You hear it often. Running is great for your health. Not sure how to start exercising? Then just run. It is also true that running is a good form of exercise, but each advantage has its disadvantages. Below you will see the main pros and cons of running.
Of course this is not to demotivate you, but I do think you should be aware of what you are doing with your body.

Pros 
Running has many advantages, provided you don't overdo it of course.

• It is good for your heart and stamina
• Mentally calming
• It can give a lot of energy
• It makes your muscles strong

So in other words many benefits.

Con
When I think about running, I think about 80% of my knee patients. Running can be a killer for your knee joints. When you are running, there is enormous pressure in your knee. Pressure is created with every step. Now consider that you are running 5 kilometers or 4 miles, the number of steps you take, and therefore the number of times that a large part of your bodyweight ends up in your knee. Then you might also imagine that I'm not a big fan of running.

Of course there are ways to avoid the risk of complaints, which make even me positive about running.

Overweight
When you are overweight, an even greater weight is placed on your knees and the chance of complaints is therefore even greater. Is this the case? Then walking might be a good alternative for you. When walking you divide the weight more between both knees. 

A warming up
By first doing a good warming up you will prepare your body for the upcoming load, this will also make the chance for knee injuries smaller. Would you like to read more about a warming up? Then read my post "the importance of an warming up".

Train
A trained body is a prepared body. When you have properly developed your muscles, especially your thigh muscles, by exercising, the chance of getting complaints will also decrease.

Questions, feedback or ideas for other posts? Message me.

Kind regards,

Sascha Bargi BSc. Pt. & MSc. Ost. in training