- Researchers discovered that just 10 minutes of very slow running significantly improved mood and brain function, challenging the belief that running must be intense gain benefits.
- Experts point to possible mechanisms for the advantages running has over walking, plus other payoffs you gain from slowing down.
If you consider yourself more of a tortoise than a hare, you might believe you have to put in more running time or increase your pace to see tangible benefits. Well,
new research suggests otherwise.
A new study in Imaging Neuroscience found that just 10 minutes of very slow running can lead to improvements in mood and executive function in the
brain.
Researchers recruited 24 healthy participants and had them complete both a 10-minute running session on a treadmill, done at 35 percent of VO2 max (a very light effort), and a resting control session. Researchers determined executive function and mood using established research tools for each, which they tested before and after both running and resting.
Researchers did not define “slow” as one fixed pace for everyone—instead, they determined it based on each participant’s aerobic capacity, so actual treadmill speed
differed from one person to the next. However, all those paces did fall into the “very light intensity” category, according to study lead author Hideaki Soya, PhD, at the Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology at the University of Tsukuba in Japan.
Even at a pace that was nearly the same as a brisk walk, there were significant benefits in terms of pleasurable feelings and sharpened brain function, he told Runner’s World.
“At the simplest level, the main message is that running does not have to be fast or
hard to benefit the brain,” he said. “Even at the gentlest running intensity possible, there was greater activation in prefrontal regions of the brain that regulate emotion and mental skills.”
These results are in line with previous research done by Soya and his colleagues. For
example, a 2021 study in Scientific Reports found that 10 minutes of moderate-intensity running—done at 50 percent of VO2 max (around zone 2)—led to a considerable boost in executive function and mood regulation.
Although the recent and previous studies are limited due to the small number of
participants, other research has suggested there’s a connection between running
and mental health. For example, a research review published in the International
Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2020, which included 116 studies, found that both short-term and long-term running are associated with improvements in a range of mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety.
How Running Boosts the Brain and Benefits Different Populations
The mechanism, even in very slow running, may be related in part to the way light aerobic exercise has a rhythmic, bouncing quality compared to an activity like
walking, said Soya. Specifically, the type of head movement involved seems to
make a difference for brain activation, including mood effects, he added.
“Simply put, slow running may ‘wake up’ the brain through this type of motion,”
Soya said. “During running, both feet leave the ground briefly, so the
entire body—all the way up to the head—undergoes a rhythmic vertical
acceleration. In our data, this rhythm was positively correlated with the
increase in pleasure.”
Although Soya noted that we need more research, particularly with a larger participant group, these findings on very slow running should be heartening for those who prefer less intensity but still enjoy running—or for those who want to start but are nervous that they aren’t “fast enough” to see benefits.
“For people with low fitness, older adults, people for whom conventional running is
difficult, or for people who simply dislike hard exercise, this research shows that the mechanics and rhythm of running itself add something unique to the brain, even at very slow speeds,” he said. “This is great news for people who have avoided running simply because the activity feels too demanding.”
Even for runners who are used to a more moderate or vigorous pace, adding slow running sessions into a schedule can be helpful, according to Jill Becker, RRCA-certified running coach and personal trainer at Life Time in Denver, Colorado. At a very slow pace, your heart rate stays lower, which reduces strain and lowers injury
risk, she told Runner’s World.
Over time, varying your speed and downshifting to a pace that leads to an easier perceived effort can help you run longer distances and make recovery quicker, especially if you run frequently.
“A slower-paced run will make your ‘engine’ stronger and help you be able to run
faster at a lower heart rate, because you're creating more efficiency,” she said. “Easy, slow days help build your running economy and make you better at running with less effort.”
Elizabeth Millard is a freelance writer focusing on health, wellness, fitness, and food.