How running improves our well-being

Regular physical exercise in nature offers effective solutions to strengthen mental health and well-being. Reason enough for the running festival in the city of Mozart to specifically emphasize this characteristic of running in the comeback year 2022. During a whole active week (9th to 15th May) they offer the stage for a perfect running experience for body and mind.

"It's the experience that running makes us feel good. That we feel good, have fun and consciously perceive the natural environment", describes Salzburg marathon doctor Dr. Holger Förster is one of the most important reasons why so many Salzburg residents and active people throughout Europe regularly put on their running shoes and/or have integrated other forms of exercise into their everyday lives. The medical benefits of regular exercise on long-term health are well known and convincingly scientifically documented in sports medicine. However, the human being is not primarily programmed in such a way that such long-term benefits - on average - are the only motivation for a sporty lifestyle, says the specialist in paediatrics and youth medicine and sports medicine.

It is the joy of running and the joy of physical activity that promise lasting motivation and establish an active lifestyle. Those positive to slightly euphoric feelings in a leisurely jog, which drive thoughts and let your soul dangle. Garnished with the soothing sounds and impressions of nature to the left and right of the running path or with a relaxed chat with your running partner. Our mind is unconsciously sorted, the head is free. These positive emotional impulses form connotations that create anticipation for the next running unit and thus facilitate regularity. "There is no doubt about the many positive effects of moderate running on the psyche," emphasizes the experienced running coach Johannes Langer.

Running is good

Mental health describes our well-being, a contentment that stabilizes our everyday life: sparked emotions, psychological skills and the social "I'm fine". Chronic stress is a factor with enormous risk potential. He describes nothing more than pent-up energy that is difficult to process in the body and triggers negative and harmful consequences for the brain.

Running offers an effective and ideal solution to reduce stress and, in the long term, to deal better with difficult situations that we all face in the course of life. 15-20 minutes of moderate exercise per day - cycling across town to the office or a short morning run for a great start to the day - recommends Dr. Forester as a minimum. “Regularity is essential!” warns the native of East Tyrol. Summarizing the movement time in a four-hour ski tour on the weekend is not the right way.

Secondly, the right amount is crucial, when overexerting, sport loses the positive effects on our mental health. The automatic consequences of a healthy, modern, active lifestyle are also convincing: better sleep, a stronger immune system, a lower stress level.

"We run - together!"

Running was one of the few leisure activities that was always possible, even during the pandemic, and has provided society with an effective outlet for stress reduction, emotional balance and a reason-based approach to fears and insecurities. According to various surveys, many people started running from the start of the pandemic and thus got to know and appreciate the beneficial effect of physical activity on well-being. Incidentally, young women were the most likely to discover or intensify running for themselves. "Regular running can prevent mental problems or even help to overcome them," the experienced running coach knows.

Spring 2022 is the time to run together again. The Running Festival in the City of Mozart, with its multi-layered program that has been tried and tested for years and includes the right range of exercise for every runner's need and every runner's level, is an ideal goal to culminate regular running rounds for a good attitude to life in a competition. The framework is much more convincing than the classic idea of competition: the special feeling of consuming an extraordinary running experience together with other runners, enjoying the wonderful backdrop of the city of Mozart at a run, the exclusive finisher medal in recognition of the achievement and a special place to give in the living room. "The best way to experience the running festival in the City of Mozart is to share it with loved ones, good friends or work colleagues," Langer recommends, true to the motto "Shared (running) joy is double (running) joy".

More detailed information on the processes with which the running movement can effectively reduce the stress level in the body, you read in the Press release of the running festival in the city of Mozart.

Background knowledge on mental health: The status quo cries out for improvement In the increasingly fast-moving times of the last few decades, mental health has steadily gained in importance in our society. A process that was accelerated by the crisis period. Study findings from Austria show a clear picture that calls for urgent solutions: Almost half of Vienna's population struggles with declining mental health. The situation among young people is particularly dramatic: a much-noticed situation Study by Christoph Piel from the Danube University in Krems 62% of girls and 38% of boys aged 14 to 20 attest depressive symptoms - and thus significantly more than before the pandemic. One Analysis of the current study situation at the University of Oxford finds that four out of five adolescents have experienced deterioration in mental health in the past two years.