Even if you loath running as a form of exercise…
New research shows performing even just 10 minutes of cardio is well worth the suffering.
That is, if you want to maintain a high-powered brain even into old age. You see, a recent Japanese study used a well-established brain test called the Stroop Color-Word Test to check the difference between groups that ran for 10 minutes vs groups that didn’t run at all.
This cognitive test measures a person’s processing abilities. Which is essentially how fast your brain can work.
The results showed that 10 minutes of moderate running significantly improved performance on the test. [R]
Let’s make the trade-off quantifiable:
Is 10 minutes of running worth hours more of peak performance where you can get MORE work done in LESS time? It would be ridiculous to say no. If you’re new to running, the best way to start is slowly.
And I mean ridiculously slow. You’ll feel stupid for the first couple of minutes.
At about 3-5 minutes, you’ll feel like you’re doing something. Get on a consistent schedule and use an app like Strava to track your runs.
Put yourself through progressive levels of discomfort over time, but don’t overdo it. If you feel like dying after, you pushed too hard.
Once you hit around 1.5 miles in 10 minutes, you’ve arrived at a solid pace for a recreational runner.
Don’t forget to do some type of active warm-up beforehand.
Grab your headphones and put on something that lets you zone out. That could mean music, a podcast, or an audiobook.
Simply put, no matter what age, any man can work up to running ten minutes at a time.
And for the sake of your brain, you should get to it.