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HEALTH AND FITNESS MAY TOP THE LIST OF PERSONAL ISSUES TO ADDRESS IN JANUARY for many. After an indulgent holiday season that may have lasted as long as 7 weeks, there’s motivation to adhere to stricter diet and exercise routines. To get back on track with regular physical activity schedules and sensible meals. At least until mid-February.
Researchers in Copenhagen, Denmark have found evidence that splurging in December has a hidden health effect that provides another reason to shed holiday pounds and resume exercising. A New York Times piece reported on the work of senior author Dr. Anne Langsted, whose team studied over 25,000 persons in Copehagen, age 20 to 100 (average 59 years). For 3 successive years, serum levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in about half this population increased significantly, into the “unhealthy range”, immediately after the Christmas season when measured in the first week of January compared with levels over the whole year. The article provides other details. The authors concluded, “Celebrating Christmas is associated with higher levels of total and LDL cholesterol; Celebrating Christmas is associated with a higher risk of hypercholesterolemia; and diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia should not be made around Christmas. Dr. Lansgsted, quoted in the NYT item, indicated that a “steady high cholesterol is what’s dangerous. We can’t say for sure, but the peaks at Christmas may not be so important if you have a good level the rest of the year.” The conclusions warn doctors not to make a diagnosis of high blood cholesterol based on what might be temporarily high lipid test results, if measured early in January. The findings should also encourage patients, to step up efforts to get back into shape, in order to more quickly bring down potentially higher post-holiday levels. The results reported in this Danish study group may not apply to all other populations. But those of us who admit to indulgent holiday eating and reduced physical activity during this time might be willing to take it on faith that resuming healthier habits ASAP is a smart move. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/well/eat/cholesterol-holidays-fat-diet.html “The Christmas holidays are immediately followed by a period of hypercholesterolemia” Signe Vedel-Krogh, Camilla J. Kobylecki, Børge G. Nordestgaard, Anne Langsted https://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0021-9150(18)31542-9/pdf
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DIFFERENT HILL SESSIONS HAVE DIFFERENT BENEFITS Running hills as a training tactic to boost race performance seems to pop up rather frequently in advice to competitors. Articles on the topic generally describe different types of hill workouts. Before reading Jeff Gaudette’s piece “Hit the Hills, Reap the Benefits” for running.competitor.com, I thought any hill workout would help me be faster running or walking a hilly race course. That any would make me stronger and aerobically fitter. Likely this is the first article I read carefully enough, but the point has been lost on me until now. Gaudette describes just 3 hill workouts and the specific benefits of performing each.
Below is a glimpse into what he says in the article. To get full benefit of the coach’s expert advice, read the entire piece. Short Explosive Sprints: Gaudette is careful in emphasizing the purpose of this drill. Specifically, that it is not designed to build fitness. Physiologically it won’t make you a better hill runner either. “These types of hill sprints are designed to activate and improve the function of the neuromuscular system and increase maximal stroke volume in the heart.” Long Hill Repeats: This traditional hill workout does build strength and aerobic fitness says Gaudette. It is “fantastic for improving VO2max and increasing muscle strength” and can “almost” be considered a “form of strength training”, he says in the article. For those who tend to keep putting off formal strength sessions, hill training may be a way to sneak some muscle building work into a training schedule. But, he warns, repeated long hill workouts won’t make you faster in a race with a hilly course Rolling Hills: This workout, Gaudette indicates, IS THE ONE THAT WILL ‘REAP BENEFITS’ on race day if tackling hills is required. If looking to improve your ability to master hills on race day, “incorporating rolling hills into your threshold and long runs is the best solution.” If interested in hill repeats, check out Gaudette’s short article to find which one of 3 he describes might suit your purpose RUN & MOVE HAPPY! [WALKERS: It’s not clear whether performing these workouts walking will translate to the same outcomes as running. Certainly, the intensity of effort will be increased. ] [NO HILLS? Some of us live in places where hills of different sizes and grade are difficult to find. Check out the OH! THE PLACES YOU’LL GO page for some assistance. Parking structure ramps can provide a kind of hills workout. Treadmills inclines can be increased for this purpose. Runners in flat locations have reported that the sides of hills that form highway entrance and exit ramps can work, but safety could be a huge issue. However, perhaps this bit of information will help brainstorm the problem. In downtown Cleveland, I found a I-90 entrance ramp that had an adjacent sidewalk, separated from traffic by a low wall that was safe. Another possible ‘hill’: large urban sports stadiums which have built ramps to replace stairs, to enable barrier-free fan access to topmost seating sections] https://running.competitor.com/2018/11/training/hit-the-hills-reap-the-benefits_44838 https://www.active.com/running/articles/hit-the-hills-for-running-speed-870233 http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3760775 |
BRIDGE TO PHYSICAL SELF
Running, walking, and fitness activities enable us to experience our physical selves in a world mostly accessed through use of fingers on a mobile device. AuthorEARNED RUNS is edited and authored by me, runner and founder. In 1978 I began participating in 10K road races before 5Ks were common. I've been a dietitian, practiced and taught clinical pathology, and been involved with research that utilized pathology. I am fascinated with understanding the origins of disease as well as health and longevity. Archives
November 2023
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