Fish Pills May Not Be Useful For Heart Patients

Reports from a recent International analysis has proved that patients who are already suffering from heart diseases will not be able to obtain any benefits from the omega-3 fatty acid pills.

The Ultimate Running Song?

Even Bono feels compelled to run.

The Badest Foot Race on Earth: Karnazes v. Reed

Get Hip about Knee Care

A University of Calgary researcher says stronger hips mean less knee pain for runners.

Reed Ferber's team has published a study in the March/April edition of the Journal of Athletic Training that looks at whether runners with knee pain benefit from an intensive hip-strengthening program.

McDougall Talks Born to Run

Exercise: How Much?

It's been 13 years since the American College of Sports Medicine issued a statement on how much exercise we should be doing. And according to Carol Ewing Garber, vice-president of the ACSM and assistant professor of movement sciences at Columbia University, the organization's position needed to be updated and brought in line with other prominent health and fitness agencies.

4,600 Miles in 111 Days

Running the Sahara: Charlie Engle Talks about the Journey

Running the Sahara: Interview with Matt Damon and Ray Zahab

Link

Amazing stuff.

Evolution Running

Exercise, Migranes, and Sleep Patterns

Exercise is not just to get you in shape and protect your heart. Research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has shown that exercise is just as effective as drugs for preventing migraines. In a Swedish study of 91 migraine patients, a third of the participants were asked to exercise for 40 minutes three times a week, another third did relaxation exercises, and the final third took topiramate, a migraine-prevention drug.

Pre-Diabetes

KEWANEE - Most of us have heard of Type 2 diabetes. Approximately 25 million Americans have it, and billions of healthcare dollars are spent managing the symptoms in individuals who have been diagnosed.

A less commonly discussed diagnosis, however, is pre-diabetes.

Treadmill or Elliptical?

Chris McDougall Eulogizes Caballo Blanco

The long-distance runner Michael Randall Hickman, also known as Micah True, White Horse or Caballo Blanco, was a talismanic figure for ultra-runners until his recent death. He befriended an enigmatic tribe of super-athletes and inspired many to take up ultramarathons, writes friend and Born to Run author Christopher McDougall.

Link to rest of article.

Staying Motivated: It's Do-able

Dozens of things can derail a workout. You're too tired, too hungry or too stressed. You're bored with your workout or progressing too slowly. Your favorite machine is occupied or the swimming pool is closed for repairs. Your throat is sore or your knee hurts.

Is Stretching a Waste?

''There is a school of thought that says you shouldn't stretch at all,'' says Smillie, ''the reasoning being that some doctors have encountered athletes who have been injured while stretching. That's the extreme point of view. But by far the majority of opinion, both practical and theoretical, is that stretching --- improving flexiblity and mobility -- is good for preventing injury, for preventing muscle soreness and for making the body more efficient.''

Questioning the Purpose of Sleep

A strange case raises the question of what sleep is for

THE function of sleep, according to one school of thought, is to consolidate memory. Yet two Italians have no problems with their memory even though they never sleep. The woman and man, both in their 50s, are in the early stages of a neurodegenerative disease called multiple system atrophy. Their cases raise questions about the purpose of sleep.

Want Your Legs to Recover Faster? Run Slower

This hasn't been a good week in my running life.

Left IT band inflamed and sore. Left side of left foot achy and sore. Should I just run through it? Someone recommended a regimen of icing and stretching. Cross train maybe? Switch over to biking. Perhaps some ellipticizing?

More Goggins

Once upon a time David Goggins weighed 280 pounds. He was a powerlifter, a Navy SEAL who never ran more than short distances, an American stationed in Iraq. It was 2005, he was thirty, and he already had a tour of duty in Afghanistan to his credit.

David Goggins: Another Ultra Sensation

2007

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- A U.S. Navy SEAL finished third out of 84 competitors from all over the world in the Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon July 24. Touted to be the toughest foot race in the world, the run spans 135 miles through Death Valley, Calif., during the worst of the desert's summer heat.

Pain from Exercise in Middle Age: Stop Now

Debra DeAngelo

If there’s one thing I truly miss at this point in life, it’s running. When I see people jogging down the street, I’m so envious. I used to run every day, sometimes twice. Now, I run only in my dreams.

Cross-Training is Not a Crime

Many of us run through injuries. We run through illness, fevers and all.

The Treadmill Experience

The treadmill is the most popular piece of equipment in the fitness industry. If you have been running on a treadmill all the time and decide to take your running outdoors one day for a change, you might come home shocked or even disappointed at your running ability. You may have been running at a high speed on the treadmill and found out that a simple jog around the neighborhood drained you completely.

