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Slow jogging is a type of running training that involves jogging slower than walking. Created by the Japanese prof. Tanaka, who over the years studied the influence of various sports on well-being and he alth. Find out why you should train slow jogging and what are the rules of jogging.

Slow joggingis not the same as jogging. How is slow jogging different from regular jogging?

- Jogging is slow running, at a speed of 6 to 6.5 km per hour. Running at a slower pace is what slow jogging is all about, says Prof. Hiroaki Tanaka, creator and popularizer of slow jogging. Professor Tanaka worked for many years to create physical activity that is easy enough for everyone to practice, but at the same time effective enough to prevent diseases of civilization and bring he alth benefits.

The most important thing in slow jogging is jogging at your own pace, "niko niko" (Japanese with a smile), which starts to increase with improving condition. How can you tell if you are jogging at this pace? If you do not get tired during the run, you do not have shortness of breath and you can smile, talk or sing a song, it means that you are running at an optimal pace for you, "niko niko".

Slow jogging, a Japanese method of treating the effects of civilization diseases

Hiroaki Tanaka, prof. Fukuoka University, a legendary figure in Japan, has devoted many years of research at the Institute of Sport Physiology to find relationships regarding physical activity. With time, it became clear to him that physical activity, taken daily for 30-60 minutes, but light enough to be able to do it with a smile, is a panacea for many ailments that plague modern people.

Considering the easiest way to meet these conditions, the professor developed the slow jogging method and tried to popularize it among the Japanese. However, those were times when sport was associated more with sweat and effort than pleasure. At first, the idea was not met with widespread interest, but in 1995 the American Society of Sports Medicine confirmed the effectiveness of the method.

Today, slow jogging fans can be found everywhere - they jog in parks and on the streets, smiling and at a pace so slow that they are overtaken by ambitious walkers.

Whyis it worth training slow jogging?

Apart from the fact that the effortless jogging method improves the physical and mental condition, it is also an excellent antidote to civilization diseases: diabetes, obesity, hypertension, atherosclerosis and heart disease. When practicing slow jogging, you do not have to be afraid of injuries to the knee joints, hips and spine, because you land on the metatarsus, not on the heel.

And if you want to lose weight or you just want to be in shape, but sometimes you want to indulge in culinary sins, slow jogging is also for you! - Many Japanese young women concentrate their efforts on dietary modification without too much exercise. When it comes to weight, they are successful, but they have a relatively high percentage of fat because they don't have trained muscles, explains Prof. Tanaka and adds that modifications to meals are highly recommended, while the basis from which you have to start is movement.

- Slow jogging is a very light exercise, so it is suitable even for people on a diet who do not have the energy for more demanding activity - argues prof. Tanaka and suggests exercising every day, because slow jogging is not tiring and does not require breaks for the regeneration of the body, as in the case of practicing other sports, e.g. traditional jogging.

Natural and not overburdening slow jogging, significantly improves the endurance of the body, and at the same time, as confirmed by the research of prof. Tanaki, to lower mortality, even in people suffering from metabolic syndrome. The advantage of this sport is that at the same distance and the same speed, the body's caloric expenditure during slow jogging is twice as high as when walking. To burn 200-300 kcal, you need to go for a 7-kilometer walk. Slow jogging, on the other hand, also at a walking pace, will ensure the loss of the same amount of calories already at a distance of 3.5-5 kilometers.

Slow jogging also has a beneficial effect on the mental condition. Until recently, it was believed that the aging process was caused by a decrease in the number of brain cells, and hence - a decrease in intellectual performance. Today we know that this number can go up and down regardless of age and is closely related to the amount of daily exercise. A study of 8,000 people over 40 years found that the incidence of Alzheimer's disease was highest in the group with the lowest physical activity. Slow jogging, continued for 6 months, 3 times a week for an hour, clearly increased the number of brain cells of people who practice it.

Worth knowing

You can become a long-distance runner

Slow jogging can be a goal in itself, but it can also lead you to run marathons. Prof. Hiroaki Tanaka's Advice: If you train regularly at your 'niko niko' pace, your pace with a smile, you will find very quickly that you run faster and faster effortlessly. At first you will cover 80 or 90 meters in a minute, and then it will turn out to be 100, 110 or 120. And if then you are still comfortable running, it means that in 6 hours you can run a marathon distance.

Slow jogging - how to train?

As the name suggests, slow jogging is running at a very slow pace. It's actually a jog, and much slower than you might think. Here are some basic rules that will prepare you to start slowjogging training:

  • Tempo without getting out of breath and smiling

You run at a really slow pace, allowing you to converse freely, without feeling tired or breathing hard. In practice, this means that a person who practices slow jogging will be overtaken by surprised walkers, because the average jogging speed is 4-5 km / h, or it is slower than most people walking.

  • Landing on midfoot

When practicing slow jogging, you should land on the metatarsus, softly, using natural shock absorbers in the feet. The length of one step should be 1/3 of a step when landing on the heel. However, this should not be confused with toe-running - to understand exactly what the movement is about, try to run barefoot, backward or jump, and then run trying to land at the same point of the foot.

  • Silhouette

The chin should point slightly upward, the silhouette upright and the line of sight at the level of the horizon. This position is conducive to the natural movement of the body and should be the basis for slow jogging. The feet, on the other hand, move along two parallel tracks.

  • Breathe

The body automatically adjusts the breath to the activity, so no special technique is needed. All you need to do is open your mouth a little and let nature be yours.

  • 30-60 min. daily

It is enough to jog 30-60 minutes. daily. Those who struggle with time management can start with a 10-minute jog 3 times a day.

By implementing these simple rules, the secret of Japanese longevity will be at your fingertips!

You must do it

How much and where to train slow jogging?

- I recommend one hour a day. For beginners, I recommend alternating 1 minute of slow jogging with 30 seconds of walking. And a one-time serving of exercise is just as goodit can be 5 or 10 minutes. It is important to accumulate an hour during the day - explains prof. Hiroaki Tanaka. If we do not change the diet and include slow jogging in our activity, after a month, according to the research of prof. Hiroaki Tanaka, we will lose from 1 to 1.5 kg. If we still change our diet, we will lose unnecessary kilograms faster.

- A lot of people decide to run, but they get too tired of running because they run so fast, thinking they need to get tired. If you want to practice slow jogging and don't get discouraged, think before going out for a walk and jog at a walking pace. And don't worry about the walkers overtaking you. Young people's condition will improve quickly, so the pace at which they will not tire will probably increase in a short time - says prof. Hiroaki Tanaka. And if you do not want to go out, for example because it is raining or it is cold, you can do slow jogging even at home - when walking short distances, jog for 10 minutes three times a day.

This will be useful to you

Hiroaki Tanaka- doctor of medical sciences, prof. at the Department of Sports Sciences of Fukuoka University. He specializes in sports physiology, with an emphasis on the treatment and prevention of civilization diseases, incl. obesity and atherosclerosis; preventive he althcare and improve he alth through physical activity.

Active activist for the development of science in the world. Member of the Japanese Olympic Committee. The creator of the low-intensity sports training method Niko Niko (Japanese with a smile) and slow jogging. He developed training methods supporting the he alth prophylaxis of the elderly.

Author of the books: "Movement in preventing common diseases", "Change your life with slow jogging", "Slow Step".

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