“Running doesn’t hurt your knees… if you do it correctly,” says Mindy Solkin, an ACE-certified personal trainer and the founder, owner and head coach of The Running Center in New York City.

That may sound like a bold statement, but research backs it up. A multi-year study of almost 75,000 runners published in July 2013 found that, contrary to popular belief, running does not increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis. In fact, runners in the study were found to be in lessjeopardy of arthritis than their non-active counterparts. Another study, published in September 2013, netted similar findings, showing that while the impact from running is high, runners’ feet strike the ground less frequently and more briefly than if they were walking — so, in essence, running and walking put the same stress on the knees.