Studies have shown that light jogging can enhance respiratory function, increase lung capacity, and improve the body’s ventilation and gas exchange abilities. The amount of oxygen supplied during jogging can be 8 to 12 times greater than when sitting still. Oxygen is essential for maintaining human life activities, and the ability to absorb oxygen directly affects cardiovascular and pulmonary function. Generally speaking, the oxygen absorption capacity of older adults is relatively low, but exercise can improve it. Elderly people who jog not only have a significantly higher maximal oxygen uptake than their sedentary peers, but also higher than those who engage in general exercise. Jogging strengthens and thickens the heart muscle, helping to exercise and protect the heart. The heart size and function of elderly individuals who have been jogging for many years are no different from those of 20-year-olds who do not exercise, because long-term exercise improves myocardial nutrition, leading to more developed and better-functioning heart muscles.
　　    Jogging can increase blood flow and enhance vascular elasticity, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. During jogging, coronary artery blood flow can increase tenfold compared to when at rest, reaching 1200–1400 milliliters per minute. People who consistently jog over the long term may see their resting heart rate drop to around 50–60 beats per minute, allowing the heart muscle to rest for longer periods. Jogging promotes overall metabolism and improves lipid metabolism, helping prevent excessive fat content in the blood. Many age-related diseases in the elderly such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis are related to abnormal lipid metabolism in the body. Jogging helps regulate normal lipid metabolism, reducing cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and can prevent or reduce the deposition of lipids such as cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels, thereby helping prevent coronary heart disease, hypertension, and other age-related diseases. Jogging can also help control weight, prevent arteriosclerosis, adjust the excitation and inhibition processes of the cerebral cortex, and eliminate brain fatigue. Additionally, jogging produces low-frequency vibrations that exercise the vascular smooth muscle, increasing vascular tension. These vibrations help dislodge deposits on blood vessel walls while preventing the accumulation of blood lipids there, which is of significant importance in preventing arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
How to Jog
　　       The “Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon” states: “Sleep at night, rise early, and take long walks in the courtyard.” Morning jogging is beneficial to health. The speed should be determined by your physical condition — it’s better to go slow rather than fast, moving forward naturally at an easy pace, following the principles of gradual progression and consistency. Start with short distances and gradually increase your running length. The intensity of the exercise should be such that you feel relaxed and comfortable after jogging, without adverse reactions such as shortness of breath, soreness in the waist or legs, or extreme fatigue. During jogging, your heart rate should ideally not exceed 180 minus your age, per minute.
       While jogging, keep all your muscles relaxed, and breathe deeply, slowly, and rhythmically — either inhaling and exhaling every two steps, or every three steps. It’s best to use abdominal breathing: expand your abdomen when inhaling and contract it when exhaling. Your jogging steps should be light and brisk, with your arms swinging naturally. A daily jogging session of 20–30 minutes is ideal, but long-term consistency is essential for results. Jogging can be divided into spot jogging, free jogging, and fixed-quantity jogging. Spot jogging means jogging in place without moving forward — start with 50–100 steps each time, gradually increasing over time. After 4–6 months, you can work up to 500–800 steps per session. High-knee jogging can increase the intensity of the workout. Free jogging allows you to adjust your speed freely based on how you feel, with no restrictions on distance or time. Fixed-quantity jogging involves time and distance limits — you run a set distance within a certain time frame, gradually increasing the distance over time.