Exercise, exercise, exercise, that's all you hear!
Get off the couch, Trace!
Come run a race with me, TRACE!!
Here's what I say, "Nope.
Science says it's gonna kill you."
Hey there avid runners and couch potatoes, according to science, you're basically the
same!
I'm Trace, thanks for watching DNews.
In 1976, the number of marathon finishers was 25,000; in 2013, it was 541,000 people.
We sure seem to be running more than ever!
With the number of races exploding -- there were only 300 marathons nationwide in 2000
-- now there are over 1,100!
So, is all this running an indicator of our nation's awesome health?
Not… really…
We're ALL told some exercise is better than no exercise, and in general that is true,
but according to new research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology,
too much of a good thing, can often be too much to bear.
According to the study, people who run at a "fast pace" more than four hours in a week,
spread over three sessions or more; had the same risk of death as those who were sedentary
and hardly exercised at all.
Basically, sitting on your couch and doing nothing is unhealthy.
Sedentary people risk heart disease, obesity and other health problems, but running 240
minutes per week -- or almost 35 minutes per day -- carries the SAME RISK.
Shocking, I know.
Yogging came on to the scene in the 70s, It's not a soft J…
Okay, Jogging, then.
That sounds weird, but whatever.
But this avid running increased the mortality rate.
According to this same study though, it's easy to fix: JUST RUN LESS and SLOWER.
See, those who ran more than 2.5 hours in a week, over three or more sessions; at a
fast pace had a mortality rate of 66%.
But those who ran 1 to 2.4 hours a week, in LESS than three sessions; at a "slow to moderate
pace," had a significant reduction in that mortality.
In fact, "light jogging" has been shown to increase lifespan by 6.2 years for men and
5.6 for women.
Before you freak out, scientists controlled for sex, age, medical history, and lifestyle
factors like smoking and alcohol consumption.
They followed almost 20,000 people for 40 years and used this massive dataset to learn
about a variety of diseases -- including connecting JOGGING with health, and now "avid running"
with, well, not health.
According to their results, the graph is sort of an inverted U shape, with inactive, and
overactive at the bottom.
I immediately think of the benefits of coffee or wine -- one 8 ounce cup or glass is fine
-- but more than that and benefits decrease precipitously and you head into unhealthy
behaviorland.
But as a runner, I wonder what a "slow to moderate pace" is?
Right?
According to one of the researchers, the pace of "slow joggers corresponds to vigorous exercise,"
while the faster pace is "very vigorous exercise."
A doctor from UCLA who wasn't part of the research said we weren't meant to mountain
bike or marathon run every day -- and this research shows, if we want to live longer,
we probably shouldn't.
Other research states long-term strenuous exercise, like marathons and triathlons might
harm the heart.
But the risk is really low, heart attacks among marathoners is lower or equal to athletes
in other sports -- but there's very little to gain by simply exercising MORE and MORE.
This is in no way an attempt to dissuade people from marathons or vigorous exercise.
The benefits are there, we've reported on them, but everything in moderation, as they
say.
And definitely never just sit on the couch.
No way, José.
People who are physically active have a 30% lower risk of death, as opposed to those who
aren't.
So get off your butt a few times a week and walk, jog or whatever.
Just do something.