Jogging can help you make strides towards a healthy heart

Regular jogging could increase life expectancy, according to the findings of a new study.

The results of the research in Denmark showed that between one to two-and-a-half hours of jogging each week at a slow or average pace could be most beneficial in increasing life expectancy.

Researchers compared the mortality of nearly 2,000 joggers to that of non-joggers and found regular jogging increased life expectancy of men by 6.2 years and women by 5.6 years.

All of the participants were part of the Copenhagen City Heart study which started in 1976 to help increase knowledge about heart and circulatory disease. 

Staying active can help prevent and manage a wide variety of health conditions and keep your heart in great shape. Natasha Stewart, a Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Physical activity has long been associated with improved health and so it’s no surprise to see just how beneficial jogging could be.

“Staying active can help prevent and manage a wide variety of health conditions and keep your heart in great shape. It can help the way you look and feel today but could also help to protect your heart health in the future too.

The findings were presented at a conference organised by the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, part of the European Society of Cardiology.

If you’re already a regular runner then you might want to step things up with a race or two – check out the runbritain online calendar for some ideas. If you’ve started to get more competitive then sign up for May’s Reward Running competition to be in with a chance of winning a prize for your efforts.

If this article has given you the motivation to give jogging a go for the first time, your best starting point is through either Run England or jogscotland, depending on where you’re based.

Run England is the official England Athletics recreational running project which aims to get the whole nation running. Regardless of your age, fitness level, aspiration, background, or location you can be a part of Run England and benefit from being a part of England's running community.

jogscotland is Scotland’s recreational running programme and since 2002 25,000 people have taken up jogging through their local community and workplace groups by using simple, gentle walk/jog/run programmes to encourage everyone to get out and be active.

Get involved!