Running Through the Running Myths
People who hate running, people who don't run, people who just simply hate the idea of running sure do tend to run their mouth a hell of a lot. Why? Is it because they want to justify their sedentary life style? is it because in fitness there's a lot of snobbery about what is best (and your way is always the best)? Are they just misinformed?
I don't know but I’m sick of hearing all these myths about how bad running is for you. I'm so sick of it I'm going to go through these myths I keep hearing and shed some light on the reality of it.
I don't know but I’m sick of hearing all these myths about how bad running is for you. I'm so sick of it I'm going to go through these myths I keep hearing and shed some light on the reality of it.
MYTH 1
Running is bad for your bones and joints.
The story goes a little like this ~ Running is a certain
way to end up with a knee replacement and being riddled with arthritis, on top
of that, wrecking your bones and causing osteoporosis.
Let’s start with the bones. Running will not weaken your bone and will not cause osteoporosis. Quite the opposite, running actually strengthens your bones and improves bone density. In fact it has been proven to increase bone density more than any other cardio activity. It makes sense, it is weight baring, you need strong bones to do it with any regularity so your body adapts. Going to the gym and doing weight training is often advised to people wanting to prevent or reverse osteoporosis so why wouldn’t carrying your own body weight? The truth is it is the inactive people who are more likely to run into trouble, if you don’t use it you lose it.
Joints. The truth is many runners do suffer joint pain, I was one of them. I, for a long time, could not run for more that 5 minutes before getting excruciating pain in my left knee. I never blamed running for this I just wanted to know why I and other runners experienced this. There is more than one reason this happens so I will start with my problem.
way to end up with a knee replacement and being riddled with arthritis, on top
of that, wrecking your bones and causing osteoporosis.
Let’s start with the bones. Running will not weaken your bone and will not cause osteoporosis. Quite the opposite, running actually strengthens your bones and improves bone density. In fact it has been proven to increase bone density more than any other cardio activity. It makes sense, it is weight baring, you need strong bones to do it with any regularity so your body adapts. Going to the gym and doing weight training is often advised to people wanting to prevent or reverse osteoporosis so why wouldn’t carrying your own body weight? The truth is it is the inactive people who are more likely to run into trouble, if you don’t use it you lose it.
Joints. The truth is many runners do suffer joint pain, I was one of them. I, for a long time, could not run for more that 5 minutes before getting excruciating pain in my left knee. I never blamed running for this I just wanted to know why I and other runners experienced this. There is more than one reason this happens so I will start with my problem.
Running Form:
First thing I was doing wrong was landing on my heal. The famous American University, Harvard, ran some tests and their study found that landing on your heal creates a large amount of impact and uneven shift of body weight compared to forefoot landing which had a more continuous flow of body weight.
First thing I was doing wrong was landing on my heal. The famous American University, Harvard, ran some tests and their study found that landing on your heal creates a large amount of impact and uneven shift of body weight compared to forefoot landing which had a more continuous flow of body weight.
This study could explain why injury could occur from heal striking although no conclusive study to my knowledge has ever proven a higher rate of injury for heal strikers. The thing is I have no pain what so ever since switching to forefoot landing and can run farther and longer than ever. So if heal striking is not the reason then what? Scott Jurek (ultra marathon legend) believes it’s not about how you land but all about where you land. Whether you land on your heel or your forefoot as long as when the whole foot is flat it is directly, or almost directly, below your hips then that is the correct way. One thing I know is landing on your forefoot forces you to shorten your stride making you do this exactly how he recommends. It is much harder to do this with a heel strike or a big stride.
Being over weight:
Being overweight burdens you with more force on all your weight baring joints…not just when you run but when you walk, even when you stand. But is this the reason you don’t exercise? How do you expect to lose the weight if you don’t move? Combine being overweight with bad running form and you will get the majority of running injuries right there…They are inactive for large periods of their life, they get overweight and then they run to try and lose the weight, they get injured so they stop. There are, in my opinion, better things to do specifically for weight loss but why do people act like you have to pick only one thing and then stick to it? Add running to your weight loss routine but do it with good form. You’re even more likely to get injured at the gym if you use bad form lifting weights.
MYTH 2
Running long distances will damage your heart
You’ve probably heard of people dropping dead at marathons. This type of
thing has really fuelled the claims that running damages your heart and can
cause heart attacks.
Let’s be clear, people who die whilst running have pre-existing conditions that cause this when they run. I will give you a few examples and then explain what running actually does to the heart. Firstly let’s talk about heart attacks; if you already suffer from heart disease then I’d be very careful about very long distance running. People who suffer from heart disease are more likely to suffer a heart attack whilst running because the body simply demands more of it when you’re running however if those same people simply did no exercise at all their risk of a heart attack would be even greater. It has been proven that running actually helps prevent getting heart disease and lowers cholesterol.
