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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The NYC Marathon is almost upon us, and most of its participants have been training year- long to complete the 26 mile route (oh my!). Running is popular for so many reasons, and so many feel addicted to it. And it is a marvel to see our body as a machine accomplish a marathon whether we aim to perform within a set time, or just finish. Every year around this time I like to discuss some tips for those of us who aspire to begin a running program, run a few miles a week, or improve performance (for the next marathon?). So here’s “Running and It’s Impact”, on our running program and health, that is!
Running is a weight bearing exercise that is highly effective for maintaining our bone mass. The stress it places on our bones every time we land, generates a force that is 5-6 times our body weight. Since our bones are living tissue, they respond to this impact by building more bone cells! Running of course is a moderate to intense aerobic exercise (jogging may be considered moderate, while running is more intense due to its faster speed), which can increase and maintain our cardio-respiratory fitness and health. And when running enthusiasts mention the “runner’s high” they feel, it’s due to the release of “feel good” neurotransmitters in our brain (opiate like chemicals), which is why so many of us feel addicted to it. And we all know how these “feel good” brain chemicals help fight mild depression. So, are there disadvantages to running?
Yes, there can be and some of it depends upon how smart we run and upon personal factors including genetics. Unfortunately, running places great stress on our joints and the soft tissues in our body, such as our muscles and tendons. This stress is greater if our posture and running form is incorrect. Running is also more stressful to our joints if we do not strength train to strengthen the muscles that support and stabilize our joints. Strong muscles also absorb some of the impact. Running like most things, requires some thought and planning. Also, we should be aware that the very feel good neurotransmitters that give us the high mood, also block pain signals temporarily, which is why we might continue running through an injury when we shouldn’t! Intense training for a marathon or endurance event can also tax our immune system making runners at an increased risk for colds and flu, so paying attention to signals of an oncoming cold is also very important. Okay, here are a few tips to keep in mind if we are running year round, marathon or not.
Let’s:
Cross-Train: Let’s add some cross training to our routine such as cycling, swimming, and fast walking. While specificity of training is important, so is avoiding injury. Many of our injuries are a result of repetitive stress. Let’s give our body a rest from the hard impact, and train our muscles in different ways, which place stress on different muscle groups for training balance. Training for a race? Try race-walking. A study done on Olympic athletes showed race-walking (technically race walking begins at 6 mph) to be an effective training method that can enhance running ability through its high cardio-respiratory fitness level demands.
Start slowly: This tip is for us beginners and experienced runners when we change any variable such as our running surface, shoes, geography (uphill vs. flat) and so on. Why? One client who had been used to running on a flat surface, ran 5 miles mostly uphill one day and created a chronic tendonitis in her shins! When we are looking to increase any variable such as speed or distance, establish a regular training schedule with a gradual increases, meaning no more than 10% per week. This also includes when we break in new shoes, orthotics etc.
Vary our routine: Let’s challenge ourselves by doing interval training (changing speed for instance). Our bodies adapt to the same training methods, so if we want to increase our fitness level, let’s add some variety to our routine. This can also be good for those like myself who cannot run for more than a few minutes (I had knee surgery years ago). Now during my fast walk, once per week I add in a few fast 20 second sprints, and I’ve increased my fitness level and renewed my interest with a new challenge. I have also added a little more impact on my bones!
Running involves more than our legs! And let’s not forget about strength training for our upper body to help improve our posture, a vital component to getting those deep breaths, and our core muscle groups to help absorb some of the impact shock of running! Our core includes more than our abs and low back muscles, it also includes our hip muscles (hip abductors) and Glutes. Not only will strengthening our core absorb some of the impact, it will help running form and gait.
Wear the right shoes: This is important for all our activities. For example, fast walking is more difficult to do in running shoes due to heel thickness while walking shoes do not have enough support for the impact of running. Running shoes by the way, do not offer enough lateral support for weight training. Some of us need more support due to our body biomechanics, so let’s buy shoes for function, not style.
Heed the signals. Let’s heed the signals of our body. Are we tired, in pain or coming down with a cold? Let’s remember that rest is an important part of a training program and as important as the training itself! Have an ache or pain that hasn’t resolved within a week or so? See a sports medicine doctor for a diagnosis before the pain becomes advanced or it becomes an injury. I learned a lesson after the fact, about my biomechanics when my aching became an injury requiring surgery. Don’t delay!
Eat to compete. While so many of us run to manage weight, let’s remember that our body needs fuel for exercise. I have a tip “Fighting Our Genes”, which means that when we reduce our calories too much, our body compensates by lowering our metabolism. Want some muscle food suggestions, go to my exercise page for some, and why complex carbohydrates are key for performance.
So, let’s make our running and exercise program as safe as possible and keep it enjoyable. I also like to suggest that we seek the advice of our doctor before we start anything new or if we’re in pain.
Follow me, every Sunday on Twitter for a new tool taken my book, and starting this month follow my blog at Voskos Greek Yogurt (Feeding our Immune system with a yogurt a day is vital too!)! This month’s blog begins with The Power of Food (Find it at http://www.voskos.com/fresh/?p=95) My screensaver program “Focus on the Tools” is available for PC users. It features rotating flashing tools from my program with beautifully photographed healthy salads in the background. There’s even a calendar that shows the month and date! Reinforce healthy eating habits and stay motivated to change while at your computer. Click here for more info http://www.junefit.com/serviceshp.htm
Happy Marathon Day!
June M. Lay M.S.
www.junefit.com
Look for my exercise page for Feeding our Muscles Food .
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June is Lifestyle Columnist at JuneFit
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