5 ways a community fun run can benefit your mind and body

Gearing up for Run the Tan this April? Proudly sponsored by AIA Vitality, Run the Tan is a great way for beginners and pro runners alike to get into the spirit of a community run.

If you’re looking to sign up for something that’s equal parts fun, physical and purposeful in 2021, you’d do well to put your name down for a community fun run.

Take Melbourne’s Run the Tan, for example. Surrounding the beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, the 3.8km ‘Tan’ track is set to host hundreds of participants striving to reach their personal best amongst friends and family. 

Not only are you running (or walking or jogging) alongside a group of likeminded individuals, you’re also moving towards a common goal: to raise money and awareness of the charity your fun run is supporting. You’ve also got an immediate cheer squad: other runners encouraging you to keep going, and supporters cheering from the sidelines. Go you!

When you sign up for an event like Run the Tan, you can’t help but feel motivated to start training and fundraising. Raising money for charity has similar benefits to volunteering and giving – it can reduce anxiety and depression, increase self-esteem, and make you feel happier and more satisfied with your lot in life. All this provides you with a solid case of the warm and fuzzies – aka a sense of purpose.

Setting the goal of participating in a fun run also helps you stay focussed, develop new habits, and keeps you motivated. Plus, you’ll be more determined to push yourself, both in training and fundraising, to cross the finish line. 

Everyone who donates to your run will feel that warm, scientifically-backed buzz of doing something good too. 

That anticipation you feel at the starting line, just before the marshal shouts ‘Go’, is one of the greatest moments in any run. You’re shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other runners, feeding off their energy, but you’re also outdoors. The benefits of running outdoors are almost as long as the race itself: reduced blood pressure and stress, reduced risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, and improved quality of sleep. 

Whether you’re walking, jogging or running, you’re moving your precious body and boosting your cardiovascular fitness. This is when your heart, lungs and blood vessels work together to supply oxygen to your muscles, which helps you run faster, longer, and stronger. Anytime you get your heart rate up through cardio work, you’re doing great things for your body. Running also builds bone strength, burns kilojoules, and strengthens muscles.          

Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances