How adding sprints to your usual jogs can boost the health benefits of running

We would like to thank Christopher Gaffney for the contribution to this article.

Running has a huge number of benefits. The popular workout can prevent disease , improve mental health and even slow the biological ageing process .

But around 31% of us aren’t regularly doing enough physical activity – including going for a run. The most commonly cited barrier to exercise is a lack of time .

But what if all the benefits of running could be had but in a fraction of the time? This is where interval running comes in.

Interval running is a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT has been around for almost a century, but gained popularity throughout the 90s and 2000s thanks to workouts such as Tabata (20 seconds of intense exercise, ten seconds of rest) and CrossFit