Thursday, July 9, 2009

Need an excuse to exercise?

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal a few days ago. It cited several sources that show running participation—in races—has grown significantly AND finish times have improved. The article blames (or credits) current “economic doldrums” for the newfound training time that runners are enjoying. And more time to train equals faster times at races.

It is an interesting thought, that running enjoys a boom when the economy goes bust. This would help to explain running’s boom years of the late 70s, when it seemed half of the field of any given marathon would run sub 3 hours. Even the early 90s, when I started in triathlons, seemed much more competitive than the past few years.

I have noted several times that Orange County in the early 90s was awash in runners and cyclists and triathletes. There certainly are a lot of us now, but not as many as “back then.” My theory was as real estate became more and more expensive (have you looked at housing in Newport Coast or Corona del Mar lately???), the middle class weekend warriors were priced out of the area. While that may be true, the article postulates that many of us simply became too busy to train and race at our previous levels.

There is a pretty well-known study, now about 10 years old, that looked at the affect of aerobic exercise on patients suffering from major depressive disorder. After 16 weeks of medication, aerobic exercise or a combination of the two, all groups had similar outcomes, improving by statistically similar amounts.

Another study looked at the possible mechanisms for this reduction in depression. The verdict? It’s difficult to know how or why regular exercise helps with the “mood” of people. All that is known is exercise does help with people’s mood.

Maybe it’s the formation of a habit, the sense of belonging to a group, the regular exposure to endorphins, the sense of accomplishment, the learned resistance to stress, or something else. Speaking personally, I have a tough time getting through the day if I go 2 days in a row without some sort of workout.

I’m not saying that running or cycling or paddling will solve life’s problems. But I will advocate that our bodies are meant to move. From our huge Achilles tendons to our long femurs to our broad nuchal ligaments, we are built to walk and run over very long distances. Be it God or Darwinian, someone or something intended for us to be in motion on a daily basis. It would seem our brains and psyches crave the same movement.

If you’re a runner, make sure to get a few miles in today. If you surf, go get in the water (despite how cold it’s been here lately). If you’re not currently active, try something new: a walk around the block, a jog around the high school track, a few laps in the community pool, even mowing your lawn! Get your body in shape, and hopefully your mental state will follow.

1 comment:

  1. Great post. I'm forwarding this on to me (very sedentary) brother. Maybe he'll be inspired, too. Keep up the great advice and writing!

    ReplyDelete