Every person who takes up running has been confronted by a “helpful” critic who is more than happy to reel off the reasons running will ruin your life. Here’s a look at three questionable claims about running and health:
1. Running will give you a heart attack or other heart problems. It is true that exercise temporarily raises the odds of a heart attack while you’re in mid-workout, but doing it consistently reduces that risk over the long haul, leading to a net benefit. Going for a run most days of the week is doing far more good than bad for your heart.
2. Running will ruin your bones and joints. A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found no evidence of accelerated rates of osteoarthritis among long-distance runners and weight-bearing exercise like running helps stave off osteoporosis by maintaining bone mineral density. (Jessica the PT here…As a side note from me personally, despite what the study found about ‘not accelerating arthritis, I still recommend you invest in good quality running shoes and avoid running on concrete to avoid unnecessary strain on the joints).
3. Running will kill you before your time. According to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, running and other vigorous exercise in middle age is associated with a longer life. Not only that, it will make your later years more pleasant by reducing disability.
Researchers tracked 500 runners (aged 50 and over at the outset) for more than 20 years, comparing them to a similar group of non-runners. 19 years into the study, 34 percent of the non-runners had died, compared to only 15 percent of the runners.
Both groups became more disabled with age, but for the runners the onset of disability started an average of 16 years later! And the health gap between the runners and non-runners continued to widen even as the subjects entered their 80′s.
These findings truly reinforce the importance that older people need to exercise regularly if they want to maintain optimal health into their later years, and increase longevity. Running not only appeared to slow the rate of heart and artery related deaths, but was also associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections, and other causes.
For more information about Health Coach Wellness & Vitality Center visit our website at www.healthcoachaz.com or learn more at our blog www.chiropractorphoenixblog.com
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8 comments
Galligher says:
January 24, 2011 at 9:31 am (UTC 0)
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Jon Schmidt says:
January 29, 2011 at 10:27 pm (UTC 0)
Another great article. Keep up the good work. Jon
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Dr Daron Stegall and Staff says:
February 15, 2011 at 11:30 pm (UTC 0)
They thanks for compliment and mark! Dr. Daron
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