Easy Diet

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Death by Jogging

I am going to say this upfront... I absolutely hate those long, endurance cardio such as jogging and marathons...

Not only they are incredibly boring... they can also kill you!

And sure, the boring part is my opinion... I still have friends who swear by jogging.

One of them died several years ago. Man, this guy was the fittest person you would ever know. I mean, he was in shape! He died doing a five mile jog -- from a heart attack. A former NBA basketball player by the name of Dennis Johnson died after finishing his jog -- from a heart attack last year. The head coach of Wake Forest's college basketball team, Skip Prosser, died last year while jogging. It was ruled a heart attack.

And let's not forget Jim Fixx, the guy who pioneered jogging as an health benefit. He died at the age of 52 from a massive heart attack on his daily run over twenty years ago.

And all these men that I mentioned are not the first or the last to die from jogging or running a marathon.

Then there is another friend of mine... and boy, is he healthy for his age -- around fifty! He runs all the time... And I talked with his wife the other day, and it is the usual... if it isn't his knees, it's his ankles. If it isn't his ankles, it's his feet. And now he got incredibly painful, bone spurs in his feet.

Doesn't sound like a lot of fun?

I don't think so!

My personal opinion is that the human body wasn't designed for long distance running. If the saber tooth tiger doesn't get the caveman in the first 30 seconds... then he is probably too far away or up in the tree. No need to "train" your body to run 5-10 miles because that big cat ain't gonna be interested in you that long!

So why run for long distance in the first place? Too push yourself beyond human endurance? Well, you have a lot to lose so why put your heart at risk? Why not save yourself and your loved ones from the pain when you are gone by selecting much better exercise choices?

Here are the "benefits" (sic) that I see so far for long distance running:

* Long hours pounding the pavement that you could spend with your family and friends

* Sore knees, back pain and foot problems

* Expensive visits to the specialists to repair your worn out body

* Weak body -- have you ever seen those skinny, emaciated long distance runners on TV or the sports magazines? Just say no thanks!

So if you HAVE to run marathons and jog for long distances... DO get a full physical from your family doctor. Pay attention to your body while running -- use a hr monitor -- be moderately hydrated during the run.

And then there is another fat loss myth created by jogging...

That myth is probably responsible for most of the misinformation about what exactly you need to do to lose body fat. You see, most of the information we have for cardio is based on the studies on jogging back in the 70s and 80s when jogging was king.

And the message was... to lose that body fat, you must include those long, slow endurance jogging or cardio. Nowadays, we know that is a false message but many folks still believe in it...

Sigh...

And to top that myth, many folks believe you must eat a low-fat, high carbs diet (which incidentally was the rage during the 90s). It meant eating lots of sugary foods with flour. And again, many folks believe this type of diet still holds true...

Sigh...

And now we see the results of these mixed messages -- rising obesity and running injuries... every. single. year!

But there is light at the end of the tunnel... The media is starting to pick up on proven and effective workout methods that are healthy for our heart and burn fat from our bodies.

And those workouts incorporate strength training and interval exercises for muscle power and heart endurance.

We shouldn't leave out the most important thing and that would be (drum roll please...) NUTRITION!

Getting your nutrition right is the key to fat loss...

* Mom was right... eating lots of fruits and vegetables is good for you!

* Good quality and lean source of proteins

* Eating fiber rich carbohydrates that are in the low end of the glycemic index

In short, good nutrition and good exercise choices will give you the body you want without the injuries and fat. And you get to live longer too...

But watch out for the speeding bus anyway, huh?

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