Running can be complicated for women, especially if it is that time of the month. However, running impacts a woman’s body differently to the extent of changing her life. It is not just about exercising but joining a community with the same goals and living patterns. But, how exactly does running change a woman’s body?
Women are complicated creatures who worry too much about their bodies. Most of the changes that happen are good. Also, there may be various reasons why a woman would start running, such as shaping their body, losing weight, toning up, or getting a runner’s body. Despite your reason for running, it can turn out to be good enough that you never want to quit.
How does running change a woman’s body?
Losing weight is the first thing that comes to mind when Running is mentioned. Weight loss is the balance o calories in and calories out, and running is one of the best and easy ways to burn calories. When running, you lose double the calories you lose while walking, and you need to cultivate a running culture to which you adhere to achieve your goals.
If you are running to lose weight, you need to follow a healthy diet because running makes you hungry. Also, your age influences metabolism, while in other conditions hypothyroidism can hinder your weight loss goals. Another problem is that most people in society eat a lot but move less.
You don’t have to cover a whole marathon on the first day of running. Take time to get used to it and push yourself to do better each day for better results. Once you are like three weeks into running, you can now make changes to your diet in small steps, and eventually, you will get results.
Effects of Running on a woman’s body
There are numerous benefits to How does running changes a woman’s body. We have mentioned some effects running can cause on women’s bodies:
#1: Thighs and Muscle Tonning
Fat on a woman’s thighs does not look good at all. If you want to smoothen your thighs and get rid of excess fat, running will do it for you. There is no regular runner with fat on their thighs. They are all toned up, which is why running is a fantastic workout.
#2: Estrogen Levels
Estrogen is what differentiates a woman from a man. It is the hormone responsible for a woman’s psychology and metabolism in the whole body. For a runner, the estrogen level is highest before ovulation is a good time to take on hard workouts or longer races.
#3: Runners Experience Menstrual Irregularities
Females who train hard and frequently have low body fat often experience irregular menstrual cycles or lack periods, which reduces estrogen levels in the body. Disruption of the menstrual cycle directly affects bone mineral density, which increases the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Estrogen plays a significant role in facilitating the absorption of calcium into bones. Female runners who take the long-distance challenges have lower bone density compared to non-athletes with regular periods.
Loss of estrogen increases the risk of a stress fracture, and they need to do their best to strengthen their bones by increasing their calcium intake and vitamin D. Also, training at the right time would help promote their estrogen levels. Some oral contraceptives have high estrogen levels, and they can also be of great help.
#4: Athletic Anaemia
Heavy flow during menstruation decreases hemoglobin concentration in the blood, hindering oxygen transportation in the blood. Iron is a crucial component in the blood, and heavy menstrual flow can result in its loss. If your menstrual flow is heavy, then you need to consider supplementing the regular diet with iron.
It is common for many female athletes to experience athletic anemia due to intense physical anemia. Those likely to suffer most are those who experience heavy flows or female runner training at altitude.
#5: Change in Body Temperature
Body temperature in women changes throughout their menstrual cycle. During the luteal phase (after ovulation), the body temperature is at the peak, as a response to a surge in progesterone.
What is progesterone? It is a hormone that helps regulate body temperature with the hypothalamus, which is the center of temperature control. During the luteal phase, the body temperature is high, making it difficult for female runners to run in the heat.
Runners only begin to sweat after the body temperature becomes higher. As a woman, you need to master your menstrual cycle and avoid long races or heated workouts during the luteal phase for the best results.
#6: Pregnancy and Running
Running through the first and second trimesters is perfectly healthy. Active pregnant women have little or no common pregnancy complaints such as nausea, heartburn, insomnia, varicose veins, or leg cramps. If you exercise during pregnancy, you reduce the chances of developing some obstetrical complications like preeclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and gestational diabetes.
Conditions like heart and lung disease can prohibit you from running when pregnant. Persistent bleeding during the second and third trimesters or ruptured membranes can also keep you away from running.
#7: Female Metabolism is an Advantage
While running, women rely more on fat than carbohydrates. Humans have limited storage for carbohydrates, and the difference in metabolism serves as an advantage to female runners to endure for a long time. The female and male metabolism is different, putting them on top of things. During heated workouts or long races, a slow pace conserves carbohydrates, and as a result, more fat is consumed.
Benefits of Running
- It’s good for your joints: You might have heard some people say running wears out your joints, but the contrary is true. Those running can testify that running has strengthened their joints, and it does not lead to osteoarthritis.
- An effective way to lose body fat: Running is the easiest and most efficient way to lose body fat. You don’t have to begin tight, but aerobic training will do then pick up slowly. After a while, you can push harder gradually to higher intensity training or longer distances.
- It protects muscle and bone loss: Weight lifting can help lose and strengthen muscles, and the same happens when you run.
- Suitable for the heart: A regular runner increases HDL, commonly known as good cholesterol, which you can also get through aerobics. If one has a low response to blood pressure treatment, running at a slow pace can help regulate the bp.
- Runners age gracefully: Running makes the body sensitive to insulin and prevents one from developing diabetes type 2. Intensive exercise, like running, can increase insulin sensitivity. Also, runners have slim chances of disability later in life.
- It is a social activity: Running opens opportunities to compete and meet new people more than other sports. Going to the gym, joining running groups, or attending marathons, you become friendly to new people making your social life active.
- Memory Improvement: Running impacts the brain directly by keeping it active for the short and long term. With the heightened racing of the heart during exercise, you sweat, which boosts the size of the hippocampus, which is responsible for verbal memory and learning.
Conclusion
Although running is a popular activity that is beneficial hugely to our bodies, some people still label it as hard for the body. The health benefits from exercise are too many to ignore. You don’t need a village to start running but goodwill for your health in your sunset days.
We have also mentioned How does running changes a woman’s body? Women who produce a less potent estrogen than their counterparts who don’t. Therefore, women runners have lower chances of developing breast and uterine cancer or contracting frequent “women plagues” like diabetes.
Running works the cardiovascular system and keeps your bones healthy for the regular female runner. However, you can narrow down to the kind of exercise that works for you only that you should carry on regularly.
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