Running isn't just about building muscles, losing weight, or improving your cardiovascular health. While these are great benefits of running, there's something even better.

The mental benefits of running helps to change the way you see things, the way that you feel, and it improves so many areas of your life. It will even help you do better in school. This could be the game-changer to doing better, finishing that paper, and studying for your exam. 

There are tons of mental benefits that will, without a doubt, help you get through this semester.

There's nothing worse than sitting down to write a paper that's due tomorrow, and you can't seem to think of a single thing to say. You spend hours agonizing over this blank screen, watching the cursor blink repeatedly.

You've tried listening to music, drinking Redbull, and looking for inspiration only to get lost in TikTok for hours. This ultimately leads to the panic settling in because now it's 11 pm, and you haven't gotten a single word written, which only makes concentrating harder.

Let's face it staying focused is rough, anxiety builds, and then stress settles in. This makes it nearly impossible to get anything done, and you're wasting your time sitting there doing nothing.

Going for a quick run just might be exactly what you need to improve your concentration, focus, and reduce all of that stress. The good news is that you don't have to be a good runner to gain the many benefits it has to offer.  

You've probably heard of a runner's high before. And it's a real thing, and it does more than just making you feel good. Most runners experience this when they push they body to go a little harder, longer, and faster; when you do this, your body releases endorphins. And these endorphins give you a feeling of a natural high.

But that's not all it does.

Here's a secret I want to share with you, most people who run daily don't actually enjoy running. It hurts, and it's hard; your sneakers start to smell, and you'll need to clean your face more often, so you don't break out. But the benefits you experience far exceed that pain and discomfort.

If you want to do better in school, you just might want to start running, and here's why:

You'll Reduce Your Stress

The chemicals that are released will give your body the boost it needs to release tension and help you better control your stress. This helps to improve your concentration and release your anxiety, and the result of this will be a calmer state of mind.

You'll Boost Your Brainpower

That's right; cardiovascular exercise improves your brain's performance. And the harder you go on your run, the more your brain benefits. When you push yourself, your body increases the levels of proteins in your body, and these proteins help create new brain cells, improving your thinking, and helping you learn better. 

Increases Your Energy and Gets You Motivated

Sounds counterproductive, doesn't it. But going for a run is known to help increase productivity and give you a boost of energy. It's the perfect thing to do if you're feeling unmotivated. Push yourself to remove those bamboo charcoal bags from your sneakers and hit the pavement for some motivation.

Running just might replace those energy drinks and help you to sleep better at night.

While it might seem nearly impossible to fit running into your already busy schedule, you might want to think of it this way. You spend more time sitting in front of your computer agonizing over what you're going to write and hours studying for an exam because you can't stay focused, plus all those days that you spent unmotivated which is why your paper is due tomorrow.

There's plenty of wasted time that you could be running so that you can get a boost of creativity, concentration, stress relief, and begin filling the blank screen with amazing and fresh ideas.

Running isn't easy, but it sure is worth it.

Here are some helpful tips before getting started. Be sure to purchase a good pair of running sneakers, use reusable cotton rounds to save money on cotton balls when cleaning your face with a good face cleanser to prevent acne. 

Getting started is the most challenging part when it comes to running, but once you do, you'll find that the benefits of running will be your motivation.