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Run to Stay Young

well.blogs.nytimes.com

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Re: Run to Stay Young

#91

Post by pg314 »

plg wrote: post #36

isn't running absolutely horrible for one's joints (e.g. knees)? not to mention the bowel issues

AFAIK there is no evidence that running is bad for the knees. There is not enough research to draw firm conclusions, but a Stanford study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2556152/) didn't find a higher incidence of osteoarthritis in runners (20%) vs non-runners (32%) after 18 years of running. There is selection bias in this study since the runners were self-selected.

The book 'Which comes first, cardio or weights' from A. Hutchinson offers one hypothesis in which running might protect the knees: by limiting weight gain with advancing age. Less weight means less stress on the joints.

Re: Run to Stay Young

#92

Post by halfcat »

pc2g4d wrote: post #46

The conclusions drawn in the article don't seem to match the study in question. The participants were not experimentally assigned to be either walkers or runners; rather, they had themselves already selected whether or not to be walkers or runners. This implies that the large proportion of older adults who are neither walkers nor runners are not represented in this study. It also makes it impossible to determine the…

>Or did people's being healthier cause them to be runners?

There was another study that showed that people who take up mixed martial arts in their late 40s are healthier than people of the same age who only walk [1]. No word on whether genetics plays a role.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Walker

Re: Run to Stay Young

#93

Post by drcomputer »

cdoxsey wrote: post #65

In 1977 Jim Fixx published the best-selling book "The Complete Book of Running" which popularized running for sport, and purported to demonstrate its health benefits - including increased longevity. 7 years later he died of a heart attack while jogging at the age of 52. His death doesn't mean running is a bad idea - a single anecdote is statistically insignificant - but perhaps it can remind us that nothing we do can…

> Growing up in a secular society ancient religions can seem awful strange: why did people worship stone statues and sacrifice to them? Did they really believe all that effort did anything?

I don't know, do you really believe there is anything that suggests mathematics exists in reality outside of the maintenance of symbols, structure, and meaning in the mind of man?

Some things exist to teach patterns, to maintain a style of thinking. There are tons of things we don't understand about culture socially - in maintaining peace, individuality AND unity with ourselves as individuals and ourselves in society, that might have been intelligently dealt with in a very real way in cultures you consider primitive, intelligible, irrational, unscientific, archaic, and non-secular.

You can't judge a book by it's cover, so to speak. The superficial observation of ritual does not mean it serves no purpose. The meaning of things change over time, as these things are interpreted and understood by different cultures that come from different backgrounds with different ways of representing and interpreting information about the world. Math does not always represent what it says it represents. Neither do dancing statues. There are certainly TONS of things people rely on, things they assume about how existence functions, that we can't even begin to touch the tip of, because we are blinded by the complexity of our own minds.

Re: Run to Stay Young

#94

Post by rhblake »

cdoxsey wrote: post #65

In 1977 Jim Fixx published the best-selling book "The Complete Book of Running" which popularized running for sport, and purported to demonstrate its health benefits - including increased longevity. 7 years later he died of a heart attack while jogging at the age of 52. His death doesn't mean running is a bad idea - a single anecdote is statistically insignificant - but perhaps it can remind us that nothing we do can…

> 7 years later he died of a heart attack while jogging at the age of 52.

> His death doesn't mean running is a bad idea - a single anecdote is statistically insignificant - but perhaps it can remind us that nothing we do can guarantee a long and healthy life.

Or one could see it this way: His father had a heart attack at 35 and died of another heart attack at 42. Jim Fixx, who had a genetic condition, was a heavy smoker until age 36, etc., might very well have bought himself an extra ten years or so.

Re: Run to Stay Young

#96

Post by kangax »

freefrancisco wrote: post #61
pc2g4d wrote: post #46

The conclusions drawn in the article don't seem to match the study in question. The participants were not experimentally assigned to be either walkers or runners; rather, they had themselves already selected whether or not to be walkers or runners. This implies that the large proportion of older adults who are neither walkers nor runners are not represented in this study. It also makes it impossible to determine the…

Even if the study had been conducted properly, this only addresses walking vs running. That running is better than walking doesn't necessarily mean that people should go and start running. How about running vs lifting weights, running vs yoga, or running vs tai chi?

A much more interesting question indeed.

