June 3 is National Running Day

All you need is a pair of sneakers and a few minutes to fall in love with running and reap the health benefits the sport offers. And what better day than today – National Running Day – to get moving.

“There are benefits to running, even just five to 10 minutes a day,” says Sanjey Gupta, MD, chairman of emergency medicine at Franklin Hospital in Valley Stream. “And I think just about everybody can eek out five to 10 minutes a day.”

According to Dr. Gupta, running offers the following health benefits:

• Lower rates of heart disease
• Stronger muscles
• Increased bone density
• Better heart and lung function
• Improved sleep

If you’re new to running, consult your physician first and take it slow, advises the emergency medicine specialist.

“Starting too big and starting too fast can be discouraging,” said Dr. Gupta. “You’ll feel too tired, like you can’t manage this. You might run into having an injury earlier on, which would derail you from continuing that exercise… Build up your distance and your speed over time.”

To see a video about this, click here: http://bit.ly/1de49uZ