Another condition is something called arrhythmia. This is where the heart
rate can be too fast, too slow or have problem with the rhythm. If someone
running long distances has this problem not enough blood is circulated causing
damage to your organs, to your heart and to your brain causing you to pass out
and die. Other deaths can be nothing to do with the heart at all, ever heard of
over hydration? Whilst running very long distances we lose a lot of water and a lot of salts, if we take in too much water and not the salts to match it we get an electrolyte deficiency which would cause something called hyponatremia. It is very rare that people die from this, it is usually just a bit of dizziness but like the other thing’s I’ve mentioned whenever these thing do, on the rare occasion, cause death it is very widely publicised. The fact is only 1 in 184,000 people get a cardiac arrest after a marathon and even then the main reason a person dies is because of the amount of time it takes for the paramedics to get to the person. We also have to remember not every one runs marathons anyway…since when does the extremely rare marathon death (59 deaths out of 11million participants recorded over 10 years) have to mean that running in general is so dangerous. Running a few miles up the road, along the beach or through the country on a regular basis is far more common than running 26.2 miles in one day. So in the long run, running is one of the best ways to strengthen and protect your heart.
thing has really fuelled the claims that running damages your heart and can
cause heart attacks.
Let’s be clear, people who die whilst running have pre-existing conditions that cause this when they run. I will give you a few examples and then explain what running actually does to the heart. Firstly let’s talk about heart attacks; if you already suffer from heart disease then I’d be very careful about very long distance running. People who suffer from heart disease are more likely to suffer a heart attack whilst running because the body simply demands more of it when you’re running however if those same people simply did no exercise at all their risk of a heart attack would be even greater. It has been proven that running actually helps prevent getting heart disease and lowers cholesterol.
Another condition is something called arrhythmia. This is where the heart
rate can be too fast, too slow or have problem with the rhythm. If someone
running long distances has this problem not enough blood is circulated causing
damage to your organs, to your heart and to your brain causing you to pass out
and die. Other deaths can be nothing to do with the heart at all, ever heard of
over hydration? Whilst running very long distances we lose a lot of water and a lot of salts, if we take in too much water and not the salts to match it we get an electrolyte deficiency which would cause something called hyponatremia. It is very rare that people die from this, it is usually just a bit of dizziness but like the other thing’s I’ve mentioned whenever these thing do, on the rare occasion, cause death it is very widely publicised. The fact is only 1 in 184,000 people get a cardiac arrest after a marathon and even then the main reason a person dies is because of the amount of time it takes for the paramedics to get to the person. We also have to remember not every one runs marathons anyway…since when does the extremely rare marathon death (59 deaths out of 11million participants recorded over 10 years) have to mean that running in general is so dangerous. Running a few miles up the road, along the beach or through the country on a regular basis is far more common than running 26.2 miles in one day. So in the long run, running is one of the best ways to strengthen and protect your heart.
MYTH 3
Running will waste muscle
Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t just run
for office and he can not be accused of be suffering from a lack of muscle. It is something I have heard around gyms, something I’ve been asked by clients and there are all sorts of frightening articles and blogs about it. We cannot be too general with this subject because there are two questions that need to be asked in this order.
1) What do you want for your body?
2) How much running is needed for that?
If you want to be a bodybuilder for example, obviously the emphasis of your training needs to be in the weight room but a 30 min run here and there will not do any harm. Lets be honest we don’t have to want to be a body builder to want a bit more muscle…30 mins a day should not effect that.
Running also improves your bodies recovery speed, this actually helps you with muscle building, although I hear not to do it directly after a workout. Running also increases natural growth hormone .......I'll write that bit again, INCREASES NATURAL GROWTH HORMONE!
for office and he can not be accused of be suffering from a lack of muscle. It is something I have heard around gyms, something I’ve been asked by clients and there are all sorts of frightening articles and blogs about it. We cannot be too general with this subject because there are two questions that need to be asked in this order.
1) What do you want for your body?
2) How much running is needed for that?
If you want to be a bodybuilder for example, obviously the emphasis of your training needs to be in the weight room but a 30 min run here and there will not do any harm. Lets be honest we don’t have to want to be a body builder to want a bit more muscle…30 mins a day should not effect that.
Running also improves your bodies recovery speed, this actually helps you with muscle building, although I hear not to do it directly after a workout. Running also increases natural growth hormone .......I'll write that bit again, INCREASES NATURAL GROWTH HORMONE!
So lets look at running then…it’s good for your heart, prevents osteoporosis, makes you look younger, helps you lose weight, promotes healthy joints but that’s only what I’ve discussed debunking these myths.
Running also :-
· Improves your mental health
· Provides better sleep
· Promotes a healthy immune system
· Decreases stress and anxiety
· Protects against diabetes
· Protects against cancer (especially breast and colon cancer)
· Improved mental function
I’m sure there’s more! It isn’t just a run of the mill exercise; it brings a lot to the table. Humans have run since the dawn of human existence, it is something we have done for so long we cannot simply stop just like that. It’s like other exercise that simulates natural human behaviours such as combat sports for fighting, or weight lifting for gathering and carrying supplies.I’m not saying running alone is the answerer but it is defiantly one of a few things we need to do on a regular basis.
Running also :-
· Improves your mental health
· Provides better sleep
· Promotes a healthy immune system
· Decreases stress and anxiety
· Protects against diabetes
· Protects against cancer (especially breast and colon cancer)
· Improved mental function
I’m sure there’s more! It isn’t just a run of the mill exercise; it brings a lot to the table. Humans have run since the dawn of human existence, it is something we have done for so long we cannot simply stop just like that. It’s like other exercise that simulates natural human behaviours such as combat sports for fighting, or weight lifting for gathering and carrying supplies.I’m not saying running alone is the answerer but it is defiantly one of a few things we need to do on a regular basis.