Thursday, January 31, 2013
Running and Eating: How They Interact
Every January, many people start working out, hoping to lose weight. But as studies attest, exercise often produces little or no weight loss — and even weight gain — and resolutions are soon abandoned. But new science suggests that if you stick with the right kind of exercise, you may change how your body interacts with food. It’s more than a matter of burning calories; exercise also affects hormones.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Runner's High: Urban Myth or Medically Proven?
THE runner’s high: Every athlete has heard of it, most seem to believe in it and many say they have experienced it. But for years scientists have reserved judgment because no rigorous test confirmed its existence.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Exercise is Better than Any Medication
Want a stronger heart, a more alert mind and a better sex life? Would you like to be better equipped to combat cancer and cardiovascular disease, fight the common cold, and even heal wounds faster? This may sound like an infomercial for a too-good-to-be-true pill, but, in fact, it’s an invitation to enjoy your body’s amazing ability to heal itself — an ability that is substantially amplified when you make physical activity a part of your daily life.
“There is no medication or nutritional supplement that even comes close to having all of the effects exercise does,” says David C. Nieman, PhD, author of The Exercise-Health Connection: How to Reduce Your Risk of Disease and Other Illnesses by Making Exercise Your Medicine (Human Kinetics, 1998). “It’s truly the best medicine we know of.”
Monday, January 28, 2013
Larry Macon Runs Record 153 Marathons in 2012
Larry Macon Runs Record 153 Marathons in 2012
That's 40 more than his previous record, set in 2011
Larry Macon celebrated New Year's Eve in the most Macon-appropriate way: He ran the Texas Savage Seven Marathon in San Antonio. It was Macon's 153rd marathon of the year, and meant that for the last three years, Macon has broken his own record for finishing the most marathons in a calendar year.
Macon's previous record was 113 from 2011. In 2012, the 68-year-old San Antonio resident had already surpassed that mark by late October.
At some point, Macon and pretenders to the Macon throne will butt up against logistical hurdles that will limit accumulating finisher's medals. As we reported in December, Australia's Trent Morrow will try to break Macon's record in 2013, and to do so he plans to marathon in 20 countries.
In the 2009 video below, Macon discusses the motivation, planning and improvised post-race cleaning inherent in his multiple marathoning.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
61-Year-Old Takes Running to the Next Level
61-Year-Old Takes Running to Next Level
Friday, January 25, 2013
The 47-Year Running Streak (and counting)
Ronald "Ron" Hill, MBE, BSc, PhD (born 25 September 1938), is a noted runner and founder of Ron Hill and Hilly Clothing Company. Hill was born in Accrington, Lancashire, England. He was the second man to break 2:10 in the marathon; he set world records at four other distances, but never laid claim to the marathon world record.[nb 1] He has run two Olympic Marathons (Tokyo 1964 and Munich 1972), and has a personal marathon record of 2:09:28. In 1970, Hill won the 74th Boston Marathon in a course record 2:10:30. He also won gold medals for the marathon at the European Championships in 1969 and the Commonwealth Games in 1970.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Are Hand Sanitizers Making us Sick?
Never fall in love. Oh, well, go ahead, if you must, but make sure you fall for a living being. A romance with anything else, be it a pair of shoes or a scientific theory, is only asking for trouble, so seldom will the inanimate beloved live up to your besotted expectations.
The best scientists struggle with this prohibition daily, knowing that even the most seductive data may well disappoint. But premature enthusiasm is routine among others, patients and their doctors foremost among them, with journalists smelling a scoop not far behind.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Is Technology Reshaping Our Personalities?
Are your Facebook friends more interesting than those you have in real life?
Has high-speed Internet made you impatient with slow-speed children?
Do you sometimes think about reaching for the fast-forward button, only to realize that life does not come with a remote control?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Zinc for the Common Cold?
Scientists still haven't discovered a cure for the common cold, but researchers now say zinc may be the next best thing.
A sweeping new review of the medical research on zinc shows that sniffing, sneezing, coughing and stuffy-headed cold sufferers finally have a better option than just tissue and chicken soup. When taken within 24 hours of the first runny nose or sore throat, zinc lozenges, tablets or syrups can cut colds short by an average of a day or more and sharply reduce the severity of symptoms, according to the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, a respected medical clearinghouse.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Women Live Longer; But are Men Catching Up?
