One study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that runners — regardless of distance or duration of a run — lived longer than those who didn’t run at all. Running is good for your health, especially for sedentary beginners.
“In our studies, the risk of dying from heart disease was 45 percent lower for runners,” says fitness expert Joan Pagano, veteran marathoner and author of fitness books including Strength Training for Women. So what exactly can make this mode of exercise more do-able — and even more pleasurable?