

Want to live a long life? Run - pavel
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1137903420080812?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

======
13ren
This story is making the rounds, but as presented, it doesn't distinguish
cause and correlation. Maybe the people who enjoy running are the ones who
were fit in the first place? eg. if you have bad joints and a bad heart, you
probably won't enjoy running much. Therefore, runners are healthier...

Of course, the causation theory is very appealing, and I personally find I
feel _much_ better, and have greater intelligence, when I exercise
aerobically. I definitely intend to keep at it... and suggest you do too. :-)

 _EDIT_ from page 2: "People who took up exercise when they were older also
improved their health" - that suggests causation, but it also depends on _who_
took up the exercise. Perhaps the people who responded well to it.

~~~
cdr
My current understanding is that running is way better than no exercise, but
that other forms of exercise are quite likely better for your long-term health
because of the impact stress running puts on your knees, feet, etc.

~~~
wallflower
One of the best forms of exercise is swimming. Near zero-impact on joints. For
those of you who think they can't learn how to swim, check out Total
Immersion's zen-like, go with the water method.
(<http://www.totalimmersion.net>). I learned how to swim freestyle through
their video. Most swimming courses emphasize using your arms like paddle
wheels to plow through the water, while TI emphasizes swimming much like fish
and advanced swimmers do, by propelling from the core. TI is harder to learn
but more efficient once you learn by progressing through their balance and
core propulsion drills.

~~~
parenthesis
I really like swimming. But the chlorine compound (or whatever) in swimming-
pool water affects my skin. So I can't swim regularly.

~~~
Shooter
Chlorine is by far the most common pool cleaner, but not the only option. Some
pools use other methods like ozonation and UV sterilization. Neither of these
would bother your skin. Pools like this are admittedly much harder to find,
but if you really want to swim it might be worth the effort to track one down.
I have a friend that bought an 'endless pool' that uses ozonation technology
because of a chlorine allergy.

If you use soap and shampoo that are specially formulated to remove chlorine
after you swim, it will also help you immensely. Most of the bad effects of
chlorine for your skin are from longer-term exposure. Of course, you still
have the carcinogen issue...but you can minimize that somewhat by swimming in
a cooler temp pool with cool ambient air.

~~~
parenthesis
Thanks for that.

Your comment prompted me to find this international list of non- and low-
chlorine pools: <http://piscinasana.blogspot.com/> .

------
swombat
An element that's missing from this analysis is the quality of that time.

In my experience, doing regular exercise greatly, _greatly_ increases the
quality of my life. I feel generally happier, more energetic, more determined,
more optimistic, etc.

My mother (over 55) took up cycling up a huge hill every day on her way back
from work since a month or so ago, and, predictably, she's reporting the same
result. She feels _much_ better than she did before she started cycling up
that hill every day.

Doing regular exercise is really a no-brainer. Even as a time-poor start-up
founder, the benefits of exercise to your start-up (increased energy,
wakefulness, optimism) are huge. The question is not whether you can afford
the time to exercise, but whether you can afford _not_ to exercise.

------
biohacker42
My memory fades, so take this ancient Greek proverb with a grain of salt:

If you want to be healthy run, if you want to be strong run, if you want to be
beautiful run, if you want to be smart run.

And indeed it has been shown that exercise improves mental ability.

~~~
silentbicycle
This isn't specific to running, of course. Just pick a form of exercise and do
it regularly. Being in shape is good for _everything_.

I don't like running, it makes my knees ache. Now, bicycling on the other
hand...

~~~
kajecounterhack
Hmm I'm a runner and tried biking...but hurt my knees

lol different strokes for different folks!

~~~
silentbicycle
If biking hurts your knees, your bike is probably the wrong size / needs to be
adjusted. Your legs might be bowed outward too much, your feet may be turned
in or out (putting pressure on the knee while slightly twisted, bad news),
your seat might be too low, etc. Running around with your knees bent almost 90
deg. will make them ache very quickly, riding a bike too small for you is very
similar.

(You may also be riding in too high a gear. Spinning in a fairly high RPM is
best, fighting against a heavy gear is hard on the knees.)

Any bike shop worth its lingering rubber smell should be able to help you find
a bike that fits like a glove. If you don't enjoy cycling, that's one thing,
but don't write it off just because you tried it on the wrong bike. Running in
shoes three sizes too small probably wouldn't be any fun either. :)

------
vlad
The most important feature of exercise is that the participant is not doing
something unhealthy in place of it. For example, slowly walking around the
neighborhood over a period of two hours is awesome--even if it's low-impact.
Slow, low impact exercise benefits everyone, even superstar athletes, even if
all it does at that level is simply keep an athlete away from trouble. Same
deal for people who are out of shape.

Proceeding along the same line of thought, even slow, low-impact exercise
benefits participants in avoiding the reinforcement of unhealthy behavior. Not
only is one avoiding a day of a bad habit, but they're helping to completely
break the habit, as well.

Next, of course, is that any slow, low-impact exercise helps the body replace
previous bad habits with new ones. Future exercise is easier to do. One cannot
just break a habit; they must find something else to do in place of it.

What is exercise? One can say that it's an activity that isn't unhealthy,
regardless of specific activity. If one can't call an activity "exercise",
then very likely, not only is it not neutral, it's specifically unhealthy.
Otherwise, it would be called exercise--walking, jogging, dancing, swimming,
participating in team sports, strolling, mowing the lawn, working outside,
etc. Activities that cannot be described as physical exercise should be
replaced with those that can, and they don't have to be super strenuous. I
think exercise has evolved to mean "running for twenty minutes a day, three
times a week" when it can also be "five hours of any kind of bodily motion
every single day."

------
prakash
Diet is probably a larger factor than exercising in living a long life. If you
have to pick one I would go with diet.

Also, here's a different perspective from Arthur De Vany:

 _Death by Exercise: The Aging Running Generation_ :
<http://www.arthurdevany.com/?p=797>

~~~
koblas
That's a fairly inconclusive link, somebody died who led a full life. They
accomplished many things and lived their passions.

A interesting tidbit in today's NY Times (AP story)
[http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-MED-Healthy-
Obesit...](http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-MED-Healthy-Obesity.html)
points out that BMI and risk factors are not necessarily connected.

At the end of the day, if you want to live a long life... live healthy. Or:
Reduce Stress, Exercise, Eat Well and Smile.

~~~
sammyo
And choose grandparents that lived a long life.

------
kajecounterhack
If you exercise you're more likely to be health-conscious about what you eat
too, which can contribute to long life.

Just another one of those things.

------
nraynaud
Ok and if you speak French, go running and then tell your mom on
<http://trainoo.com> :-)

------
weegee
run on dirt. run on pavement and you'll wreck your knees.

~~~
yummyfajitas
Run on dirt (except very flat dirt) and you mess up your ankles.

~~~
silentbicycle
Run on sentences and you mess up your clarity. ;)

