Running two miles per day is enough to consistently keep your body in shape. Such a distance typically avoids the overuse injuries that often result from long-distance running. However, as with any activity you do on a daily basis, watch for signs of fatigue and discomfort; these may signal the need for a few days off to rest.
Builds Bones
Although you may initially feel weaker doing consecutive two-mile daily runs, you can look forward to your bones eventually becoming stronger. A high-impact activity like running will consistently put stress on your bones and allow them to grow stronger, reducing your risk of osteoporosis. In fact, running at least 15 to 20 miles per week can help maintain or build your bone density, according to RunningPlanet.com.
Weight Loss and Maintenance
The average person will burn 100 calories per mile, which equals a calorie expenditure of 1,400 per week if you are running two miles per day. Generally, the heavier you are, the more calories you will burn. This is especially true for new runners, who may have started the hobby as a way to lose weight. If you’re running two miles per day, you are probably a beginner or intermediate runner. That means you will probably see the highest percentage of weight loss in your early running days. If you begin to plateau at any point, try switching up your routine with intervals or longer runs.
Longer Lives
According to Rick Morris on RunningPlanet.com, running at least 10 miles per week can be beneficial to your health. In fact, 10 miles of running each week can even lengthen your life by decreasing cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure and boosting the cardiac function. That means you could run two miles for five days each week and still enjoy all of the anti-aging benefits.
Improved Mental Health
Because running is such an intense physical activity, it can reduce the symptoms of clinical depression and other mental health ailments, according to an article by Elizabeth McLeod Sadler for Vanderbilt University. Running for two miles each day gives you something else to focus on, whether the run takes you 15 minutes or 30 minutes. A bonus is that, by doing this exercise every day, you will have a daily physical outlet for your stressors.
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