Why is running on a treadmill and running outside so different?

Want to Live 3 Years Longer?

Exercising for just 15 minutes a day can increase your life expectancy by three years compared with doing little or no exercise, according to a study of more than 400,000 people.

A Bad run is not the End of the World

WITH 42.145km down and just 50 metres away from a silver medal, Sumiko Tan collapsed to her knees, struggled but failed to get up, and was eventually stretchered off by medics.

Barring the collapse, the physical education teacher, 25, would have finished second in the Singapore women's category at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore two Sundays ago. She would have posted a personal best 3hr 21min and be $5,000 richer. She would not have ended up with skinned knees and a chipped tooth.

Even Oprah has Run a Marathon

A few key points to running an ultramarathon: hydrate often, wear the proper kind of shoes and remember that the rattlesnake always has the right of way. It used to be that finishing a marathon was the pinnacle of running. But what do you do when 26 miles, 385 yards is just so -- yawn -- pedestrian?

"Everybody's done a marathon; Oprah's done a marathon, it's almost like it's too easy now," said ultrarunner Steve Mentzer of Allison Park.

Protein a Key to Recovery for Runners

As I've noted before, I run the same distance every day. I might not go as far as some of you, but I go plenty far, and recently, my 47-year-old body hasn't been recovering as quickly as it once did.

Have I been in a rut? A rare downer in an otherwise pretty consistent life of solid run followed by solid run?

Not sure.

But what I do no is that I stumbled across some advice from Dean Karnazes regarding the value of protein in expediting the recovery period for runners. So I tried it. No caffeine. But 5 protein bars from 8 a.m. to noon. Instead of my body being achey and creaky all day, by around 10 a.m. I was wide awake and feeling good.

Here's another article I found on the subject.

Pam Reed: 301 Miles without Stopping

At 4 a.m. Friday, Pam Reed got out of bed in the Tucson foothills, changed into her running clothes, was driven to the middle of nowhere and started to run. She ran all day and all night Friday. She ran all day and all night Saturday. On Easter Sunday she did not attend church, did not appear in an Easter parade, did not sit down to Easter dinner. She ran for 24 hours on a 12 1/2-mile loop on a highway frontage road between Picacho Peak and Marana.

"About 2 in the morning, every day, I got very sleepy," said Reed. "But I kind of closed my eyes and it went away."

A Conversation with Pam Reed

How'd you get started in running?

I started when I was 15; I was in track, which I hated. I really ran because I wanted to play tennis. I was in all sports growing up in a really small town in Michigan. Cheerleading, gymnastics, track and tennis. I was trying to pick one that I thought I could do in college. I thought I could play tennis, so I started running to get in shape for that.

Pam Reed: "I Felt Like I Could Run Forever"

Just before 10 a.m. on July 24, Pam Reed crossed the finish line of the Badwater Ultra-Marathon and began to cry. She had been running for 27 hours 56 minutes, and when she was done, she led the field by more than five hours. It made Lance Armstrong's ride through the Alps come off as a Tour de Breeze.

Gordy Ainsleigh: Ultra Pioneer

Every participant in the Western States Endurance run owes something to Gordy Ainsleigh, who pioneered the race in 1974. Ainsleigh had always been the reluctant adventurer, the indecisive mountain man, the timid athlete--all that. Until Aug. 4, 1974. One day changed everything. The day he became the first person to run the Western States trail.

One-Upsmanship: Don't Worry about the Jones

I run 4.3 miles every day. Every day. If you do the math, that adds up to 30.1 miles per week, 120.4 miles per month, 1565.2 miles per year. I do this for 16 years, and I will have run around the equatorial circumference of the Earth one time. Not too shabby.

But you know what?

Scott Jurek: A Snapshot of an Ultrarunner

Scott Jurek took up distance running simply as a way to get in shape for cross-country ski racing.

He grew up in northern Minnesota, and strapping onto skis was simply expected.

Yet, there's been nothing simple about Jurek's run toward history.

Black Tea: Debunking the Myths

The world's favourite invigorating beverage also has several myths attached to it. But here's what the real story is...

How Much Fish Oil?

Fish oil for supplements comes from cold-water fish, such as salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel and halibut. It contains compounds called omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with several health benefits. The typical Americans diet is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, but rich in the less healthy omega-6 essential fatty acids. Taking fish oil pills helps to boost your intake of omega-3.

Mediterranean Diet Rich in Grain, Olive Oil, Fresh Produce Key to Good Health

Is it a coincidence that people in Greece and southern Italy, Spain and parts of the Middle East have lower incidences of chronic disease and live longer than the average American? Or is it their diet?

