10 Reasons To Take Up Running

If you've reached a stage in life where bending down to put a sock on has become an unspeakable effort, it might be time to reassess. For a lot of us, such daily agony is the result of a sedentary lifestyle: a laborious day spent sitting in front of a computer at work, and a relaxing evening spent sitting in front of the TV at home.

It's very simple: General inactivity allows the muscles in the heart to gradually weaken, which in turn lessens its efficiency in pumping blood around the body. The result is that oxygen is harder to come by, and you feel knackered just by standing up.

Unless you're very fortunate to find a wizard in your sock drawer, things won't change as if by magic. It's an undeniable axiom that being active keeps you fit; the more you do, the stronger those heart muscles become. Like all sports, running is perfect for keeping the old ticker in tip-top shape, and because there doesn't need to be a competitive element, you can stop when you feel you've gone too far. Show those socks who's boss!