REG DEAN, who died on January 5th at the ripe age of 110, was unusual. Centenarians are rare in themselves, of course, but male centenarians particularly so. In Britain, where Mr Dean lived, five times as many women as men receive the famed card of congratulation from the queen when they celebrate their 100th birthdays. That may, however, cease to be the case in the future, for the fact that women tend to live longer than men, though still true, is less true than it was, and the gap is shrinking—in rich countries, at least—every year.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Strength Training: The Fountain of Youth?
Strength training is becoming the new fountain of youth.
Studies show that regular strength training helps preserve muscle mass for men and women as they age and reduces the risk of osteoporosis for older women.
That helps explain why more folks are racing to the gym. Overall, the number of people who use free weights more than 100 days during the year increased from about 7 million in 1989 to more than 8.5 million in 1993, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Others use free weights at least occasionally.
And millions more use circuit machines.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Woman with Heart Ailment Runs Ultras
As a mother of two, Soquel's Ashley Lindsey is on her feet all day. As a waitress at Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola, she is often on her feet all evening. And, as an ultramarathon runner, she sometimes is on her feet -- without sleep -- for more than 28 straight hours.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Should We Work Out When We're Sick?
Stuffy noses, sore throats, and sneezing abound, as cold and flu stricken exercisers everywhere begin to ask, "Will working out make me worse or make me better?"
A dedicated few believe in exercising no matter what. They come from the school of thought that you can "sweat it out" with a good workout, beat back your symptoms, and feel better.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Why is Sleep So Important?
There may be a link between the way memories are formed and the adverse effects of sleep deprivation
SLEEP deprivation is an uncomfortable experience. In drivers and workers it can lead to fatal accidents. In those under interrogation it can lead to confession. But why it does what it does is mysterious--as, indeed, is the purpose of sleep itself.
Monday, January 14, 2013
At Least Two New Albums in 2013
Larry Mullen Jr. has reportedly told Irish DJ Dave Fanning that U2 is looking to have its next album released by September 2013. That's the word via Twitter from Yvonne Judge, a 2FM radio editor who shared the photo at right of Mullen and Fanning together in the studio today (no doubt taping the interview), and then shared this sneak peek at Larry's album news:
UPDATE, January 10: RTE has now posted its own article about the still un-aired interview and it includes a more complete quote from Larry with talk of a follow-up release after the first one.
I'd say we will be finished by the
summer - and hopefully we will have something released by September.
Hopefully what we will be able to do is release September this year and
shortly afterwards, release again. That's what we want to do. We are
working with [producer] Brian Barton at the moment of Dangermouse, no
will.i.am is not there, just Mister Mouse!
Lisa Tamati -- Do you Want a Bunch of Material Possessions or Do You Want to Experience Life?
When Lisa Tamati returned to New Zealand from Austria in 2007, at the age of 37, she had almost nothing: after 13 years away, her marriage was over, she didn't own her own home and she'd sold her business to break even. What she did have was the passion that has consumed her for the past two decades: ultra-marathon running.
Tamati, New Zealand's best-known exponent of running's most extreme and unusual discipline, admits it has become an obsession.
She can also concede that her adventures across the Sahara desert and Death Valley have come at a cost.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
How Far Should We Run?
There is no doubt that running will improve your health, increase your level of fitness and probably extend your life, but how far should you run? The answer to that question depends upon your current situation. Any amount of exercise will help. While most fitness professionals recommend a minimum weekly energy expenditure of 1000 calories (10 miles of running), burning as little as 500 calories (5 miles of running or walking) per week has been shown to be beneficial to your health. This is especially true for individuals who have been sedentary, have very low fitness levels, the frail or elderly.
But there is also evidence that a much higher volume and intensity of exercise is more beneficial. Berkeley researcher Paul Williams and assistant Davina Moussa conducted a study of 1,833 women as part of the National Runners Health Study. The study investigated the benefits of prolonged running. Williams and Moussa determined that running more miles resulted in greater health benefits, up to 40 miles per week. Running over 40 miles per week will continue to improve your level of fitness, but the researchers found that there were few health or life extension benefits obtained from running more than 40 miles per week.
