Every time I’m getting ready to go for a run I can hear my dad’s voice in the back of my head saying, “You’re better off jumping around for an hour instead of going for a run, it’s so bad for you’re knees!” Ever since my father said this to me, I have been curious if running is actually bad for you but never actually looked into it. Is running really bad for you? Does it have more negative effects then positive? We’ll see!
We have runners, people who love to partake in marathons and all that fun runner stuff; and then we have people who run in moderation— short distances here and there, and then there are those that don’t run at all. Are the runners healthier or is it too much running harming their health? According to an editorial recently published in the British journal Heart, “People who work out too hard for too long may be less healthy than sedentary people, and are more likely to die than moderate exercisers.”
An observational study was conducted to study the risk that comes with running, or in some cases; the benefit. According to Active, 52,000 people were tracked by a number of researchers for over 30 years. To me, these numbers seem insane. I do not understand how someone could track that many people for that long of a time frame; I believe this leaves room for error. Alex Hutchison says,“It suffers from a serious error in statistical analysis: the failure to distinguish between confounding variables and mediating variables.” There could be another variable z linking running and health together, such as, other exercise, family history and etc. Continuing on, the study showed the runners of the experiment had as much as a 19% death risk rate lower than people who didn’t run. Runners are also said to have a greater buildup of coronary plaque which can lead to heart disease.
Another study tested heart attack survivors. About 2,000 of them ran to a certain extent and it actually benefitted their survival. As the distance of running increased, the benefits began to decrease. 6.5 miles a day is where we should draw the line.
So taking into consideration the question,“Is running bad for you.”I found in these studies that running and exercising is good for you up to a certain extent, just like everything else. Pushing yourself too far can break you down in the long run. Running in moderation is the best choice, but if you choose to run excessively it is better than not running at all. Exercising makes you healthier and can actually cause you to live longer, if you choose not to exercise you can die prematurely; take action now.
Overall, I think running is good for your health as far as keeping you in shape; however, it can be very damaging to your knees. I used to run all the time but I didn’t always stretch properly which is why my knees are now are in very bad condition. As long as you know what you’re doing, running should definitely be beneficial health-wise.
I found the study that involved the heart attack survivors really surprising. I thought that running would actually be bad for them because it would put more strain on their heart. I don’t agree that running in moderation (as you defined as “shorter distances here and there”) is the healthiest option. Of course it is more healthy than doing nothing but I think marathon runners are extremely healthy. In my opinion, they are more healthy than people who run occasionally. Here is an article on why running marathons is good for you. http://www.active.com/running/articles/6-reasons-to-run-a-marathon
I run all the time but I never thought that running may be bad for you. However, I did hear that running at late night is bad for you. I am so glad I read this blog because next time I go for a run, I will remember the thing you mentioned in this blog. Here is an article about the pros and cons of running at night. http://www.examiner.com/article/running-at-night-pros-and-cons-part-i
Other than not eating correctly to make up for all of the exercise, I can’t see why running a lot would be bad for your internal health. I know that running isn’t the best on your knees, and that many professional runners have major joint problems later in life. But I can’t imagine why, if done properly, running a lot would be harmful. This is definitely something that should be looked into further.
Just like anything too much of something is never good for you. Water the thing we all need to survive can kill you if you drink too much of it. Running for very long distances like marathons is good for the sense of accomplishment but running a marathon is very bad for you. Everything in moderation.
This is an interesting post! I’m not a fan of running at all but I never knew it could hurt you. As I was reading your article I was wondering if walking has the same effect.
Too much of literally anything is bad for you, and this is made evident in this article. I know runners get a runner’s high from long distance running but it isn’t enough to support overdoing yourself.
I agree with, Justin. But I would like to add on to what he said. I can see how someone who runs too often could be damaging muscles or bones because of wear and tear. But, I can only see it harming ones body and causing decreased health if poor eating habits accompany “over-running”. If someone has healthy eating habits I would imagine that they would be replenishing their weak muscles after a run.
I never realized that running could possibly be bad for you, but I guess too much of anything can be bad. 6.5 miles a day seems like a lot to me but I didn’t think that it could be so much that it has negative affects. Ill think twice before my next marathon.
I never expected running to be bad for you in this many ways. Although running might have its cons, you run in almost every sport and physical activity. For example, running cant be worse for you than football, cause in football you have to run, plus worry about injury risks. Running was always my quick way to exercise, but know i might think twice as to how many times I go for a run