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Lead Stories: Sunday, November 23, 2008

ASK FLASH: Aging, flexibility, staying active & a Happy Sloth

Posted April 20th, 2007 at 6:57 PM by Joshua Flash Gordon

Section: Columns, Health & Fitness, Exercise, Ask Flash

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Q. Are young children more flexible than adults because they are active? ~ Inflexible in Bend, Arkansas

kids running A. According to Mom’s Team, flexibility varies for children as part of development. There is a period of time where their bones grow faster than their muscles and they actually lose flexibility. So, there is likely more at play than mere activity levels when it comes to flexibility differences between children and adults. In addition, the word ‘active’ should probably be used loosely with kids today because when you think about the excessive TV and video game time that consumes many of their lives.
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How to Start a Running Program

Posted October 14th, 2006 at 1:03 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

This post contains very pertinent and wise advice for true beginners. It is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin and was originally published on his blog: “Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin”.

If you think you would enjoy jogging or running, here’s how to get started. First, check with your doctor and get a good pair of running shoes. Start out by jogging slowly until your legs feel heavy or hurt or you feel tired. Then stop for the day, even if you have taken only a few steps. Do this every day or every other day. You should be able to work up to the point where you can jog slowly for at least 20 minutes. If you’re happy with this program, you don’t have to go any further. However, if you want to improve, follow the training methods that competitive runners use.