What if Running Wasn’t so Hard?

As a cross country coach for the past six years, I have had the opportunity to hear a lot of people’s running stories and aspirations. One of the most common stories I've heard is about the person who loved running all throughout his or her childhood and early adulthood, but then a dreaded injury prevented any hopes of running very much again in the future. The other story I've heard is about the person who hasn’t ever gotten into running – and wants to – but is afraid that it will be too painful or too much work to adopt as a new lifestyle habit.

Each of these situations has always troubled me. Even as chiropractor, I have only been able to help runners heal from injuries and strengthen their bodies. Not until recently have I been equipped with the knowledge to truly attack the problem at its source: the runner’s form. In Danny Dreyer’s Chi Running method, a system of running has been developed to utilize the body’s natural strengths for running, without placing the undue pressure on muscles and joints that can lead to injuries.

The following are some of the general principles of Chi Running:

• Proper form and strong core strength allow you to relax your arms and legs while running. Most people think they have to exert a tremendous amount of energy from their legs in order to run fast. This simply isn’t true. Running smoother is faster and more efficient that running harder.

• You can’t finish a race in one stride. Having the correct stride length can dramatically decrease your chances of injury. Over-striding can lead to IT band, knee, and ankle problems. By shortening your stride, you may have to take a few more steps in the short-term, but it will allow you to take more strides in years to come.

• The same rules apply for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you have run 20 marathons or if you just want to do the Beef Days Fun Run. These running tips can help at any age, gender, or competition level. The most important part is to get from one place to another with less effort and fewer injuries.

In order to help all runners, from beginners to seasoned veterans, I will be hosting a Chi Running Workshop at Fitzpatrick Family Chiropractic on Saturday, August 1st at 10:00 a.m.. We will be going through the Chi Running DVD, practicing the different skills presented in the video, and taking a short run through the Windflower Lane development to apply the Chi Running principles. Registration is at 9:30 a.m. and the cost is $5.00. The registration fee will benefit the Solon Outdoor Events Center. Everyone is invited!

Heart Health is Brain Health

Our brains can only work well when it has an ample supply of oxygen and fuel. This is why heart health is essentially brain health. Your brain is only as good the plumbing (heart and blood vessels). Now here is the exciting part, imagine that when they needed to repair I-80, they not only patched up the interstate, but actually built adjacent roads to decrease traffic and congestion. That’s exactly what the body does within 2 hours of working out. The body releases chemicals to repair and build brand new blood vessels, particularly in the brain after as little as 30 minutes of moderate exercise. With more healthy blood vessels, the brain gets more oxygen and fuel and you are able to concentrate, learn, and think better.

Bouncing Back from Injury

There has been a lot of news in recent weeks about failing solutions to pain and discomfort. First, it was the tragic news of Michael Jackson’s death and the surrounding stories of his dependence on pain-killing drugs. Additionally, the FDA announced lowering the maximum recommended dosage of Tylenol and Excedrin due to these pain relievers’ main ingredient, acetaminophen, being the leading cause of liver failure in the US.

Both of these stories clearly demonstrate how the dangerous nature of an over-reliance on medication can have serious implications on our bodies and minds. By all means, I’m not advocating that everyone throw away their meds. However, I believe it is important to examine our own dependence on pain relievers to simply get through our everyday activities.

So if we are not going to pop a pill, what should we do? Here are some suggestions:

· Ice: Nature’s own form of anti-inflammatory pain reliever. Ice helps to reduce swelling of a new or re-injured area and provides its own pain relieving effects.
· Diet: One way to avoid so much inflammation is to replace pro-inflammatory foods like sugars and white breads with anti-inflammatory foods like whole grains and vegetables. Some of the best anti-inflammatory foods contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Foods like salmon, cod, and sardines are rich with this inflammation-reducing “good fat.” You can also get your Omega-3s with a fish oil supplement.
· Chiropractic: At the root of most inflammation are damaged joints and irritated nerves. Whether it’s twisting an ankle on the basketball court or looking up at fireworks too long, your joints can become stuck out of alignment and aggravate the tissues around them, leading to that dreaded inflammation. By restoring the proper movement and position of each joint, chiropractic adjustments allow the inflammation to dissipate, leaving you much less susceptible to re-injury.

Hopefully, these latest news stories will be reminders for us to only take the amount of medications prescribed by our doctors and help realize that our daily aches and pains don’t have to be met with a dependency on drugs. With the proper use of ice, diet, and chiropractic, a much better way of life is available to you.

The Smart Jock

A lot has changed in our educational system since the enactment of No Child Left Behind. We have all seen or heard the news stories of schools shutting down their music, arts, and physical education departments in order for students to spend more time preparing for their tests. According to John Ratey's lastest book, Spark, some schools, however, have taken a different approach. Instead of reducing PE time like a majority of schools (only 6% of US high schools currently have daily PE), they not only have increased PE time, but they have taken a different approach to it as well.
Consider the example of the Naperville, Illinois School District: In 1990, they revised the PE program to measure an individual student’s physical effort using heart rate monitors instead of traditional athletic benchmarks of mile times and number of chin-ups. The emphasis on daily individual fitness rather than athletic achievements has led to some dramatic results. In 2002, only 3% of Naperville’s freshman class was overweight or obese compared to the national average of 30%.

However, the most outstanding results weren’t measured in pounds, but rather in test scores. In 1999, the Naperville students took the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). This is a test administered to students all over the world to measure knowledge in math and science. This exam is often referenced by those who state that America is falling behind Asian countries in these two subjects. While that may be true for much of the country (ranking 18th in science and 19th in math), it doesn’t apply to Naperville, whose students finished 1st in science and 6th in math worldwide.

How did these students do it? At Naperville, students have PE every day for the entire year. They do more cardio fitness than most other schools by running mile once a week and participating in small group sports like 3-on-3 basketball or 4-on-4 soccer. Students are then graded upon their ability to maintain heart rates in a targeted range (according to their age, height and weight) each day. In order to keep students interested, the schools offer 18 different activities so students can find something in which they both excel and enjoy – and most importantly, will continue to do throughout their lives.

So where is the connection between exercise and getting smarter? When we exercise for as little as 30 minutes at moderate intensity, our bodies release their own form of “Miracle-Gro”. These are actually enzymes that target the growth and connection of new brain cells. Similar to a garden hose applicator for plant food, these natural growth chemicals can’t get on the plants until the hose is turned on. When we exercise, we pump more blood and allow the body's “Miracle-Gro” to be showered on our brain cells. For a period of two hours after we work out, we are able learn and develop new skills more easily and retain the information for a longer period of time. This is why Naperville's system involves scheduling students' most challenging academic courses immediately following PE.

The link between exercise and “Miracle-Gro for the brain” is just one of the many benefits that we can gain through regular physical activity. For more information, check out John Ratey’s latest book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain and http://www.pe4life.com/ to learn more about the benefits of exercise for yourself and your children.