6 Surprising Benefits of Running Every Day, Plus What to Know Before You Try It

On May 15, 2017, Hellah Sidibe decided to start a two-week “run streak” where he would run every single day for at least 10 minutes. At the time, he was in a pretty dark place mentally, trying to figure out his post-college career path as an immigrant constantly struggling with visa issues. Forcing himself to lace up daily was a way to feel some sense of control over his life. And he quickly saw the benefits of running every day.

“I felt so free. I just fell in love with it immediately,” he says. He loved it so much, in fact, that he still hasn’t stopped. For more than seven years, Sidibe has run outdoors at least two miles every single day—even after oral surgery, through freezing winter storms, and on layovers between international flights. “People might think I’m crazy,” he admits. But he’s found that the benefits of running every day make the sacrifices worth it.

He’s not alone. Plenty of people attempt run streaks, heading out the door daily no matter what comes up. It’s a common challenge that can have some real perks. But you need to approach this kind of goal strategically to stay safe while you’re at it.

The benefits of running every day

People who love run streaks find there’s a lot they get out of running every day, both physically and mentally.

1. It can jumpstart a running habit

If you’re newer—or returning—to running, pushing yourself to lace up daily can be a quick way to make the sport a regular part of your life. “A lot of people do a run streak to jumpstart a routine,” says running coach Tammy Whyte of TW Training in Chicago. When you challenge yourself to commit to daily miles as a top priority, you find ways to pull off runs despite less-than-ideal weather or a busy schedule—running just becomes something you do without questioning it.

2. You’ll build up your aerobic fitness

Most people who run every day do the vast majority (if not all) of their miles at an easy pace in an attempt to avoid injury. This kind of slow jogging that keeps your heart rate relatively low can have a number of benefits for your aerobic fitness, like boosting the mitochondria that help supply the energy you need for long bouts of exercise, improving oxygen delivery to your muscles, and building stronger slow-twitch muscle fibers.

3. Your heart will thank you

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends adults get a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise like easy running at least five days a week. Vikas Shahi, MD, primary sports medicine physician at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery, says this can improve your heart health and lower your blood pressure. “Running is a fantastic form of cardiovascular exercise,” he says. “It makes your body more robust.” One 2014 study¹ in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that running just 5 to 10 minutes every day could significantly reduce someone’s risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

4. It helps with blood sugar levels

Regular running can be a useful tool for those with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. “When we exercise, our body starts pulling sugar out of the blood and into the cell,” Dr. Shahi explains. This means your blood sugar levels will be better regulated, which is why doctors regularly recommend diabetic patients follow a safe, consistent exercise program that could include running.

5. You get a daily mood boost

There’s a reason runners often seem so carefree and relaxed after their miles. “Runner’s high is the euphoric chemical rush of happiness one will experience after engaging in exercise after a specific period of time,” Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, CMPC, a certified mental performance consultant and E-board member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, previously told Well+Good. Running every day means you’re getting that emotional release on the regular.

After so many years of relying on running’s natural endorphin hit, Sidibe says his fiancée can now tell by his mood whether or not he’s gone out for a run yet. “I don’t get angry. I get ‘rangry,’” he says.

6. You learn perseverance

Sidibe first began running every day when he was in a low place emotionally. By committing to checking off his miles no matter what life threw at him, he taught himself how to persevere when things get hard—both in running and the rest of his life.

“You find a way to live through it, to fight another day,” he says. He’s found that he’s adopted a mindset of searching for solutions rather than making excuses when obstacles get in the way. “I want to control the things that I can control: I can control my attitude. I can control when I get up and do the things that are important to me that are priorities,” he says.

“A lot of people do a run streak to jumpstart a routine.” —Tammy Whyte, running coach

The downsides of skipping rest days

Despite the benefits of running every day, it’s not without its cons. Many experts are very cautious when it comes to run streaks because the risk of injury is so high. “Most runners don’t run at an intensity that they could do it daily and not get injured,” Whyte says. In particular, Dr. Shahi warns about the potential for overuse injuries in your tendons and bones.

And that’s not just because you’re neglecting total rest days. “As a runner myself, I think we do a pretty bad job of cross-training,” Dr. Shahi admits. When you’re forcing yourself to run every day, you’re even less likely to take the time to work your muscles in other ways, whether that’s through strength training or cycling.

For some runners, it’s not their body that yells “uncle,” but their mind. “A lot of people get burned out,” Whyte says. This can be particularly frustrating if you’re running every day as a way to try to establish a new healthy habit and instead, the days of forcing yourself to run can make you want to give up running altogether.

Whyte also warns runners with time-based goals (like trying to break four hours in a marathon, for instance) that running every day might hold you back. “It can inhibit performance because you’re never truly giving your body that recovery it needs to rebuild and get stronger,” she says.

What to keep in mind before you attempt to run every day

Still tempted to try to get all those good benefits of running every day? Follow these tips to limit the risks and make sure you get the most out of the experience.

1. Keep it doable

Sidibe recommends making sure your goal is something that’s actually attainable for you. Maybe that’s one mile or even just five minutes of running per day for one week.

This might not seem like much, but you’ll want to keep the parameters of your run streak conservative to make sure you can pull it off. Particularly since, as Whyte points out, no matter how far you’re running, you need to factor in the extra time it takes to dress and get ready (which ideally includes a warm-up), then have a shower afterward.

2. Get real about your intentions

Whyte recommends really being honest with yourself about why you want to run every day. That can help remind you of your motivation so you can keep going when it gets tough. It can also be a good gut check to make sure this is something that will actually benefit you rather than backfire.

“For a small percentage of people, it does help them build a more consistent habit,” she says. “But if they’re forcing themselves to run every day, they don’t love running, it could get them burnt out, and then they don’t return to it.”

3. Be prepared to run slowly—and maybe include walking

To head out day after day, you need to go at a slow enough pace that it doesn’t overly stress out your body. “The runner has to be very comfortable going a lot slower than maybe they think they ‘should’ be going,” Whyte says.

Maybe you even go so slow that you’re sometimes walking instead: Whyte believes that mixing some walking into your challenge is healthier than trying to pull off a pure run streak (particularly if you’re a newer runner). “Maybe we do some running, and then the other days you walk—it’s just about getting out the door every day,” she says.

4. Prioritize recovery

To help your body be able to handle the demands of running every day, do what you can to help it recover. Make sure you’re eating enough to fuel your miles, get a solid amount of sleep, and do the stretching, mobility work, and massages that keep your muscles happy.

5. Know when it’s time to stop

Even during a streak, the smart runner will take time off if they get sick or injured. And if your body really isn’t responding well, or you feel like you’re not getting any real benefits from running every day, “give yourself permission to stop altogether,” Sidibe says. “I know I’m very dedicated to running every single day. But I’m the first one that will tell you if I feel like I go back to being depressed and running has something to do with that, I’ll give myself permission to stop today—and I won’t feel bad about it.”