Runderdog: Runleashed and Runstoppable: exercise

Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts

Monday

Can running beat medications for anxiety and depression?

Running is good medicine. Ask any marathoner, triathlete, cross-country runner, track star, sprinter, or weekend jogger. We can trumpet the health-related virtues of exercise, cardiovascular fitness, and stress relief – which all come with running regularly.

Now modern medicine is making that claim official. Running is good medicine, and perhaps it even trumps medications often prescribed for anxiety and depression.

A recent medical research study in the Netherlands examined 141 depression/anxiety patients over a four-month period. Some were given escitalopram (Brand name: Lexapro), an antidepressant medication. Others received running therapy. Although both groups experienced some antidepressive improvements, the running group also enjoyed better overall physical health benefits. (in terms of remission and response). The Journal of Affective Disorders published the research study findings in 2023.

The researchers pointed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as mood boosters for the medication group, reducing anxiety and depression. In the running group, two to three 45-minute runs weekly brought about slightly better antidepressive improvement than the other group. In addition, the running participants bettered their overall fitness, while losing weight and reducing their blood pressure and heart rates. And the running group faced no potential drug side effects.

The only trouble with the running group seemed to be that a few participants dropped out of the training sessions over the four-month period. As we all know, the benefits of running only hold true, if we stick with it.

Those findings don’t even take into account the famous “runner’s high,” brought on by increased endorphin hormones released in the body during rigorous exercise.

So, yes, running is good medicine for lots of reasons.

We could have told you that. In fact, we probably did. Runners know the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of making time to crank out a few miles. And we know how crummy and cranky we can feel when we can’t get our runs in.

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Wednesday

Can you run with sleep apnea?

It’s not exactly sleepwalking.

Lots of runners find themselves gasping for air after a speedy sprint. Maybe that’s why so many of our finish-line race photos are so comical, or even scary. But what happens when runners (or other folks) experiencing gasping or a struggle for air while sleeping? Doctors call that sleep apnea, and it’s not uncommon among runners.

“You can’t have sleep apnea. You’re not fat.”

My primary-care physician actually said that to me, while I was training for another marathon. “If you can run a marathon, you surely don’t have sleep apnea,” he added.

My Garmin watch/activity tracker consistently showed respiratory and heart-rate fluctuations and awakenings overnight, during hours when I thought I’d been sleeping.

One sleep study later, I was diagnosed.

Based on that experience, I began researching apnea and running. Here’s what I learned.

Sleep apnea affects some 10-30 percent of all adults in the US, according to the Sleep Foundation. It’s a sleep disturbance, marked by plentiful nightly episodes of cessation of breathing. These not only affect respiration, but they also increase blood pressure and heart rate, as the body struggles with the lack of oxygen.

Basically, apnea causes breathing troubles and poor sleep, which domino into all sorts of complications. Apnea sufferers may experience choking or gasping. The lack of quality sleep can cause morning headaches, daytime drowsiness, reduced energy and endurance, slower muscle recovery, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, memory issues, weakened immunities, dramatic snoring, and more. What’s more, apnea increases a person’s risk of heart and brain issues over time.

Contrary to my own doctor’s pat answer, apnea isn’t restricted to those with excessive weight, although it’s most commonly associated with obesity (and frequently with diabetes). It’s found among those with narrow palates and necks, as well as those with thicker palates and fattier necks. Men are more likely to have it than women, and it’s more often diagnosed in folks aged 50 or older. Not everyone who has apnea actually snores. And it can run in families.

Once diagnosed, apnea sufferers are generally prescribed CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy, wearing masks with hoses connected to monitored devices.

Where does running come into play?

Exercise has been found to help those with sleep apnea for multiple reasons:

encouraging cardiovascular health
gaining lung capacity
reducing stress (and stress hormones)
increasing endorphins (How we runners love our endorphins!)
helping with weight loss
reducing abdominal and neck fat (common with obstructive sleep apnea)
improving strength and fitness
bettering sleep habits

These benefits combined can help to reduce the severity of sleep apnea effects for lots of people. Of course, sleep apnea experts urge everyone to consult their own physicians before embarking on new or increased exercise programs (including running).

Running can be especially helpful with sleep apnea.

Pounding out a few miles in the great outdoors, while rhythmically breathing fresh, open air, has been lauded as therapeutic for those with sleep apnea. Actually, running or walking can be helpful.

The trick is to choose an optimum time of day for running (or workouts), while energy and endurance may be as high as possible. For many runners with sleep apnea, that means lacing on sneakers early in the day.

Additional frequent advice for those with sleep apnea focuses on weight loss, healthy diet, good hydration, non-smoking, side sleeping, and regular exercise.

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Maybe kickboxing with hand-weights wasn't such a great idea

You know what they say about chest pains, especially in women? It’s enough to strike fear in almost anyone. We’ve all heard the warnings about ignoring potential heart symptoms. Sure, we might let things go for a while, but if the discomfort persists, most of us will begin to wonder what’s up.

Enter my physician.

The last time he and I discussed heart health was a few years ago – right before I ran my second full marathon. I was a little concerned about some tightness in my chest and wanted his go-ahead before toeing the start line.

“If you’ve been training for a marathon, your heart is healthy,” he said. “Roll back the weight training till after the race.”

