The primary reason I run is because I enjoy the challenge (pushing to go farther and/or faster), and I find it's relaxing and enjoyable. But a big secondary reason I run is because it makes me feel better and because as I get older, I want to be healthier.
When I was young, like many of us, I didn't really have to do much to stay trim and feeling good. That's the blessing of youth. The curse is of course not being self-aware enough to truly enjoy it! But now, about a decade out from college, my metabolism has slowed ever so slightly and I can't eat ramen and pizza 7 days a week and not have it show up in my cholesterol and blood pressure numbers.
In fact, a slowly growing waist size was my impetus for starting to run back in 2007, although I luckily found that I really liked running, even though it hurt and is tough going. And gaining like 15 pounds last year gave me the kick in the pants I needed to get back to running in 2016, which has helped me rediscover why I really loved the sport to begin with.
So in the shorter term, my health goals for running are more weight based.But longer term, staying active and establishing lifelong habits like running I think will help me, quite honestly, keep ticking along for a longer time. Studies, like a comprehensive one done in Denmark (link to NYT Well blog posting about this, which contains a link to the actual study) and the results of which were published last year, bear that out. That study found that people who jogged at a moderate or slow pace for 1 to ~2.5 hours per week tended to have
lower mortality rates than people who engaged in no exercise at all. So, slow and steady may in fact win the race after all.
What's also interesting is that the study found that runners who ran more miles and at faster paces had no statistical improvement in mortality rates vs. those who got no exercise. As the NYT post explains, there are a couple of limiting factors that may or may not undermine this conclusion.
At any rate, the overall message is clear: steady, consistent running will generally lower one's mortality risk versus not exercising.
Add to this another interesting news item I came across, this time in Runner's World. The article talks about the relationship between maintaining muscle mass as we age and the number of mitochondria in our cells, which are linked to all sorts of things from energy levels to risks for diabetes and heart disease later in life. The gist is that adults who maintain lean, active muscle tend to have higher numbers of mitochondria that in turn reduce risks for disease later on and that one of the best ways to do this is to walk or run daily.
My biggest takeaway, as someone who is still 15 years outside the age group this research is targeting, is that the steps, literally and figuratively, we take today as young adults will have cumulative effects as we age. Not only that, but the effects seem to compound, like interest or financial returns, over time.
Much like saving for retirement, the longer you put off being active and living more healthfully, the harder it may be to catch up down the road. And what's also similar to saving for retirement is the emphasis on gradual progression. Neither article said people MUST run 30 miles per week or that running more miles always leads to longer lives. But rather, a gradual, slightly strenuous, but consistent schedule will do a lot to get you toward your goals.But better to start today than tomorrow.
With that, I have a sudden urge to go for a (slower, steady, not too far) run!
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