The healthy eating style that characterizes the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea includes fruits and vegetables, fish and whole grains. And it's a diet that's been endorsed as heart-healthy by nutrition experts from respected groups like the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic.

But you already eat fruits, vegetables, fish and grains. So what's the difference with the way you eat and how they eat halfway around the world?

The "No Pain, No Gain" Myth

I SAW AN INTERESTING SAYING THE OTHER DAY WHILE VISITING A RUNNER'S WEB SITE. IT READ: "NO PAIN, NO GAIN!"

That's the perfect credo for both veteran and novice runners. For years, runners have gotten all sorts of misinformation. Often, runners are told that they're destined to be injured if they spend enough time in the sport.

U2 Minneapolis in the Rain

Why are Kenyans Such Great Runners?

KENYA has produced some of the world's outstanding sporting talents when it comes to long-distance races over the years. So, it was on expected lines when the country's athletes once again dominated the long-distance races at the 13th IAAF world Championship in Daegu, South Korea.

However, one wonders, what keeps the Kenyan runners going great guns on the world stage? Is it the food, weather, altitude, good training or is it because of the fact that majority of Kenyans master the art of long-distance running at a young age when, unlike schoolchildren from other countries, they usually to run to school.

Do Fever-Reducing Drugs Prolong Illness?

We've all heard the old saw: "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning."

Primary-care doctors such as Israel Alvarez still dispense that advice when their patients fall victim to the flu. Aspirin is what pharmacists call an "antipyretic," a class of drugs including acetaminophen, ibuprofin and naproxen sodium, that have the ability to lower fever.

Cutting Edge Treadmill

ANTI-GRAVITY TREADMILL REDUCES BODY WEIGHT TO CUT JOINT IMPACT FIRST developed by NASA to help astronauts stay in shape, an anti-gravity treadmill sounds like something from the pages of a science-fiction novel. But the technology is now being used to improve the fitness of everyone from the world's top sportsmen and women to ordinary people overcoming injury.

Boom Cha

How Much Green Tea?

You've been extolling your wisdom on the benefits of green tea, but I'm unsure how much green tea you actually have to drink for it to make a difference. I've heard as much as 10 cups a day which sounds crazy!
Thanks so much!

– Green Tea Gina

What Drives Karnazes?

 When people ask Dean Karnazes why he is pushing his body to almost unimaginable limits of physical endurance, they often speculate he is "running away from something." And when he actually has time to sit and ponder the question, Karnazes admits the tragic death of his younger sister, Pary, is a driving force.

52 Day, 3,100 Mile Foot Race

Think 100 miles is long way to run? The Self-Transcendence race in Queens, New York, is a whopping 3,100 miles. Participants have 52 days to complete the distance. This year, the race ends at noon on August 3.

Two long dark braids sprout from the base of her skull, which is covered by a mesh cap and a head-lamp. With her rugged-looking Montrails laced tight and triple-knotted for good luck, she flicks on her light. She looks like she's prepared to go spelunking in a cave but instead sets out at a brisk trot, sticking to a trail that traces the south face of the Boise Foothills. It's 5 a.m. and darker than the inside of a cow, but Joëlle Vaught's eyes glisten with an alert focus that keeps her on her feet.

What You Don't Have, You Don't Need It Now

I've been trying to mix in some different bands while I run in the morning, Coldplay being the best example. Meanwhile, my running times have slowed.

7 Marathons, 7 Days, 7 Countries

A MAN is set to tackle seven marathons in seven days across seven countries in a bid to raise £50,000 for charity. Dean Cornish, 33, of St Leonard's Street, Stamford, and three friends have set themselves the huge challenge to raise funds for The Prince's Trust.

Purple Carrots: The New Super Food

MOVE over blueberries, carrots are the new super food. But not just any old carrot; purple ones. Purple carrots are in fact an ancient variety and have been depicted in tombs in Egypt. Purple was one of the original colours of carrots grown in Persia long before the Dutch decided they preferred orange.

75 and Still Running

Friends Helly Visser and Roger Davis lift weights together three times a week, cycle once a week and do yoga every morning. But it is the runs they go on almost every other day that keeps them a young 75 and 74 years old. "Taking up running has changed my life," says Visser, a competitive endurance runner. 'I just kept going at it and it's become a part of me.'

Exactly What is Orthorexia?

No fat, no carbs, no wheat — and hours of punishing exercise every day. How a dangerously obsessive quest for the perfect body has become the new middle-class eating disorder I've been told I'm risking arthritis and brittle bones and I'm often tired out. But I just can't stop...

