EXERCISE has long been promoted as a way to stay healthy and live longer. Indeed, we recently looked at the benefits of exercise for masters athletes (AW, Oct 31) and on all markers of physical performance, including strength, speed and aerobic capacity, masters were seen to be in superior health to the sedentary. Of course, this is not surprising, as many of these athletes have been training throughout their lives, or if not potentially 3-5 times a week in middle and later life once bitten by the athletics bug.
Research in Progress Cardiovascular Disease said of the benefits of running: “In general runners have a 25-40% reduced risk of premature mortality and live approximately three years longer than non-runners.”
Compelling reasons to start and continue to run then. But how much running is enough to gain the health-giving benefits?
Research in Archives in International Medicine looked at this question. This US survey considered over 8000 recreational runners who ran less than 16km a week with long distance runners who ran circa 80km a week. The cohorts were then evaluated against risk of coronary heart disease factors, such as cholesterol levels, hypertension and blood lipid levels.
The team discovered that the long-distance runners had an 85% reduced prevalence of high-density lipoprotein (the “worrying” for health reasons type of cholesterol when elevated). These runners’ levels were in fact indicated to be “clinically low” and overall their cholesterol levels were seen to be protective against coronary heart disease. The higher mileage runners also had a near 50% reduction in hypertension and a more than 50% reduction in the use of medications to reduce blood pressure.
Denne historien er fra November 21, 2019-utgaven av Athletics Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra November 21, 2019-utgaven av Athletics Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Carbon Footprint
You'd have had to have been running on a different planet to miss all the recent debate about carbon-plated shoes. The talk of bans and performance enhancement has been so widespread that even non-runners are asking their running friends about the potentially magical footwear.
Trail time
WHEN looking for a trail or off-road running shoe, it’s often all about the grip. However, given that no two paths are the same, careful consideration is required. What’s the terrain like where you’ll wear the shoes the most? If you’ll be negotiating soft, wet and muddy conditions then look for deeper lugs. For tackling gravel tracks and forest trails then more evenly spaced lugs will work better. When it comes to cushioning, consider how hard the ground will be; if it’s soft then you’ll be fine in low-profile shoes, but on those firmer tracks reasonable cushioning will be called for.
Stay neutral
EVOLVING every year, if not month, neutral cushioned shoes are seeing developments in cushioning materials and dynamics at a pace which is nothing short of astonishing. The latest models feature new polymers in the midsoles to give them a cushioned feel while at the same time keeping their weight to a minimum. Give them a spin and choose the most comfortable for mile after mile of shock absorbing running.
Support network
WHEN it comes to ‘over-pronation’, a common question is ‘how much is over?’. With no hard and fast rules, it’s best to choose a shoe that instinctively feels right. Gait analysis can often assist in helping you make this choice and your specialist running store is always a good place to start if in doubt. To help you make that choice, here’s a selection of some of the best ‘support’ shoes around.
Need for speed
THE racing shoe segment of the market is becoming somewhat split. This is partially due to the rise of carbon-plated footwear but also the fact that many shoes are becoming much lighter. Here we take a look at some of the leading contenders to toe the line in.
Gadget show
WITH technological products to enhance every area of life, running is now no different. From headphones to treadmills, the devices to aid performance and recovery are endless. Here we take a look at some of the latest gadgets and gizmos to enhance your training.
What's in a shoe?
We bust some of the jargon around footwear
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