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subject: Running Yourself To Death [print this page]

Today I'm going to talk about running as a form of exercise, and why

I don't like it.

I see people of various sizes, shapes, and stripes running at almost

all times of the day and night, when I venture outside my bunker,

here on the island. As an orthopaedic surgeon, I got to see the

results of what consistant distance running does to the body, and it

ain't pretty.

Almost every joint in the body takes a beating from running, and

over time, that beating made many people candidates for the knee

and hip work that I did for over two decades, and when I was

finished rebuilding or replacing...it was time for another

specialist to take over. Long distance running, whether you're

doing it outside, or inside on a treadmill, is not a good idea.

There are one or two forms of running that will do you a lot of

good.

Both involve sprinting. Running short distances, as fast as you

can, is very beneficial to your body.

You can run regular sprints, or you can do hill sprints. If you

haven't done sprinting before, I would suggest the regular sprints

first. Hill sprinting is for those who have done some exercise

before. The incline puts more strain on the heart.

For beginners, you can start with 40 yards. You sprint 40 yards as

fast as you can...then rest for one minute...then repeat the

exercise 6-8 times...resting one minute in between.

At the intermediate level you can start at 60 yards...and do the

same thing.

If you're in really good shape...you can use 100 yards.

That's all you have to do, and the benefits of this far outweigh

running the pavement, or the treadmill, for hours. But be sure you

have good supportive shoes, to absorb the shock.

Long distance running doesn't just beat up your bones and

joints...it overheats your organs, particularly your liver and

kidneys, and this is not something you want to do on a regular

basis. It also, believe it or not, makes your heart and lungs

smaller, which isn't good in any circumstance--you'll lack reserve

capacity and that can be trouble.

We can learn a lot by watching animals in the wild here. Animals

never run to be running, and when they do run, it is always a

sprint. They sprint to catch prey, or to get away from predators:

lots of speed, for a short interval.

There are a lot of advocates of running, including some doctors,

who are just plain wrong on this issue. Sprinting will actually

develop reserve lung and heart capacity -- allowing them to deliver

large volumes of oxygenated blood to the heart, very rapidly, which

has all kinds of benefits, like preventing ischemia (oxygen

starvation of heart muscle) and improving your chances, in the

event of a heart attack. And it has none of the drawbacks of long

distance running.

You want to be healthy...be a sprinter.

by: Dr.Bill

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