You want to be happy?

A couple of weeks back a number of bloggers and journalist were fortunate enough to be invited to meet the great Haile Gebrselassie. Haile has set several world records and has won a great number of marathons such as Amsterdam, Berlin (4 times), Dubai (3 times) and Fukuoka. It has also been announced that he will pace the elite field of the London 2014 marathon for the first 30k at world record pace.

He is clearly an elite runner who has made an amazing career out of running. Running is his profession whereas for most of us it is just our hobby. Yet although he runs very competitively I was surprised to read that he recognises the effects running has on the mind. The Women’s running editor who met Haile quoted him as saying:

“Don’t just run for weight loss, 20 per cent of it might be for weight loss, but you should run to get fit. What I mean by “get fit” is mental fitness. Run for mental fitness.”

I believe that the positive effect running (or any sport) can have on mental health needs to be more widely talked about. People are aware that running temporarily can release endorphins but I don’t think they are aware that regular exercise can stabilise your mood even on days you don’t run. I have been struggling with low mood for the last 10 years or so. I have tried a number of methods to try and stabilise my mood. Unfortunately nothing quite worked for me. Since I started running regularly two years ago the ‘down times’ are much less frequent and I wake every morning with a much more positive mind set. I wish someone had told me years ago about running. However if you want to run to improve your mental health you need to run regularly. I believe 4-5 times a week is best even if it is for short durations. You don’t necessarily need to run. There are plenty of other sports out there which get your heart pumping.   

Lazygirlrunning wrote about her encounter with Haile on her blog. Haile said to her:

“Running is everything. It’s the best medicine. It makes you fit in your mind and helps you with stress. When you get back from your run you have a shower, but you’ve already had a shower in here [points to head].”

You want to be happy? Get out there and run!!!