Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Runner's high?

Sometimes I come across people who seriously think runners run because it makes them high in the same way heroin makes a heroin junky high. There are people out there who think runners do run because they are addicted to those natural highs the body produces when you exercise execcively. Need I say this is bullshit? Yes, runners talk about being addicted to run. But what they mean by that is just that it makes one feel good to exercise. The feeling of tiredness and the relaxation afterwards is pleasant. And it can be fun to run out there. Runners also sometimes use the term "Runner's high". By that they just mean the good spirits you can get into by exercising. But mostly it is just heavy work. It can sometimes feel as if you are never going to get through that 10k route you decided to run that day. And you can feel ever so heavy and not up to it. But once you get used to this way of getting your exercise nothing else seems to have the same effect.  Ok, maybe swimming or spinning. But running is one of the activities you burn most calories in shortest time. And if that is your goal, to burn calories, then running is the thing to engage in. Even if the time sometimes seems to stop when you are out there. It doesn't have anything to do with addiction to want to be in good shape. There are no negative overtones in wanting to reduce the risk of health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, overweight and musculo-skeletal problems. Running and walking are healthy physical activities for everyone.

No comments:

Post a Comment