Document Type : Review Articles
Authors
1
Sports Deputy of Gol Gohar Cultural and Sports Club
2
Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran and Member of the Scientific Sports Committee of Gol Gohar Cultural Sports Club, Sirjan
3
PhD Candidate, Department of Sport Biomechanics, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran
4
Sports Director, Golgah Sports Cultural Club, Staff and Family
5
HSE Manager, Gol Gohar Sirjan F.C.
6
Doctoral student of exercise physiology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran
10.22122/jeoct.2026.573460.1189
Abstract
Physical inactivity has emerged as a major global health determinant, contributing substantially to the rising burden of non communicable diseases, particularly within industrial and occupationally constrained populations. Although the health benefits of physical activity are well established, the physiological specificity of exercise intensity and its translation into scalable, real world interventions remain insufficiently addressed. In this narrative review, we introduce the concept of smart running as a precisely regulated, moderate intensity aerobic strategy positioned at the intersection of exercise physiology, exerkine biology, and population health promotion. Drawing on contemporary evidence, we demonstrate that running performed within the moderate intensity domain (approximately 50–70% heart rate reserve, 46–63% VO₂max, or Borg RPE 12–14) elicits a coordinated and biologically efficient exerkine response across multiple organ systems. This response includes favorable modulation of myokines (e.g., transient IL‑6 signaling, reduced myostatin, increased follistatin), adipokines (reduced leptin, increased adiponectin, decreased chemerin), neurotrophic factors (notably increased brain derived neurotrophic factor), and immunoregulatory mediators. Beyond mechanistic insight, this review advances a translational framework for embedding smart running within sustainable public health initiatives. Using the HamGhadam (“Step for Good”) program of Gol Gohar Mining and Industrial Company as a case example, we illustrate how moderate intensity running can be integrated into a digitally supported, prosocial corporate social responsibility model. By aligning individual health behaviors with charitable impact and social capital generation, smart running is positioned as a cost free, physiologically targeted, and socially scalable form of exercise medicine.
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