There's been numerous (human and animal) studies showing benefits of strength training for elderly. Ergo-log covers [1] those [2] all [3] the time [4].

Then there's evidence [5] suggesting that higher calorie burning is directly associated with reduced death rate.

And a specific quote on muscle mass:

"A recent theory suggests that developed muscle mass results in considerable emissions of anti-inflammatory and life-extending signal substances. That's why muscular strength is believed to protect against cancer and why strong men are thought to live longer."

(links to studies confirming those claims are in the article)

The thing about running (if we're talking about traditional jogging) is that it does poor job at burning calories. It's a movement that becomes "familiar" very quick (and so becomes easier, according to Principle of Adaptation) and the one in which it's difficult to increase intensity. You also don't develop muscle mass when jogging, which would contribute to higher metabolic rate and reduced chance of injury.

Everything suggests that strength training (whether it's bodyweight, yoga, suspension trainer, or barbells and kettlebells) combined with proper supplementation is the best bang for your buck.

[1] http://www.ergo-log.com/over-seventies-benefit-more-from-pow...

[2] http://www.ergo-log.com/combination-strength-training-green-...

[3] http://www.ergo-log.com/over-nineties-still-react-to-strengt...

[4] http://www.ergo-log.com/cholesterolmuscles.html

[5] http://www.ergo-log.com/caloriemortality.html

Re: Run to Stay Young

#97

Post by towelguy »

snarkyturtle wrote: post #41
mbubb wrote: post #13

Interesting... I am approaching 50 and have noticed a slight reduction in mobility. I have recently read articles about certain markers of mortality (or is morbitity the word here?) - like the ability to get up from the ground without using arms... or trying not to sit too much during the day. or trying to walk 10,000 steps (according to that dubious android app). Particularly the 'idea of getting up from the floor w…

There lots of examples of older people still managing to be active. There's Fauja Singh, who ran a 10K at an age of 101: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/24/fauja-singh-last-ra... And the world record holder for a pole vault (90+ years of age): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX9h5PVNGaY

Last week I went mountain climbing (a 19,900 feet mountain) and one of the people there was a 71 years old man.

Re: Run to Stay Young

#98

Post by matwood »

melling wrote: post #17
matwood wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of shoes did you have? What kind of surface did you run on? Did you get your stride checked? Did work up to any distance or go all out day 1? Because running looks easy as opposed to say weight lifting, people often do it without thinking. Running is just like any other exercise in that you have to start slow and work up to more. You also have to do some research for proper technique and equipment.

New Balance 990. I started with C25k but had to repeat many days. I'm quite out of jogging shape. I run on the sidewalk or road.

I would check on the shoes and then have a running store look at your stride. I used to hate running because in general it hurt. I tried a bunch of different shoes, settled on Brooks Ghosts, and running is actually a pleasure. I also focus on my stride and work on foot strike, length of stride, etc...

Since you're doing the C25K I'm assuming you are not super athletic to start. If you are overweight, you may want do some other cardio until you get your weight down a bit. If it hurts obviously don't do it and find some professional advice. Re-doing days in a training program is fine, everyone has their own pace.

Good luck!

Re: Run to Stay Young

#99

Post by Symmetry »

MrJagil wrote: post #87
imanaccount247 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>How much of the received wisdom about healthy lifestyles that you were taught has been shown to be completely wrong? Virtually none of it. >I don't doubt that in 3 years there will be another New York times article, demonstrating why running is actually terrible for you, and you should never do it no matter what age you are. I do doubt that. I doubt it very much. >Is eating an organic strawberry in the hopes of livi…

>> Virtually none of it. What? Milk? Multi-vitamins? Stretching? This stuff is discussed heavily; I do not know enough about these things to weigh in on validity, but if nothing else, these discussions might be very symptomatic.

The received wisdom you get from your doctor is mostly pretty good. The received wisdom you get from the TV news is mostly useless.

Re: Run to Stay Young

#100

Post by lwh »

bcantrill wrote: post #10
melling wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried jogging over the summer for the first time in years, but my feet started hurting. It would take days to recover. I gave up after 2 months. It feels good but I seem prone to injury.

Try running barefoot on grass (or, if you live near a beach, sand) instead of concrete -- much better on the joints!

Avoiding road/sidewalk can make a huge difference for beginners.
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