Farewell 2023

Sunset at Cowrie beach, Melbourne

Time really has flown by. It's the last day of the year as I type this final post for 2023 in Melbourne, Australia.

As the sun sets on 2023 and we welcome 2024 on the horizon, here are some of my thoughts before we ring in the new year. 

I sustained a paper cut on my finger last week while leafing through some books and magazines. The cut is super tiny, almost invisible but still hurts a fair bit. 

This is always an analogy that I give my patients about the many injuries and the subsequent pain they feel. The pain is not always proportional to the actual tissue damage . Remember this the next time you hurt your neck , back, knee or roll your ankle. Or other body parts.

For those of you who have eaten too much (like me) over the festive season and not kept up with your regular exercise routines,  here are some suggestions for getting in some activity no matter where you are: 

Find and do any exercise you enjoy. Some (or even a tiny bit) is better than none. More is almost always better. Walking and climbing stairs count too. 

Both weight (or strength) training and aerobic training are important but the best exercise is the one that gets done.

Whatever amount of exercise you are capable of today, that will be enough. Do that amount. Just start.

At Ripples N Tonic farmstay

Have a great 2024! 

Big Benefits From Minimal Running

Picture by J White - Fishery Bay, South Australia from Flickr

I wrote briefly last week that moderate exercise boosts immunity and makes you less likely to fall sick. So just how much (or should I say how little) do you need to run before you reap the benefits of running?

Well, you'll be pleasantly surprised to know that running just 5-10 minutes a day at really slow speeds is sufficient to reduce your risk of dying from all causes and cardiovascular disease.

That means you'll just have to run 4-5 miles (or 6-8 km) a week  at 11:00 to 12:00 minutes per mile (or 2:45 to 3:00 min of one round around your local 400m track) to reap significant benefits. In fact, runners who run less than an hour a week gain the same benefits as those who run more than 3 hours a week.

Runners were found to have reduced risks of up to 30 % for all-cause mortality and 45 % for cardiovascular mortality. A group of "persistent runners" who kept running for 6 years enjoyed greater than the above mentioned benefits. Women  appear to get substantially more benefit than men.

The above mentioned results were based on a study of 55, 000 adults (average age 44). They were followed up for an average of 15 years. Key comparisons were runners versus non runners, different speeds of running, weekly mileage and running frequencies.

This study is receiving wide coverage and being hailed as a landmark study on the benefits of running.

This study should motivate all healthy but sedentary individuals to start and continue running.

Reference

Lee D, Pate RR et al (2014). Leisure-time Running Reduces All-cause And Cardiovascular Mortality Risk.
J Am Colleage Cardiol. 64(5): 472-481. doi:10.10106/j.jacc.2014.04.058.