Running from our problems-The right thing to do?

The advent of the pandemic has affected our lives in so many ways that it is difficult to document them all. Like whack-a-mole, more and more of the effects of the spreading disease and the ensuing quarantine period are coming to the fore. Apart from rising mental illnesses, high unemployment rates, and skyrocketing cases of heart-disease induced by the stress that follows, there is a multitude of other aspects of our lives that have changed as well. 

One of the lesser talked about effects is the lack of team sports that followed as a result of the ongoing situation. Considering the need for social distancing and multiple regulations enforcing these cautionary measures, most team sports that kept us occupied and healthy have come to a complete halt. Not only are we forced to watch team sports without fans in the stadium, killing the atmosphere, but we are also stopped from participating in many of these team sports as well. Mothers are preventing their kids from going out to play basketball, football, hockey, and other team sports that are not exactly compliant with social distancing protocols. 

Because of this, things have changed when it comes to the realm of sports and working out. Gyms were closed and in a lot of the world, many gyms still remain closed. 

Swimming pools are also out of the picture at this point in time. Seeing that for many of us, the gym or the pitch are two places where we can workout and destress it is a double whammy that we can not then go here after being stopped from going to school, university or work to deal with the stress that this brings. Even if you have not been fired from your job or laid off, it is still not the best for one to be sitting in front of a laptop in one’s bed all day. 

Adapting to the new world

To fill this gap in most of our lives, individual sports and workouts not dependent on indoor spaces or being around other people are coming to the fore. With the advent of sports-science related books like “Born to Run” and the popularity of multiple marathons and ultramarathons, the sport of running has become more and more popular. In the US alone, sixty million people categorize themselves as runners. 

Recently, the world’s highest altitude road marathon happened in Khunjerab. More than a hundred international ultrarunners took part in the 50k run, with all pole positions being taken by Pakistani runners. 

So, Should you start too? Here are a few reasons to do so:

Weightloss? Yes, but not in the way you expect.

So the biggest reason for anyone to start running would be to lose weight. It is incredibly accessible, anyone can do it, even a lot of those that are impaired do it (disabled runners have achieved incredible feats of human endurance, despite the irony of that statement). As long as you have shoes with laces and some time on your hand you can start running at any time you want. So the debate goes that running or working out might not actually be the best way to lose weight, since typically, a runner would burn 400 calories running for half an hour. To put that into perspective, a happy meal is 470 calories. As infuriating as that sounds, do not lose hope. 

So how can this help you lose weight? The only workable way to lose weight is if you control your diet, but considering that the human body is evolved to do anything to hold on to your base weight, it is a tough call. The immense discipline required and the misery that follows is at most times too difficult for a lot of us. In comes, Young-Hwan Jo, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. He was intrigued by how his regular 45-minute runs always left him craving less food than usual. Being a neuroscientist, he decided to look into the matter and began a series of tests. The results showed that the reason for this phenomenon was actually more to do with our hormones than anything else. Contrary to intuition, running and other aerobic workouts cause a change in how our body regulates appetite. The suppression of appetite helps to prevent binging and other unhealthy feeding activity. This results in a caloric deficit that ends up in weight loss.

The Runner’s High

Ask any runner why they run, one of the first points they will make is the “runner’s high”. Apparently, it feels really good right after a tiring run. Mostly considered a myth in order to get more people into running, the idea of a runner’s high is actually rooted more in reality than in myth.

Runners high is said to be a euphoric feeling one gets after a run. Knowing what your body is being put through-pain and exhaustion, releases endorphins and other feel-good chemicals that leave one devoid of pain and anxiety the rest of the day, and much of the next. And to emphasize the term, german scientists have recently looked into the matter and discovered that the brain’s endocannabinoid system, the same one affected by THC in marijuana, may be responsible for producing the runners “high”, bringing a whole new meaning for the term.

This is one addiction that might actually be socially acceptable AND won’t kill you in a few years.

It runs in our genes

Many scientists studying evolution have come to the conclusion that we are evolved to run. Compared to our ancestors, we are incredibly efficient at covering long distances. It takes twice as many calories for apes to travel the same distance as modern humans. Our temperature regulatory systems and posture enables us to be one of the highest endurance animals in existence. And we do this to this day.

Consider Courtney Dauwalter, a former teacher from the United States, who was able to run 220 miles in three days. Even today, many tribes still use the method of endurance hunting (literally jogging after an animal until it dies of heat exhaustion) to get their food. 

In any case, be it for mental health purposes, for weight loss, or to get back in touch with our pastor with nature, putting on a pair of running shoes and heading out the door might be the way to go.