WE ALL know the type. They never let wheat, yeast or dairy pass their lips. They've cut out alcohol and caffeine. They're obsessed with healthy eating — yet every day, they look more unwell and unhappier.

These are the symptoms of a condition called 'orthorexia' by dieticians. It is, apparently, on the increase — particularly in professional women in their 30s.

More from the Rachmaninoff Sessions

The keyboard pounding is a bit of a Coldplay trademark.

Scott Jurek Circa 2002

2002

Scott Jurek will attempt to win his fourth straight 100-mile Western States Endurance Run.

Beads of perspiration mount on his forehead, but he doesn't feel it. With the starting point behind him, his water bottle half-empty, and Clif bars still tucked away in his fanny pack, Scott Jurek glides past the first mile marker.

No sweat. One down, 99 to go.

For Swimmers

WILLARD SPIEGELMAN

Swimming is the most isolating of sports. Even long-distance runners have scenery to look at. Swimmers can (sort of) see and hear, but they are mostly in tune with their own minds and bodies. What is there to say about such a solitary and inward experience?

Stretching the Truth?

August 31, 2002

LIMBERING up does not prevent muscle soreness or reduce the risk of injury, according to scientists. Studies have shown that stretching before and after exercise will prevent only one injury every 23 years. Stretching may only reduce muscle soreness by 2 per cent. The review of five studies, involving 77 subjects, was published this week in the British Medical Journal.

Aspirin Continues to Amaze

FOR thousands of years aspirin has been humanity’s wonder drug. Extracts from the willow tree have been used for pain relief in folk medicine since the time of the ancient Greeks. By 1897 a synthetic derivative (acetyl salicylic acid) of the plant’s active ingredient (salicin) was created. This allowed aspirin to become the most widely used medicine in the world.

In recent years its benefits as a blood-thinning drug have led to it being prescribed in low doses of around 50mg to reduce deaths from stroke and heart attack. There were also hints that aspirin may help prevent some cancers. But these were mostly based on observational studies, which can be misleading.

Exercise and Breast Cancer

Studies on positive effect of exercise on preventing breast and colon cancer are promising, but fall short of declaring reduced risk for those working out; Dr Anne McTiernan of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and author of book Breast Fitness: An Optimal Exercise and Health Plan for Reducing Your Risk of Breast Cancer, compares exercise to wearing seat belt; says that exercise gives person additional protection, but does not guarantee safety from cancer.

Skip Breakfast for a Daughter, Eat Cereal for a Son

THERE are numerous old wives' tales about how a couple can increase their chances of having a boy or a girl. For a son, make love only on odd days of the month, eat plenty of meat and be sure the father keeps his genitals cool by wearing boxer shorts and loose-fitting trousers; for a daughter, put a wooden spoon under the bed and eat plenty of yogurt.

Life Lessons from a Father's 30-Year Running Streak

The author's dad, 66, keeps 30-year jogging streak alive; following the snowplows

By STEPHANIE SIMON

Last month, my dad celebrated the 30th anniversary of his running streak.

In other words, he has run every day for 10,987 consecutive days. The last time he took a pass -- he was feeling a bit sore after a marathon -- was Oct. 30, 1978.

Shredded Wheat and Bran the Key to a Long Life?

Every morning for more than 90 years, Cordelia "Cordie" Jungers sat down to a breakfast of shredded wheat and bran cereal. That daily routine is her secret, family members said, to her long life as Cordie celebrated her 100th birthday Monday.

Questions of Science, Science and Progress

Coldplay enters the realm of near brilliance with this tune.

What Did the Easter Bunny Bring?

Easter Day should begin with - what else? - eggs. For breakfast I favour soft-boiled myself, with a crunchy sprinkle of Maldon and sourdough soldiers. There are few finer moments than when your first soldier pierces the yolk and the sunflower-yellow liquid flows out, telling you that for once - yes! - you have got the timing exactly right: quivering but cooked white and liquid yolk.

Eggs are an even greater treat now that we can eat them minus the nutritional guilt and worry that hovered around them for so long.

 Once upon a time, eggs were associated with cholesterol, heart disease, and salmonella. Now, thanks to the successful British Lion mark scheme, launched in 1998, salmonella is nothing like the concern it once was. As for the nutritional value of eggs, there has been a dramatic rethink. Far from being seen as a dietary liability, they are now commended.

