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Jogging is not Running
Why the two terms are not interchangeable, why it matters, and how it applies to you.
It's a common sight everyone knows. You wake up in the early morning to take
out the garbage or pickup the daily newspaper only to see people pounding the
pavement, all decked out in sports clothes, drenched in sweat, fog blowing
from their mouths, with a painful zen-like trance on their face.
These people are usually described as "runners", who are engaged in an activity called "running", but in most cases, this isn't an accurate description. What most of these people are doing is "jogging". And jogging is one of many forms running.
Jogging can accurately be described as, "trotting at a slow or leisurely pace, with the primary intention of increasing fitness." It is distinct from running in that running is an exercise done at a greater intensity, speed, and length of endurance, usually for the purposes of competing against others.
Joggers take part for the exercise, while runners are motivated by the sport.
Ever since the idea was popularized by coach Aruther Lydiard, jogging has spread to become one of the most widely practiced forms of exercise. It's estimated that, in the United States alone, there are over 8 million casual runners, most of whom practice it in the form of jogging.
The distinction between jogging and running goes beyond just descriptive purposes. Both forms of exercise are considered "high-impact". This means they place great strain on the body; ankles, shin bones, and knee-joints are especially strained during these exercises.
Because of the intensity, distance, duration, and frequency of workouts, runners are at a greater risk of permanent damage as a result of long-term, high-impact stress to their bodies. Joggers, on the other hand, reap all the fundamental benefits of high-impact stress, all without risking long-term damage to their joints.
The benefits are especially significant to women. Because of biological differences, women have comparatively larger hip bones and larger body fat stores (in their breasts and buttocks). These differences greatly affect women in high-intensity, high-endurance exercise, such as running. In contrast, the differences in biology are diminished when jogging because of the low-intensity of the activity.
Jogging positively affects women as it does men, and will provide benefits to both sexes equally; running, on the other hand, is disproportionately riskier to women.
Most fitness experts are in agreement about the long-term benefits of a regular jogging schedule (in addition to other aerobic exercises). Because jogging is a weight-bearing exercise, it helps maintain bone strength and joint lubrication as the body ages; in this respect, it is especially helpful in preventing arthritis. In addition, the loss of weight that will result from regular jogging will reduce the strain on your skeletal system that was previously caused by having to carry around the extra weight.
Generally, jogging offloads much of the risk carried by running, while keeping all the upside; like other aerobic exercise, it is an effective means of improving the efficiency of your heart, your bone density, and your general physical fitness.
In summary:
- Jogging is commonly misunderstood to be synonymous with running, it is not;
- Jogging is not a competitive sport, it is a form of personal physical exercise intended to increase fitness;
- Regular joggers will experience all the benefits that runners do — increase blood supply to the brain, greater energy during the day, self-confidence, and increased resilience to sickness and disease;
- Jogging lowers the risk of injury and long-term damage experienced by man regular runners;
- Jogging is a safe, healthy activity for people of both sexes and all ages;
- Tens of millions of people around the world jog regularly, why not become one of them?
- Jogging requires nothing to get started, no gym fees, no expensive equipment, no special clothing or sports gear, no training — all you need is a stretch of land to trot one foot in front of another.