Running as a health panacea

I've gotten awfully fed up lately with people saying they need to lose weight and get in shape when they clearly have no motivation or intention to do so. Even more so is when people decide that they should start running to do so! For the sedentary individual looking to make a quick turnaround running is quite possibly the worst idea. Would you take the broken down jalopy behind your garage out to the track and try to go 150mph? Would you try to run a motocross race on a dirt bike with broken shocks? Then why subject your body to the same fate?

Running is a high impact sport that requires maximum coordination and puts stress on your muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and bones all at the same time! Not to mention that modern "running" shoes increase that stress 10 fold. But Jeff, it's just running? Granted running is a natural movement in the human repertoire, but what most people today consider running is anything but natural. Running is a skill like any other athletic movement that requires work to get right, and as such deserves our respect.So you really want to run? Okay, can you do ten body weight squats without coming up on your toes while also breaking the plane of the knee with the crease of your hip? Can you do ten real push ups? If you answered no, then you have no business running. But you could stand to get stronger.

Strength is the often overlooked key to running properly. Not only in running, but in our everyday movements. No, you don't have to lift huge barbells or join a gym to strength train. Body weight movements are challenging and demanding enough to elicit changes in the body. We are looking to improve ranges of motion, increase muscle mass and endurance, strengthen joints and ligaments, and look better while doing so. On top of these added benefits it's also possible to train aerobic and anaerobic pathways at the same time while strength training. Can the same be said for running only?

I also want to note that most runners who run to look better don't realize how backwards they are going. Aging is nothing more than oxidative stress over our lifetime, so when we exercise using oxidative pathways (distance running) we are prematurely aging ourselves! No bueno kids! If you don't believe me, just look at all the lifelong runners you know, or search marathon runners online. Chances are these people will all look advanced past their actual age.

When the time comes where you become strong enough to begin running, I would recommend finding footwear as close to being barefoot as possible and look into the POSE method. You will minimize the harmful effects on the body this way. Also keep most of your runs shorter. Sprinting is my preferred method of running. It's quick, fun, and packs a hormonal punch toward changing the body.

The bottom line of this post is getting strong should be your first objective toward physical activity if you are serious about change. Running is in fact not the panacea that it's painted to be!

Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments.