Running is something that a lot of people do for exercise, and while some people really enjoy going for an outdoor run, others just try to get through it because they understand the importance of exercise. It may not seem like it makes a big difference whether you’re enjoying your run or hating every step, so long as you are logging those miles, but a new running study suggests differently.
According to new research out of the University of Exeter and Oxford University in England, your mental mindset when you run can impact your body’s response to the activity. For the study, researchers recruited 135 students and separated them into five groups. Researchers measured each student’s heart rate and sweat response, and asked them questions about their safety, connection to others and their overall mindset. After being questioned, two of the five groups were asked to listen to an 11-minute audio recording that encouraged them to be self-compassionate, while the other three groups listened to a recording that prompted a critical inner voice. Individuals listened to these recordings while running.
Inner Voice While Running
After looking at the data, researchers found that the groups who listened to the self-compassionate audio recordings had more energy, a lower heart rate and lower sweat response than they did prior to running, compared to the difference in the negative recording group.
“Our findings suggest that being kind to oneself switches off the threat response by reducing the heart rate and sweat response, and puts the body in a state of safety and relaxation, which we can see by an increase in the heart rate variation,” study coauthor Hans Kirschner, Ph.D.(c), a graduate fellow in the University of Exeter’s Mood Disorders Center, said in an interview with Runner’s World.
According to Kirschner, heart rate variation is directly linked to our ability to regulate our emotions. This is important, because chronic stress has been tied to a number of different health conditions, including mental, physical and immunological problems. Being self-critical when you run can increase your heart rate because this mindset activates the same areas as when you perceive a threat, which kicks your heart and sweat response into a higher gear.
So what does this all mean? Well for starters, it showcases how important it is to have a healthy inner dialogue when you’re running. It’s easy to be self-critical if you aren’t meeting your mile goals or if you’re just trying to get to the end of your run, but that mindset can actually make it harder on yourself to attain your goals. Strive for a positive mindset when you run, and your body will be better off for it!