical running because there is less involvement of your arms and knees. Normally, when you jog in place, you have to raise your knee to hip range, unlike running where you can minimize leg raises to maintain your energy.
Finally, maintaining the same posture while running is relatively easy as opposed to doing so when jogging in place. In most cases, as soon as you have done stationary running, you feel sore which is highly associated with intense discomfort and fatigue unlike running.
How to Run in Place
Every time you choose to run in place, the benefits that you enjoy are different from those of running because of contrasting muscle functionalities and movements. When you run in place, you can include butt kicks and jump squats in your routine but you cannot do the same in running.
Here is how to run in place.
- Begin by lifting your left arm and right leg to hip distance simultaneously.
- Check to ascertain that your knee is aligned to your hip.
- Proceed by switching to the right arm while quickly lifting your left foot to hip height.
- Almost immediately, move your left arm back while pushing the right arm forth and up.
- Keep going and begin the set.
Benefits of Running in Place
The benefits of jogging in place stretch far and wide depending with your intensity and endurance. When jogging in place, you do not need a gym or any other exhaustive work out equipment that come with training grounds. Moreover, you do not have to worry about the presence and opinions of gym experts and or instructors because you are working out at the comfort of your living room.
Stationary jogging can also increase your heart rate and in turn foster flow of oxygenated blood throughout the whole body. If you love incorporating personal work outs into training sessions, jogging in place allows you to skip a rope, plunks or even push-ups depending with your training objectives.
All that you have to do is select the most convenient place in your house to begin hopping in place. Here are more benefits.
- Burns Calories
Jogging in place can burn up to 183 calories. Stationary jogging may not be as effective in burning calories when compared to running because the total number of calories burned is relatively low. However, I say it is better to burn a few, than stay on the bench.
The best part is that with the convenience and flexibility of jogging in place, you can incorporate other works outs like push-ups and plunks to heighten the calories’ loss by up to a staggering 50%. It is worth a try, right?
- Strengthens the Muscles
Running in place helps you regulate the amount of energy in and out determining your general weight. Since it is a workout, you need to continuously make movements, thus contracting your physique that improves your muscle vigor, flexibility and stability.
Jogging in place as a full body work out, it aims at improving all the muscle groups. It targets the abdominals, glutes, hamstrings, quads as well as the calves’ physique. Also they are all found from the waist down.
In addition, jogging in place strengthens the muscles by enhancing abdominal strength. The muscles later on support the trunk, reduce injury and help in maintaining a correct body posture.
Jogging in place also helps in enhancing the human heart by first, clearing your circulation system. Second by distributing oxygen and nutrients all round the body. This helps in strengthening your heart muscles and reduces heart diseases like low blood pressure.
- Improves Cardiovascular Systems
An average normal person that is 150-180 pounds can lose up to 268 calories in just a few minutes by continuous enthusiastic pumping of the legs. When running in place, your heart rate will definitely raise up to 180 heartbeats per minute. This will help in invigorating the flow of blood and improves your lung functioning.
In addition, it improves cardiovascular system by leveling the fat levels thus, reducing the risk of building up arteriosclerosis. This is the concentration of fats, cholesterol and other substances that can interfere with the flow of blood.
Moreover, people that constantly exercise jogging in place are in less danger of thrombosis compared to those that do not practice this work out. Thrombosis is a type of blood clot found within a blood vesicle that aims in denying the circulatory system blood.
- Jogging in Place Makes you Keen
Jogging in place is an antiquated type of sport but still trendy. It is manageable to all kind of people including the old age. This exercises is of both mentally and physically benefit to the human because, it helps someone improve some of their skills. It enhances their basic stamina with running and making you to be keen and creative.
Basic endurance with running is known as the best root for any kind of sporty performance. For example, the reason athletes have to practice before any race is to improve their endurance skill more to help them focus more before the competition.
When jogging in place, the body tends to lose some of the negative hormones by focusing on just the exercise. It helps someone to be more jovial and calm thus increasing your keenness on not just running but in your day to day life.