Intelligent Life Mag Takes on Barefoot Running
From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine, November/December 2012
"You have flat feet," said the man at the shoe shop. "Flat as a pancake." He had been analysing my stride, armed with a treadmill and a videocamera. News to me, but he had no reason to lie. He could have sold me any of a million shoes, but he picked out a pair that he said had the cushioning and support I'd need. I left the shop feeling I would forever continue to flog the ground miserably, now with officially flat feet.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Charlie Engle to Compete in the Brazil 135
Finally it's time for some pain and suffering that I can really enjoy. On January 14, I will be joining my friends and teammates Chris Roman and Tony Portera for a little trek through a portion of the Amazon Jungle. This famous pilgrimage is known as the Caminho de Fe (Way of Faith) and it stretches for about 350 miles. As if covering that distance wasn't hard enough, we will be joining the Brazil 135 Ultramarathon about halfway through our journey. This means that we will run about 140 miles to the start of the race, then we will join many other runners for the 135 mile race itself. Once the race is complete, we will continue on for another 75 miles to complete the entire length of the Caminho de Fe.
Link
Friday, January 11, 2013
Running Resolutions
With 2013 upon us, it's time to start thinking about resolutions for the new year. Many of us set 'regular' new year resolutions and on that same note, many of us don't stick with them.
And that's just in regular, everyday stuff.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Berries 101
The health halo that crowns berries--the original "superfruit"--hasn't slipped a bit over the years. Ever since it was discovered that berries have very high total antioxidant capacity, the public has had a veritable love fest for berries, making them its favorite fruit. Of all fruits, consumer research finds strawberries the favorite among adults and kids. Over the past decade, multiple research findings have supported the health benefits of berries, showing that they have a profound impact on chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and agerelated mental decline.
Berries 101.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Maybe We Should Just Stay Home?
Walking seems like an innocent activity, but it is particularly dangerous, often ensnaring children as young as 14 months.
"Everyone's doing it," is a common excuse walkers will use to justify their habit. Widely considered a gateway exercise, walking is sometimes recommended by jogging pushers who try to get the curious to start cutting their walks with higher potency bursts of running.
A certain amount of walking is essential in life. You have to get to the elevator somehow. But if you find yourself walking to nowhere in particular, it's time for a reality check. Side effects of walking include shortness of breath, swollen feet and toe jam.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Vomiting, bleeding nipples and hallucinations -- It's All Just Part of the Fun
THE Parthenon is lit, but Athens is still dark. In the gloom, a cleaner is sweeping the pedestrianised road that runs beneath the southern slope of the Acropolis. And in the trees beside the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an ancient stone theatre, Lycra-clad figures are urinating everywhere.
Monday, January 7, 2013
The Economist Takes on the BMI
BEING fat is bad for you. That, at least, is the received wisdom. In reality the picture is more complex, because the prevailing measure of fatness, weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, known as the body-mass index (BMI), is imperfect and because bad for you is a vague term. According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), being a bit too pudgy may in fact reduce the risk of dying in a given period.
Exercise and the Immune System
As the weather turns colder, the U.S. launches itself full-force into cold and flu season. While recent research has correctly reported that exercise can help prevent the common cold, experts with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend caution for people who are considering an intense workout while they're sick. In fact, there are some cases in which exercise could do more harm than good (see also Common Cold).
ACSM Fellow David C. Nieman, Dr.P.H., says that moderate exercise (30 minutes a day, on most, if not all, days of the week) actually lowers the risk for respiratory infections. Prolonged, intense exercise, on the other hand, can weaken the immune system and allow viruses to gain a foothold and spread.
"The good news, for the majority of fitness enthusiasts who put in 30-60 minutes of exercise most days of the week, is that the number of sick days they'll take during the common cold season is reduced by at least 40 percent," said Dr. Nieman.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Aspirin Reduces Risk of Cancer
In a new study of more than 1,200 Asian women, those who took aspirin at least a couple of times a week had a much lower risk of developing lung cancer-whether or not they had ever smoked.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Barefoot Running Myths?
It’s a topic of endless debate among runners. Is there a best way to run, so that you use the least energy and go the fastest? And does it help to run barefoot or in minimalist shoes?
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Can Running Kill You? (part 5)
For people who exercise but fret that they really should be working out more, new studies may be soothing. The amount of exercise needed to improve health and longevity, this new science shows, is modest, and more is not necessarily better.
That is the message of the newest and perhaps most compelling of the studies, which was presented on Saturday at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in San Francisco. For it, researchers at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health and other institutions combed through the health records of 52,656 American adults who'd undergone physicals between 1971 and 2002 as part of the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study at the Cooper Institute in Dallas. Each participant completed physical testing and activity questionnaires and returned for at least one follow-up visit.
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