A Little Karnazes for Fun

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. _ Dean Karnazes had finished a marathon six hours before. He would run another in 12 hours. But as his 40-foot-long tour bus raced through central Michigan last week, Karnazes paced back and forth through a small kitchen. ``I hate being stuck on here,'' he said. He bounced up and down. Then he started to jog in place.

Inactivity annoys Karnazes. Sitting down, well, he just doesn't do that. The 44-year-old from San Francisco has about one week left in what is, literally, a marathon tour: He's running 26.2 miles on 50 consecutive days, completing each marathon in a different state. Sunday, Karnazes will run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C., probably finishing in about 3 hours 30 minutes. Then he'll climb back onto his bus and ride to another race in South Carolina.

Chris Martin as Rachmaninoff

Go Nuts

Here's a health tip in a nutshell: Eating a handful of nuts a day for a year, along with a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish, might help undo a collection of risk factors for heart disease.

Fish Pills Anyone?

Joseph Hibbeln, a researcher at America’s National Institutes of Health, has been looking at the supply to babies of DHA from breast milk and at genetic variation in the ability to produce this molecule from other omega-3s. A study that began in the early 1990s has shown that children who are breastfed have the same range of IQs, regardless of whether they have the ability to make their own DHA. In the case of those fed on formula milk low in DHA, though, children without the DHA-making ability had an average IQ 7.8 points lower than those with it.

Nor is intelligence the only thing affected by a lack of DHA. There is also a body of data linking omega-3 deficiencies to violent behaviour. Countries whose citizens eat more fish (which is rich in DHA) are less prone to depression, suicide and murder. And new research by Dr Hibbeln shows that low levels of DHA are a risk factor for suicide among American servicemen and women. Actual suicides had significantly lower levels of DHA in the most recent routine blood sample taken before they killed themselves than did comparable personnel who remained alive. More worryingly, 95% of American troops have DHA levels that these results suggest put them at risk of suicide.

America’s department of defence has taken note. It will soon unveil a programme to supplement the diets of soldiers with omega-3s.

Link to rest of article.

Rough Morning

The eight-year-old managed to install two viruses on the computer yesterday, and it took until just now to get rid of them.

The joys of parenthood.

A Brief History of Breakfast Cereal

You can trace breakfast cereal back to gruel-eating ancient Greeks, but it wasn't until the 19th century that the idea of eating cold cereal was embraced. In 1863, Dr. James Caleb Jackson, a health reformer who believed illness was rooted in the stomach, began experimenting with cold cereal to augment the mineral-spring treatments at his sanitarium in upstate New York.

He baked graham flour into brittle cakes, which he then crumbled and baked again. It was not an immediate success; in fact, it was edible only when soaked in milk overnight. Even so, Jackson's granula, as he called it, would soon have competition. It was not long before Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, a Michigan man with a sanitarium of his own, was also promoting a healthful cold cereal. Kellogg ran the Battle Creek Sanitarium, popular with luminaries like Amelia Earhart.

They're Just Spies

The blog is called Running with u2.
But I never said the only songs featured would be u2 songs.
: )

Stretching before Bed

I have a dear friend who also runs 30 miles per week. We swap stories about exercises, foods, and pets. Ninety-nine percent of the time we’re on the same page. So when we aren’t, I always pause to consider why.

The other day I mentioned that I stretch before going to bed . . . in the dark.

Her response?

“Sounds like biorhythm insanity.”

I didn’t really respond.

50 Minutes

I’ve been reading books about so-called “ultra-runners,” people who make running a marathon look like a walk in the park. That’s right, these people run 50 or more miles at a time, sometimes even eclipsing the 100 mile barrier.  

I received my first ultra-running book as a gift. Born to Run is a book by an oft-injured runner that encounters a tribe of ultra-runners hidden away in the mountains of Mexico. Even though I’m a runner, I wasn’t expecting to be entertained by the book. I mean, how exciting can it be to read about someone else running?

Just as You Find Me

When you stop seeing beauty
You start growing old
The lines on your face
Are a map to your soul
When you stop taking chances
You'll stay where you sit
You won't live any longer
But it'll feel like it

Is Oatmeal the Perfect Food?

Is Oatmeal the Perfect Food?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it can affect mood and energy level for the entire day.And the best way to start your day is Oatmeal.Oatmeal has long ranked among the best foods for fighting cholesterol.A single bowl of oatmeal provides all essential nutrients like complex carbohydrates, B vitamins, fiber, and minerals such as phosphorous, iron, selenium, and calcium.

Another Running Blog?

Running, music, and health will be the major themes interwoven across the musings I post on this blog. Along the way, we’ll cover any number of other topics, too. I can’t wait to get started.