Jogging can take 12 years from your biological age - and you don't need to go many times a week to benefit

If ever there was an incentive to squeeze a jog into your week, it's the news that it can add up to 12 years to your life by lowering your biological age.

While running is one of the most popular sports in the world, with millions of women starting to run as beginners and signing up for marathons every year, it's not for everyone. Your knees and hips may not appreciate the impact - or you simply might find it boring. That's fair enough.

Yet, if you can pull on your trainers and head out the door, you could reap more benefits than just an endorphin rush as a study shows it can lower your biological age by over a decade.

How many times a week should you run?

The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that people who did 75 minutes of jogging or running every week had a biological age 12 years lower than those who didn’t run at all. That could be one run once a week or as little as 11 minutes every day.

The researchers looked at more than 4,400 American adults, examining the differences in cellular health between those running regularly and those not. They looked specifically at the participants’ telomeres - regions of repetitive DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome. Longer and more numerous telomeres indicate good cellular health, whereas shorter ones may put you at higher risk of neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s. It’s natural for our telomeres to shorten and decrease as we age, but this study suggests that exercise can slow this change down.

The study says: “Over years of shortening, telomeres can ultimately be destroyed. This leaves the DNA vulnerable to damage and increases the risk of individuals developing age-related diseases. Consequently, techniques and practices for preserving telomere length are a valuable area for focused research in search of solutions for lengthened quantity and quality of life.”

Biological age refers to how well your body is ageing and functioning, rather than the numbers on your birthday cake, so you want it to be as low as possible. Exercise has been widely established to be one of the best ways to lower your biological age, with other research finding that strength training can knock eight years off.

The NHS recommends 75 minutes of 'vigorous' exercise - any exercise that "makes you breathe hard and fast" so you can't "say more than a few words without pausing for breath" - per week to prevent health conditions like heart disease and stroke. This includes running and jogging.

Easy ways to start jogging

• Fit it into your other workouts: You could incorporate the 11 minutes a day into a gym session by starting with a treadmill workout, or head out for a run-walk to build up your fitness.
• Go with a friend: Run clubs have surged in popularity across all age groups in the last few years. Going out for a jog is a great way to catch up with a friend and distract you if you find the exercise challenging. It can also help keep you motivated.
• Listen to a podcast or music: Running while listening to some great tunes or an entertaining podcast will make it much more enjoyable.
• Pick a scenic route: Find somewhere to run that inspires you and lifts your mood. Whether this is a park or a new area near your house, it will help combat boredom and give you extra motivation.
• Set achievable goals: Seeing the health benefits of running might inspire you to sign up for a 5km or 10km run - but if you’ve not run much before, don’t set out too far too soon. Try to just run for a few minutes, swapping between running and walking.
• Stay positive: Don’t put any pressure on yourself - just lacing up your shoes and getting out of the house is a positive and has numerous benefits, as the research shows. And once you start running, the endorphins will make you feel even better.

If you are new to exercise or have any existing health conditions, speak to your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.