

Running, like other aerobic exercises, can also reduce your health risks in cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and some cancers. "Running is going to improve your quality of sleep, it's going to decrease your stress levels, and enhance your cognition," says Slater Nelson, MS, the owner and coach of the personal training program EsdotFitness in Chicago. That's because, if done right, there are many benefits to running. While you should not run every day, you should aim to run between three and five days a week.

"It's like a linear graph, if you run 7 days a week and you run a bunch of miles each of those days, then that's a higher risk category." There are two risk factors for overload and stress injuries, says Laskowski: the greater the number of consecutive days running and the greater the total mileage. You can also get pain and inflammation in the muscles and tendons along the shin, an injury called shin splints. Overuse injuries include stress injuries in your muscles, tendons, and ligaments as well as stress fractures, according to Laskowski.

Running every day can increase your risk of overuse injuries, which are caused by repetitive trauma. "Running is great, but it's important also to keep the tissue fresh and not have the same stress the same load applied in a consistent manner all the time," says Edward Laskowski, MD, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic. Whether you are a novice or more experienced, exerting the same muscles and tissues constantly can overtrain your body. Here is everything you need to know about how often you should run and when you should take a break from hitting the pavement. While running can be an active and cost-effective exercise routine to improve your overall fitness and boost your mood, there are risks to running every day.
