Health, Lifestyle & Fitness

16 Apr 2009 12:15 PM

The mere thought of running with a splitting headache makes me nauseous. However, according to a new study, I could avoid getting headaches all together, if I ran even more.

Okay, maybe a 10-mile run won't completely eliminate my headaches, but researchers maintain that a well-constructed fitness program can decrease the frequency of headaches and improve quality of life.

The new study used a sample of migraine sufferers who were examined before, during and after an extensive aerobic exercise routine featuring continuous indoor cycling. The cardio regime was designed to improve maximal oxygen uptake without worsening the patients' migraines.

According to researchers, after the treatment period, patients' maximum oxygen uptake increased significantly. In addition, there was no worsening of migraine status at any time during the study period. However, researchers say the most noteworthy finding came during the last month of treatment, when patients described experiencing a significant decrease in the number of migraine attacks, the number of days with migraines per month, headache intensity and the amount of headache medication used.

The study's lead author noted that individuals with headaches, particularly those who suffer migraines, typically shy away from exercising. Researchers say of the 300 study participants they interviewed most were less physically active than those who didn't experience headaches on a regular basis.

"While the optimal amount of exercise for patients with migraine remains unknown, our evaluated program can now be tested further and compared to pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments to see if exercise can prevent migraines," the study's lead author noted.

The study also found that migraine sufferers lack aerobic endurance and flexibility.

Do you suffer from migraines? How often do you exercise? Are you more apt to shy away from aerobic activity because you are afraid it might trigger a headache? What do you make of the new study?

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14 Apr 2009 10:43 AM

Shortly after registering for my first marathon (way back in 1999) I joined a local running group called: Pacesetters. Little did I know how appropriate the group's name would prove to be, especially for someone like me who knew nothing about prepping to run 26.2 miles.

If you are an avid runner then you've likely found your perfect pace. It's the speed where you feel as though you could run from New York to Boston without stopping. I refer to it as running in "the zone," and always thought it had more to do with psychological factors than physiological, but a new study proves me wrong.

According to a recent study, everyone (regardless of how often they run) has a specific pace that uses the least amount of oxygen to cover a distance. The study tested a group of men and women while they ran on a treadmill set at six different speeds. Researchers then recorded the participants' oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output. The study found that while each runner's outcome differed, everyone in the group found a "perfect pace" that maximized their efforts.

The study found that the men's average was about 8.3 mph, or a 7:13 minute mile. Meanwhile, the women's average was closer to 6.5 mph, or 9:08 minutes per mile. Interestingly, the study also found that a slower pace didn't necessarily prove to be the most comfortable. In fact, researchers found that when study participants ran a 13-minute per mile pace (4.5 mph), metabolic efficiency was at its lowest.

Researchers believe this is because that particular speed is somewhere between a walk and a jog, and most study participants found it to be awkward and unnatural.

Finding that perfect equilibrium of speed and comfort, where your legs are loose and your heart is pumping, is not hard if you run on a regular basis. Simply record the distance covered and the time it takes you to complete your run for a few weeks, then complete the calculations to find out your average speed. In most cases it will be close to your optimal running pace.

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Neuroethicist Hank Greely was interviewed recently by the Farm, Stanford's magazine, about why the Nature article on neurocognitive enhancement was a good idea.

Some good snippets: (1) "Part of me thinks that any attention is good attention, because we think this is a really important issue." (2) "Our regulatory system isn’t set up to look at or think about the enhancement uses of drugs that are approved for medical conditions." (3) "Right now, to the extent the public has thought about this issue at all, it’s kind of the knee-jerk “drugs are bad, enhancement is bad, let’s ignore it.” Not a good solution." (4)"I think it (neuroethics) is really fascinating, really hard, not going to be figured out in my lifetime and more important than genetics." (5) "For me personally it’s the sense of inevitability. We’re going to have to confront this issue, and we haven’t even begun to think about it. (6) So, if given free rein, I would rewrite the regulatory regime in a way to make the regulation of these kinds of drugs, when used for enhancing purposes, more rational. (7) But I do think that some changes will be needed. I’m ultimately not pessimistic about whether we’ll get those changes.

Danny Green, a star basketball player for the University of North Carolina, had a tough week in the middle of March this year just as March Madness was getting started.  He's known for his exceptional shooting skill yet Green was 3 for 25 in two games and even missed three layups. I mean, come on, I can make a lay up. The media was all over him.

It would be easy to slip into a serious funk. It would be easy for his coach, Roy Williams, to tell him to shape up, pay attention, be a stud, whatever. It would easy for Green to think it's over. He's finished. He's lost his mojo.

Instead, what was did Roy Williams tell Green?

Keep shooting.

Green took his advice and within a couple of games, found his mojo and UNC won the National Championship.

You can think things are too hard, or why bother, or it's not worth it. You can quit. You can go hide somewhere and sulk. Injuries tend to do that to you.

Or, you can keep shooting.

DK

09 Apr 2009 01:58 PM

Forget about paying $100 for a 60-minute massage; according to a new study you are better off lifting weights to ease lower back pain.

Researchers from the University of Alberta say people who add weight training to their fitness regime experience less back pain than those who participate solely on other forms of exercise, such as tennis, jogging or biking.

The study followed people suffering with chronic back pain as they participated in a 16-week exercise program. The participants were split into two groups. The first group completed resistance training using dumbbells, barbells and other load-bearing exercise equipment. The second group took part in aerobic training such as jogging, walking on a treadmill or using an elliptical machine.

The study showed a 60 percent improvement in pain and function levels for the resistance-training group. In contrast, the study participants who took part in aerobic training to ease their back pain only experienced a 12 percent improvement.

Researchers maintain that any activity that makes you feel better is something you should pursue, but the study results indicate that you can achieve better back pain management from resistance training.

"The extra benefits stem from using the whole-body approach required in resistance training," the study's author wrote. "We tried to strengthen the entire body and by doing that, we decreased the fatigue people felt throughout the day. They were better able to perform their activities of daily living."

Bottom line: Aerobic activity did little to lessen lower back pain.

Researchers note that aerobic training generally works the lower body, which may be one of the reasons why study participants did not experience much in the way of pain relief. Researchers were also quick to point out that both the weightlifting exercises and the cardio work did provide fitness benefits, such as lower body fat.

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