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While many runners consider “jogging” to be less beneficial than running, the truth is that even less intense runs—those done at easy or moderate paces—are good for your physical and mental health. In fact, the benefits of jogging touch on everything from your heart to your headspace.
Plus, runners need a mix of intensities on their training plans to build endurance and avoid overdoing it. Here, we explain all you’ll gain from going out for a jog and why you should do it more often.
How is jogging different than running?
Jogging probably means something different to you versus the person chasing miles next to you. But technically speaking, scientists measure activity intensity by determining how much oxygen a person needs to complete a task. For example, we breathe harder when we run than when we watch TV. This measurement is called a MET, which stands for metabolic equivalent for task. One MET equals what your body burns at rest.
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According to the American College of Exercise, walking at a moderate pace of 2.8 to 3.2 miles per hour on a level, firm surface is approximately 3.5 METs, while jogging is about 7 METs.
In comparison, running an 8:30-minute mile pace uses 11 METs, which is why it’s harder than jogging at a low intensity.
Math aside, a jog is basically a run at an easy or recovery pace. Most experts agree that jogging falls in the low- or moderate-intensity workout category—you’re working at an effort level of around 60 percent of your max, and you should be able to easily hold a conversation if you wanted to chat.
Anytime you’re getting cardio exercise and raising your heart rate, you’re boosting your health in a variety of ways. Here, the specific health benefits of jogging.
What are the benefits of jogging?
1. Jogging strengthens your immune system
Moderate exercise such as jogging strengthens your body’s response to illness, according to a 2018 study published in Frontiers in Immunology. Likewise, while another review of the scientific literature didn’t specifically call out jogging, researchers did find that regular exercisers were less likely to come down with bacterial and viral infections.
The research is still unclear about exactly how intense exercise affects the immune system response, but because jogging is more moderate and less physically stressful, it can offer protective benefits.
2. Jogging boosts your mood
Some days, a mile can feel like a marathon. But even if you’re barely pushing your pace, just one hour of moderate-intensity activity like fast walking (or, ahem, jogging) can decrease the odds of depression, says a study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
Just 30 minutes of jogging was found to instantly lift the mood of someone with depression, reports an older study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. The anxiety- and stress-relieving aspects of moderate exercise last even after your workout, according to additional research published in Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, especially when there aren’t high expectations, such as speed or distance, attached to the activity.
3. Jogging keeps your brain sharp
Running seems like a kind of brainless sport, even more so if you’re not chasing a specific pace and just casually jogging. But runners’ brains show different connections involved in higher-level thought than the brains of sedentary people, according to a study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience. The researchers specifically found more connectivity in the areas of the brain responsible for working memory, multitasking, attention, decision-making, and the processing of visual and other sensory information.
Aerobic exercise was also found to potentially improve executive functioning and protect the brain from decline related to aging and stress in another scientific review.
4. Jogging helps you sleep
You probably already know that regular exercise can help you sleep through the night and improve the quality of that sleep. In fact, people who slept less than six and a half hours a night reported logging an extra 75 minutes of sleep per night after performing moderate-intensity workouts like running or walking, a study published in the journal Sleep Medicine found.
Separate research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health determined that just 30 minutes of running during the week for three weeks was enough to boost sleep and decrease tiredness during the day.
5. Jogging helps you live longer
No amount of exercise is going to make you live forever, but low-intensity jogs two or three times a week—for a total of 60 to 145 minutes for the week—were found to be the best way to increase longevity, according to research published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology. More specifically, jogging could reduce your risk of dying early from any cause by 30 percent, and from heart attack or stroke by 45 percent, reports one scientific review.
6. Jogging support weight loss efforts
Cardio—no matter the pace—is great for initial weight loss (if that’s your goal), because it engages so many muscles simultaneously that it jacks up your energy needs and, consequently, your calorie burn. Jogging—no matter the pace—will burn more calories than walking, for example. So while many other factors come into play, jogging can help you lose weight or maintain your current weight.
7. Jogging is just FUN!
Let’s face it, runners love numbers, whether it’s pace, distance, or time, but a jog is likely to be a run without metrics and, for many of us, that equals a good time. You can jog alone, or you can do it with friends, but there are few things you can do nearly every day that make you feel as accomplished and refreshed as a jog. So don’t stress about the label of a jog or run—and don’t worry about the stats. Just continue to get out there and enjoy yourself!
