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Lead Stories: Friday, November 21, 2008

Does your heart get tired when running and/or during other types of exercise?

Posted March 26th, 2007 at 9:59 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

A healthy heart is so strong that it is almost never a cause of tiredness during exercise.

Tiredness during exercise comes from your muscles. They run out of fuel or out of oxygen. Skeletal muscles use both fat and sugar for energy.

When your muscles run out of their stored sugar supply, called glycogen, they cannot contract and function adequately. You feel tired, your muscles hurt and you have difficulty coordinating them.

On the other hand, your heart muscle gets energy directly from fat and sugar in your blood and even from a breakdown product of metabolism called lactic acid. It is virtually impossible for the heart muscle to run out of fuel unless you are starving to death.
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Will exercising at night keep me from sleeping?

Posted January 3rd, 2007 at 7:00 AM by Martha Jones

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

Many fitness instructors give bad advice when they tell you not to exercise within three hours before going to sleep. Several studies show that exercising vigorously before going to bed does not interfere with sleep.

One study from the University of California at San Diego showed that three hours of vigorous pedaling at 70 percent of maximum oxygen uptake in very bright lights did not stop fit men from falling or staying asleep.
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Energy Drinks: To drink or not to drink? That is the question . . .

Posted November 17th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Health & Fitness

Energy drinks are quickly becoming our favorite weapon for dealing with our fast-paced and stressful lives. They are convenient, work well and can even taste great. As a matter of fact, Red Bull and other energy drinks have become a true savior for those among us who dislike the taste of coffee, but who also could use that extra boost from caffeine. With all of the “natural” ingredients that the energy drink companies have added to their beverages - won’t we gain energy and become healthier at the same time? Unfortunately . . . (Brace Yourself!) . . . the answer is . . . NO!

Suzanne Farrell, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, believes that there is no substantial evidence proving that the ingredients in energy drinks actually do what the manufacturers advertise them to do. In addition, the caffeine and sugar intakes from these products can be detrimental to your health. Read the rest of this entry »

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Those Middle Age Running Pains

Posted May 25th, 2006 at 2:31 AM by Arthur Rosen

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Training Tips

Right now, as I write this, everything hurts. Limbs, organs, even my blood is in pain. I have just finished running the marathon and although there were 37,000 others pounding the streets doing exactly the same as me, I can’t believe that anybody feels the way I do right now. I feel so much worse than anyone, than everyone else. Alongside me were people from every walk of life. The website for the NYC Marathon listed every runner’s profession: there were teachers, accountants, lawyers, actors, military personal all going through a uniquely unpleasant experience. And watching the competitors struggle all around, fighting exhaustion, cramp and dehydration as they ran further than the body is built to run, there was something very familiar about the procession of self-inflicted agony. The marathon takes on so many different meanings. It is about making a public statement of sacrifice, telling the world that you are tough enough to sustain significant pain.

Looking around me as I staggered and occasionally walked along the course, particularly the Queensboro Bridge that felt unending, it seemed to be only people of a certain age who needed to make such a statement. I didn’t spot many who were under 30 (though maybe that is because everyone looks old after they have run 26.2 miles). Statistics tell us that the average age of the non-elite marathon runner is 41. In the past, the onset of middle age was marked by a sudden interest in gardening or golf, as if one could compensate for declining personal fertility by growing things instead or hitting a little white ball while a cigar dangles from your mouth. Now we challenge the ageing process by doing the most unnaturally strenuous physical activity, just to prove that we still can.

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Crunch Time - ‘Worry, Set, Go!’

Posted May 23rd, 2006 at 8:00 AM by Arthur Rosen

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Training Tips

I train endless hours climbing up and down the hills, the speedwork, the tempo runs, the long runs, the recovery days. How many miles did I log this week? Sixty? Seventy? The humidity got to me this week, I felt like I was dragging myself. The rain helped cool me off but it did raise some blisters that will need my attention for at least a week. My legs aren’t fully recovered from last week’s mileage, my knees hurt, what’s that pain I feel in my arch? Will my lower back ever stop hurting? Will it heal by marathon day? I must go on. I’ve put too much into my training not to run the marathon next month. I swear it will be the last one. I will be prepared. I am ready to prove to myself once again how much I have in me, that I am ready, that I will be the best that I can be.

“The marathon is the reward for all of this training” they say.

Finally it’s taper time. Let’s bring down the mileage. I need that. My legs so badly need that. I am starting to feel a bit antsy as I’m not running as much as I have the last few weeks. I’m feeling fat. I want so badly to run more and damn the taper! Stay lean, stay healthy, keep hydrating, keep that “edge”. Did I carb-load enough? Did I eat the right foods? Did I do the past eighteen weeks all right, will someone tell me if I did it right damn it! I don’t know! I’m confident but I’m nervous, so nervous that I hardly got any sleep last night. Drink, go to the bathroom, drink some more, go to the bathroom some more. Are my laces knotted right? Is the chip on properly? Everyone standing around me is running, stretching, drinking. Why does everyone look more fit than me? Am I really deserving to run in this race? I’m feeling pumped, my stomach is in a knot, but the day is here and it’s a perfect day. Pace right, drink often, run your race. Ready, set, go!

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