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It is easy to look at the massive amount of literature about the benefits of running (and other aerobic forms of exercise) and the data supporting it and conclude that running is a magic bullet for good health.  And from my biased point of view, there is little doubt that running at almost any level below the marathon distance will provide a litany of ways a person’s health can be  better.

And yet we all know someone (maybe even ourselves) who suffers from the very same type of illnesses we believe running should protect us from, especially when it is coupled with a good diet. I still recall the surprise and anger when I discovered, despite a mostly good diet and all of the running I did, my blood pressure was high and needed to be treated with medication.

Later, I would need a stent to open an artery. Just recently, a very good friend who I have run with for at least 30 years suffered a heart attack – from out of nowhere. This story repeats far too often now. 

And of course, there are the high-profile examples like Jim Fixx, a major force behind the running and fitness movements becoming “mainstream” and millions of people becoming participants in road racing, including the New York City Marathon.

Fixx’s book, “The Complete Book of Running,” became a New York Times Best Seller and he had several successful follow-ups. In the introduction to The Complete Book of Running, Fixx wrote that his purpose was: ”first, to introduce you to the extraordinary world of running, and second, to change your life.” 

Most runners know the next step in the story. Out for a run on the afternoon of July 20, 1984, Fixx suffered a massive heart attack and died, most likely along the route he was running. An autopsy revealed that Fixx died of a massive heart attack and that two of his coronary arteries were sufficiently blocked to warrant a bypass operation. Genetics did not favor Fixx as his father suffered from a heart attack at age 35 and died from one at age 43.  

While Fixx’s death quickly became an “I told you so” moment for many who did not like running anyway, others like Fred Lebow, the director of the New York City Marathon, took a different view. Lebow was quoted as saying “What I’m concerned about now is all those people who talk about the danger of running. What does this prove to them? Sure, we have people dying in Central Park, one or two a year while running. But I’m sure more people die on the golf course or watching the Yankees play baseball. Maybe if Jim Fixx didn’t run, he’d have died five years ago.”

Lebow need not have worried, however. In 1984 just over 14,470 people finished the New York City Marathon. This past year there were more than 53,157 official finishers according to the NYC Marathon website.

And that is exactly what should have happened as almost all of the data that keeps rolling in from studies continues to support the conclusion that the health benefits and quality of life improvements from running are substantial and well worth the effort. A tour through the conclusions of a number of studies produced the following claims:

• Thirty minutes of running in the morning during weekdays for 3 consecutive weeks impacted positively on sleep and psychological functioning in healthy adolescents compared with control subjects.

• In general, the more people run, the healthier their hearts tend to be.

• Running just five minutes per day could add years to your life.

• Getting 30 minutes or more of aerobic exercise on a regular basis makes people significantly less likely to die from almost any cause.

• Research continues to show an hour or more of movement is even better. People who meet these exercise guidelines are significantly less likely to develop a number of forms of cancer, according to a major review of research.

• There have been some concerns that extreme amounts of running could stress or scar the heart. There is a growing body of research that seems to indicate that’s not a significant risk. Researchers have found that people who run at least 40 miles per week have healthier hearts than those who run 13 miles a week, for example. Consistency seems to be important as well.

• Aerobic exercise has a cognitive-boosting effect for all ages, improving working memory, the ability to focus, and skills for task switching.

• Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can improve one’s ability to cope with stress — and many of those studies focused on runners. In a review of research about exercise and stress published in Clinical Psychology Review, author Peter Salmon concluded that “this training recruits a process which confers enduring resilience to stress.” Researchers think this may be because aerobic exercise increases levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine, and causes the brain to generate new neurons. (Something runners with Parkinson’s love to hear.)

On the other side of the spectrum, researchers continue testing and finding support for the theory that people who sit for long stretches have an increased chance of heart failure even if they exercised on a regular basis. Sitting for long periods of time remains an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.  

So, don’t give it up when you hear those scary stories. Instead, make sure you get up and exercise enough to put yourself in the best place possible.  

David Yon is addicted to running. In his spare time, he is an attorney with the Radey Law Firm.

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