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| Photo: istock |
Running is simply the best medicine, writes Clive Hopkins.
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'Humans really are born to run," says Sydney-based personal trainer Mike Moore. "It's a very simple form of exercise - it's low cost, and you can do it anywhere, anytime."
Moore's clients range from complete novices, right up to the kind of elite athletes who will run The Sun-Herald City 2 Surf presented by Westpac in under an hour.
Moore believes that when people start running training, they notice an improvement in their fitness very quickly, more quickly than they would in other forms of exercise. "Your body already knows how to do it, which is the opposite of something like swimming."
And while there are techniques involved in running, it's not necessary to go down the technical path to get something from the activity.
For anyone taking up running for the first time, Moore advises getting some correct footwear (which doesn't have to cost $300), before setting achievable goals for yourself.
"I'm big on getting a sense of achievement from exercise. For the first time ever, this might just be running from one lamp post to the next lamp post."
The rule of thumb for those starting out is that you should be able to talk while jogging. "You should be comfortable, so that at the end of a run, you feel you could have done a bit more."
Even those who resist the idea of running can get a lot out of it.
Moore recalls one client saying to him, 'if you ever make me run, I'll leave'.
"She'd been made to run at school, and got no enjoyment out of it. Now, though, she's done several 10-kilometre races."
For Moore, one of the most striking benefits of running is the potential for weight loss. "I'll stick my neck out and say that, in my experience, if someone starts running two or three times a week, their body will change for the better."
Moore's reluctant runner client lost an incredible 20 kilograms, essentially, he believes, just from running.
"In contrast to something like cycling, running is a whole-body exercise that uses upper and lower body muscles," says Dr Rhonda Orr, senior lecturer in exercise and sports science at The University of Sydney.
"The changes [adaptations] brought about by aerobic exercise like running are very beneficial."
What lay people refer to as an increased fitness or aerobic capacity, health professionals refer to as an improved VO2 max score.
Orr says there are two components to VO2 max - an essential component to do with your heart, and a peripheral component to do with capillary (small blood vessel) density and mitochondria (the "energy storehouses" of the body), and associated enzyme action.
"If we look at the heart, running training over time will lead to a decrease in the resting heart rate, as well as a decrease in the sub-maximal heart rate for any activity," says Orr. "This is good adaptation.
"There is also an increase in the heart's 'stroke volume', that is, how much blood is ejected from the heart during every cardiac cycle. The heart is pumping more effectively, leading to improved circulation."
Aside from the benefits to the heart, running requires the whole body to work together in unison, to deliver more oxygen to the working muscle. Increased mitochondria and enzyme action leads to improved fat mobilisation.
"The increased capacity to transport fats leads to an improved fat utilisation during exercise," says Orr. "By doing this, you spare your glucose or your glycogen stores, which your body uses for short bursts of energy.
"When you train well, you're not only training your muscles and endurance - you're training your body to use optimal energy stores."
It's this better fat utilisation that can result in weight loss.
Running training can also lead to better blood glucose control.
"This is also good for our general health," says Orr.
"If we improve our glucose kinetics, we can help retard, not just the onset of type-2 diabetes, but potentially also the onset of metabolic syndrome. This is a cluster of conditions: high blood pressure, high glucose, high cholesterol, and excess body fat around the waist, which are all connected with cardio-vascular disease."
For those who already have type-2 diabetes, running is a good adjunct to their medication, and running can also help reduce blood pressure in mildly hypertensive patients.
Moore, though, believes that running is good for you in ways that go far beyond the physical. "I feel it's also a great benefit for mental health - something you can enjoy by being by yourself, or as part of a group.
"The great attraction of running is being able to do it anywhere, whether it's a city or the Sinai desert," he says.
"I've actually used running to explore New York City. You see people and places you wouldn't see if you were in a car, because you're amongst it."
Source:
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/the-fastest-way-to-fitness-20140723-3cf2b.html
