At some point, we’ve all heard someone say, “Running is bad for your health!” Or, shockingly, maybe you’ve even heard yourself say it. Here’s what you can reply to Aunt Suzanne or your coworker Jacques when they swear you’d be better off staying on the couch. Stop kidding yourself, yes, running is good for your health.
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“All those sudden deaths in athletes freak me out, it still happens pretty often”
As dramatic as it sounds, sudden death in runners is, thankfully, extremely rare. According to a US study of more than 11 million runners, the rate of death from cardiac arrest during a race is 1 in 259,000 runners. In marathons, the risk is slightly higher, 1 in 158,000.
Those numbers need context. In France, around 40,000 people die from cardiac arrest every year. A bit over 2 million French runners take part in races annually, so statistically that’s about 8 fatal cardiac arrests in competition, which is barely 0.02% of all cardiac arrests recorded in France…
Running, even less than 50 minutes per week, can even cut the risk of premature death by 27%, according to that latest study.
“Running isn’t good for your health or your joints. Look, Francis can’t run anymore since his last marathon!”
It’s actually the opposite, running is good for your body and your health. With too much sedentary living, your body loses the abilities and functions nature gave it.
If you’ve ever had an arm or a leg immobilized for a long time, like after a fracture, you probably noticed how, in just a few weeks, your muscles can melt away. After that, you have to gradually recondition the limb.
Sedentary life may have turned the incredible machine that is your body into a giant slug. Little by little, your body adapts downward because if you don’t use certain functions, it “switches them off” to avoid wasting energy.
Humans were born to run, just watch kids sprinting barefoot through a park. But a sedentary adult isn’t adapted to running anymore, and that’s where many injuries come from.
It’s a bit like trying to speak a language you learned in middle school and then never used again for 20 years. You’ll almost have to start from scratch, but progress will come faster because you’ll still have a few basics left.
Running, like any sport, works the same way. If you’ve been inactive for five years, ease back in gradually. Listening to your body is essential, even more so when you’re getting back into training.
It’s not too late to start running!
It’s never too late to start running! Just look at Deirdre Larkin. This energetic grandmother started running at 78 to treat osteoporosis that medication couldn’t improve…
If Aunt Suzanne doesn’t want to start being active, that’s her choice. The only real obstacle is your will.
If you feel unusual pain, for example in your joints, try to see a healthcare professional who can identify the cause. It could be unsuitable shoes, coming back too fast, poor running form, a biomechanical issue, training too much, and more. Pain always has a reason, and the key to fixing it is often within you. An outside perspective can help you pinpoint the cause and remove it.
Now you’ve got a choice, either keep lying to yourself, or lace up your running shoes. Unleash your potential!