Running and aging

Does running accelerate or postpone aging?

There are obviously the health benefits associated with running consistently. The most direct result is lower body fat because it is all burned while running. Over time, running strengthens your cardiopulmonary system, increasing your blood vessels' flexibility because of the contraction they get during running. Your blood pressure decreases as the resistance the arterial walls have to the heart's pumping of blood decreases. Also, because they are worked while running, your muscles increase their efficiency in utilizing oxygen.

As your muscles, heart, and lungs are used more often, they begin to work at a higher rate even when you're resting. This raises your metabolism, allowing you to stay warmer and eat more since your body will digest the food quickly. However, one problem with a higher metabolism is that it increases the amount of free radicals. These increase aging by damaging cells and tissue. This is like a burning candle as the brighter it burns, the faster it goes out.


There are mental benefits from running. Impelling yourself to go out everyday for a run takes energy and compulsion. This keeps your drive to commit strong because it makes you exercise that every time you do not want to run but still do. Running is also anti-stress as the endorphins that are released to block the pain also relieve tension and anxiety.

Because running causes small injuries to muscle and tissue that are repaired even better than before, it strengthens them. Running wears down joints and connective tissue, especially in the ankles and knees. This could eventually spell the end of regular runs as the small wear and tears on your system add up.

Of course, according to time dilation, the faster you move, the slower time moves for you. So, if you spend your life moving faster, you will end up slightly younger than someone who was more sedentary :-)

Running takes time. In all, including stretching, transportation, acquiring music, getting proper clothing, it takes roughly an hour a day. Depending on the circumstances, this hour could be better put to use sleeping.

The positive aspects outweigh the negative ones here, so in summary, it is much better to run than to not. Even though a few consequences of running increase aging, altogether they help to make you younger and more energetic.