Scientists claim jogging can be harmful

[Lek]

I was a jogger for years and I did it because I thought it kept me fit and competitive. I didn't care so much about how long I lived, but what shape I was in now and also when I got old. After I developed foot injuries caused and agitated by running I was forced to reconsider the benefit of it. I figured if I kept at it, eventually I wouldn't even be able to walk, let alone run. When I thought about it, I realized that our bodies are made for walking most of the time and for running in short spurts to avoid danger or pursue game, as with the early hunters. Our body's design doesn't lend itself to running long distances over and over. I began fast walking and breaking into a sprint every so often. If I'm on a treadmill at the gym, I keep it in manual mode and use the incline a lot. Every 5 minutes I kick it up to 10-11 mph and go for 30-60 seconds. Along with my strength training, it keeps me in excellent shape and my feet, knees, back, etc. feel great - and I can still run if I need to.

[psychoslice]

I agree with the report, whenever I see someone on TV who has lived over or to 100 years, is never a sports person or someone who did a lot of exercising, its always the average person who likes a drink or two of alcohol and who have a great positive philosophy on life.

[ManMachine]

People who sweat and slave in extreme workouts in the hope that they will live longer may be unwittingly harming themselves, according to US researchers.

Those do moderate exercise - amounting to two to three hours of running a week - live the longest, while people running a lot, and those who do none at all, both have shorter lifespans, Health Day reported.

While scientists are uncertain as to why this is the case, they believe it could be linked to how jogging affects heart health.

Dr Martin Matsumura, who led the study, said he does not tell people not to go running on the basis of the research

“What we still don't understand is defining the optimal dose of running for health and longevity,” he told Health Day.

Dr James O’Keefe, director of preventive cardiology at the Mid-American Heart Institute in Kansas City who reviewed the research, said that "wear and tear" inflicted on people's bodies when they do a lot of running could explain the results.

He advised that runners should aim for about two and a half hours of slow to moderate paced running a week.

“If you want to run a marathon, run one and cross it off your bucket list,” he added.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/...33877.html

As an avid jogger, I do not particularly care if it shortens my lifespan. I am not aiming to live to be an old man anyway.

AND...

Saturated fats may not all be bad for you...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/health...rmful.html

All we need is for smoking and alcohol to be found to be good for you and all will be right with the universe.

MM