Um, sure.

Never mind that I can easily name three of four running friends and a couple of super-fit family members who take medication for atrial fibrillation and other heart-related issues.

I heard what I wanted to hear. And I went ahead and did the marathon. And more.

Fast-forward a few years.

The chest pains came back and were even more pronounced. What’s more, they lasted for days and days.

I contacted my physician again. He ran an EKG, which was normal. Then he asked me if I was still working with weights.

Well, yes. So maybe the chest pain had more to do with picking sturdier hand-weights for kickboxing lately. I guess I’ll scale that back for a while.

Gotta love a simple answer.

· Mixing it up: Cross training adds spice and fitness

· Parked: Can't go in the gym till devices are charged up

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Friday

Hey, Doc. Don't tell a marathoner to exercise more

Maybe I’m overtired. (That’s a given.) But I’m finding this hilarious.

Like nearly anyone with upcoming races (of any distance) on the calendar, this time of year spells active training. OK, for most of us, that’s pretty much the case all year round, but we tend to pour it on in the spring months, as we prep for warm-weather races.

Enter my physician here.

Having postponed several checkups and procedures during the peak of the recent pandemic, I finally decided to book and show up for a routine physical. The doctor nagged me about some age-appropriate testing, which I did. He also ordered some lab-work, primarily as benchmarks.

The short version is simple: Everything came back OK.

Then I received a very brief letter (via snail mail) from my doc.

“Labs are normal. Try to get some exercise, if possible.”

Um, what? More exercise?

This week, as the month of May comes to a close, I’m passing 900 miles for the year (so far).

More exercise?

In the very expensive 12 1/2 minutes that my physician actually spent with me in his office exam room, he did ask me if I’m doing any more marathons this year. I told him I have a few half marathons on the books and might add a full one for the fall. (So many races were canceled in the past couple of years that I am taking a bit of a wait-and-see attitude on the pricier ones.)

We also talked about the four cardio classes I do each week, along with my equestrian pursuits, cani-cross endeavors (with two large, happy, high-energy beasts), and other fitness activities.

I might not have mentioned that every one of the fitness professionals with whom I interact each week frequently reminds me of the importance of scheduling down-time and actually taking rest days now and them. (I’m not so good at that. My idea of a rest day usually ends up with me trying to keep up with a busy two year old grandkid or spending several hours digging in the garden.)

Geez. I hope that was a form letter.

And I guess the doc didn’t notice that my BMI is well within the best range, and my weight was actually down from the last time it was clocked in my file.

Still, I’m lacing up my sneaks and dashing out for more exercise – but not because the doctor said so.

Seriously, telling a runner to get more exercise is like telling a chocoholic to go eat another hunk of chocolate. Let’s call my physician an enabler…

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Have you been caught WALKING again?

Cue the blush here.

OK, I’m totally kidding. But sometimes it feels like that, when a runner is spotted out walking.

A non-runner might say something like this:

“I saw you out there yesterday, but you were walking.”

It’s as if we are expected to maintain an all-out sprint the whole time we are out on the trail or the road or the track in our sneakers.

It doesn’t really work that way.

Even elite marathoners begin their jaunts with warmups and end with cool-downs. These may include giant steps, backward steps, lunges, and butt kicks. But they also include walking – plenty of walking.

And plenty of fitness fanatics walk miles and miles and miles, burning countless calories without ever breaking into a jog. They’re on-the-move for hours, which is almost harder in some ways than running faster for shorter time spans.

Walking may be purposeful.

It usually is exactly that.

Walking is a primo plan for beginner runners, but also for those who have run countless races and are still committed to practicing physical fitness (perhaps past their primes). Professional trainers and physical therapists prescribe walking for those who are recovering from injuries or long races.

Additionally, more than a few runners mix walks into their weeks for cross-training, socialization (with other runners and non-running friends), dog-walking, sightseeing, stress relief, or even phone calls on-the-fly.

Let’s not judge one another, or ourselves, for slower steps.

Runners build one another up – at any pace.

Mostly, the running community acts like a fellowship of mutual encouragement. We say things like “Your race, your pace,” and “You’re lapping everyone who’s at home on the couch.”

Sure, runners want to become faster. We want to beat our own personal records, racing the clock more than one another. Some of us even want to win race titles – or at least place in our age brackets.

But we generally enjoy waving at each other (at the run or the walk). We salute one another for getting out there and cranking out the miles, from 5Ks to ultras. We “like” each other’s online posts. We basically celebrate running, hoping to inspire anyone who’s getting up and trying.

So why do we almost apologize for walking?

We act like we’ve been caught in a crime when another runner catches us walking. We trip up into a trot when we approach race cameras (if we spot them). We jump into a jog when a car comes along, if our routes take us on the roadway. We pick up the pace when another runner (or even a walker) approaches.

Why are we embarrassed to practice a slower pace?

There’s no shame in walking.

All miles count. And just by stepping out there, we are all burning calories, building endurance, improving our cardio condition, and doing the distance. All that makes us stronger … and yes, faster.

· Long runs: Sometimes ya just gotta walk a bit

· Mixing it up: Cross training adds spice and fitness

· Some training runs are simply dreadful

· Walking works wonders for warmups and workouts