The Overall Positive Effects Running Has on the Body
Picture this.
You've left the doctor's office after a complete physical and the news is not good.
Based on your current condition and your family history, you are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (including stroke or heart attack), type 2 diabetes and a shopping list of cancers.
The news is pretty overwhelming and you can feel yourself slipping into depression.
In your hand you hold the prescription written by your doctor.
The pharmacist frowns at you as you pass the slip over the counter.
A moment later, you're handed a pair of running shoes and a schedule that will take you from your couch to running 5K.
Yes, that's right.
You're not going to be taking bottles of pills home today, pills that might help to correct symptoms and reduce the risk of premature death.
You've been handed a prescription that will reverse the effects of aging and improve your state of health - physical and mental.
Medical evidence of the effectiveness of running is piling up:
Caused primarily by a combination of poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, this disease reduces lifespan and diminishes the quality of life.
I am astounded by the number of people I know suffering the effects of this disease.
First of all, running can lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
It can lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.
To improve glycemic (blood sugar) control, he American Diabetes Association recommends that you engage in at least 150 minutes per week of moderately intensive physical activity.
Running - at 50-70% of maximum heart rate - will contribute toward this goal.
Further, they recommend that you exercise at least 3 days per week and do not go more than 2 consecutive days without engaging in physical activity.
Running has been shown to be one of the most effective means of improving cardiovascular health.
Even moderate amounts of running - say 3 times per week for 20 to 30 minutes - will markedly reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) while increasing your HDL cholesterol (the good stuff).
Running will improve the condition of your heart while lowering your blood pressure.
All without a single medication.
Few words strike fear as much as cancer.
Over 100 studies show that more intensive physical activities (such as running instead of walking) are more effective in protecting against cancer.
Those studies show that physically active women and men were 30 to 40% less likely to develop colon cancer and women who exercise are 20-30% less likely to develop breast cancer than their less active counterparts.
I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease in my 20's and underwent extensive chemo and radiation therapies to treat the disease.
That was more than 20 years ago and I count running as one of the tools in my kit that I use to ensure I will never have to endure that type of treatment again.
That too is backed up by research: women who have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer are 26 to 40% less likely to die or have a recurrence.
Osteoporosis affects more than 200 million people worldwide.
Can running improve this condition as well? A University of Missouri study shows that high-impact activity such as running has a greater impact on bone mineral density than resistance training.
Says Pam Hinton, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, "he results of the study confirm that both resistance training and high-impact endurance activities increase bone mineral density.
However, high-impact sports, like running, appear to have a greater beneficial effect.
" Are the benefits of running limited to physical effects? Let's look at depression.
For people between the ages of 15 and 44, depression is the leading cause of disability in the United Stated.
Depression is characterized by prolonged periods of crippling sad, empty feelings.
Running helps to reverse depression in a number of ways.
First, achieving simple goals like a regular run for fitness or completing a 5K or 10K run can provide a sense of accomplishment that may be lacking in a depressed person.
Further, running can stimulate the release of endorphins - those wonderful 'feel-good' hormones that make us feel better - improving mental state.
Psychologists and psychiatrists have long prescribed running for their depressed patients.
Better to reach for your Nike's than that bottle of Prozac.
So there you have it.
If you'd like to keep bottles of expensive prescription drugs that cause a shopping list of side effects out of your medicine cabinet, fill your prescription with a pair of running shoes and a plan to learn to run.
Of course, people who already have any of these conditions should consult with their physician prior to engaging in a new or vigorous exercise program.
You've left the doctor's office after a complete physical and the news is not good.
Based on your current condition and your family history, you are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (including stroke or heart attack), type 2 diabetes and a shopping list of cancers.
The news is pretty overwhelming and you can feel yourself slipping into depression.
In your hand you hold the prescription written by your doctor.
The pharmacist frowns at you as you pass the slip over the counter.
A moment later, you're handed a pair of running shoes and a schedule that will take you from your couch to running 5K.
Yes, that's right.
You're not going to be taking bottles of pills home today, pills that might help to correct symptoms and reduce the risk of premature death.
You've been handed a prescription that will reverse the effects of aging and improve your state of health - physical and mental.
Medical evidence of the effectiveness of running is piling up:
- A study completed in Rotterdam showed that people who run about 30 minutes, 5 times per week will extend their lives between 3.
5 and 3.
7 years. - A University of British Columbia study showed that sedentary individuals can reduce their risk of premature death by between 20 and 50%.
- Those researchers also discovered that merely burning 1000 calories per week (that's running a total of 10 miles during the week) would reduce the risk of premature death by another 20%.
Caused primarily by a combination of poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, this disease reduces lifespan and diminishes the quality of life.
I am astounded by the number of people I know suffering the effects of this disease.
First of all, running can lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
It can lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.
To improve glycemic (blood sugar) control, he American Diabetes Association recommends that you engage in at least 150 minutes per week of moderately intensive physical activity.
Running - at 50-70% of maximum heart rate - will contribute toward this goal.
Further, they recommend that you exercise at least 3 days per week and do not go more than 2 consecutive days without engaging in physical activity.
Running has been shown to be one of the most effective means of improving cardiovascular health.
Even moderate amounts of running - say 3 times per week for 20 to 30 minutes - will markedly reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) while increasing your HDL cholesterol (the good stuff).
Running will improve the condition of your heart while lowering your blood pressure.
All without a single medication.
Few words strike fear as much as cancer.
Over 100 studies show that more intensive physical activities (such as running instead of walking) are more effective in protecting against cancer.
Those studies show that physically active women and men were 30 to 40% less likely to develop colon cancer and women who exercise are 20-30% less likely to develop breast cancer than their less active counterparts.
I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease in my 20's and underwent extensive chemo and radiation therapies to treat the disease.
That was more than 20 years ago and I count running as one of the tools in my kit that I use to ensure I will never have to endure that type of treatment again.
That too is backed up by research: women who have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer are 26 to 40% less likely to die or have a recurrence.
Osteoporosis affects more than 200 million people worldwide.
Can running improve this condition as well? A University of Missouri study shows that high-impact activity such as running has a greater impact on bone mineral density than resistance training.
Says Pam Hinton, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, "he results of the study confirm that both resistance training and high-impact endurance activities increase bone mineral density.
However, high-impact sports, like running, appear to have a greater beneficial effect.
" Are the benefits of running limited to physical effects? Let's look at depression.
For people between the ages of 15 and 44, depression is the leading cause of disability in the United Stated.
Depression is characterized by prolonged periods of crippling sad, empty feelings.
Running helps to reverse depression in a number of ways.
First, achieving simple goals like a regular run for fitness or completing a 5K or 10K run can provide a sense of accomplishment that may be lacking in a depressed person.
Further, running can stimulate the release of endorphins - those wonderful 'feel-good' hormones that make us feel better - improving mental state.
Psychologists and psychiatrists have long prescribed running for their depressed patients.
Better to reach for your Nike's than that bottle of Prozac.
So there you have it.
If you'd like to keep bottles of expensive prescription drugs that cause a shopping list of side effects out of your medicine cabinet, fill your prescription with a pair of running shoes and a plan to learn to run.
Of course, people who already have any of these conditions should consult with their physician prior to engaging in a new or vigorous exercise program.