Running over 50: Think you can't? Think again.

I know you’ve experienced it: that midlife weight shift. I used to say my metabolism came to screeching halt at 45, but upon further research, this actually doesn’t happen. The major problem is, you guessed it, hormones. The root of all evils. But why it happens doesn’t change the fact that it does, indeed, happen.

Suddenly, I was eating less and less, and getting more and more puffy. Walking didn’t burn enough calories, so after 40 plus years of saying, “I can’t run,” I resolved to teach myself.

Running did help the weight situation. Just from a math standpoint, I could burn way more calories in 30 minutes of jogging than I could walking. Along with a change in nutrition and balancing the hormones, I eventually got my body back.

My sole reason for running was physical appearance. I wanted to maintain my body. I wanted to not upsize my clothes.

What I’ve realized since is that the reasons for starting a recreational running routine at any age are so much more important than weight.

So, if you think you can't. Or if you've thought about it, but need more motivation, please keep reading. I'm going to debunk some myths and quote some pretty convincing data. Links to all the studies are included.

IMPROVED Knee Pain and LOWER RISK of Osteoarthritis

For those who say, “I can’t run because of my knees,” I’m going to start with that one.

YES.

Where are joints are concerned, motion is lotion, as they say.

In a 2018 study titled, “Running does not increase symptoms or structural progression in people with knee osteoarthritis: data from the osteoarthritis initiative,” Researchers found that people over 50 with knee osteoarthritis who ran recreationally experienced reduced knee pain NOT more pain. In fact, their x-rays showed no structural worsening of the arthritis.

It's funny, because I had an injury a couple of years ago, and even my orthopedic surgeon said maybe the running has caused some arthritis. NOPE. Couldn’t find ANY evidence. Perfect knee structure. Isn’t it annoying when doctors hang on to old theories and don’t keep up with actual evidence?

So, you might be asking, “won’t running eventually wear down my cartilage?”

Nope.

Again, multiple studies have debunked this. I picked this study published in 2017 by the American College of Rheumatology.

“There is no increased risk of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis among self-selected runners compared with non-runners in a cohort recruited from the community.”

In other words, if you do not already have arthritis in your knees, running isn’t going to increase your risk.

In FACT, this study by Alentorm-Geli et al (2017) says running can result in a LOWER risk of hip and knee arthritis.

A little goes a long way for HEART health

There’s no doubt that any cardio-vascular exercise improves your heart, because that’s literally what it does. But are you actually improving your heart muscle with your current exercise?

It would take as much as three to four times the amount of walking to get the benefits of even light jogging, according to a review published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2015. And LIGHT JOGGING, one-two times per week, less than 6 miles total, is all that’s required to do it. You don’t need to run every day or work up to a 10K.

I recently went for my colonoscopy. While the nurse was checking all my vitals, she said, “Oh, are you a runner?”

I looked at her and said, “Huh? How’d you know?”

“You have a runner’s heart rate,” she said.

Now take notice: she didn’t say, “Oh, do you workout?”

Or “Oh do you play tennis?”

She said “Are you a runner? And I will tell you that the analytics on my Garmin heart rate monitor show that I have gradually improved my heart over several years and have the heart health of a 20 year old. I am in the top 15% for my age and gender.

Finally, there’s this from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology:

“Running for only a few minutes a day or at slow speeds may significantly reduce a person’s risk of death from cardiovascular disease compared to someone who does not run . . .”

MENTAL health: it may go beyond short-term

We all have heard that exercise can help improve our mental health, but there may be particular benefits with running.

In “A Scoping Review of the Relationship between Running and Mental Health,” researches reported:

“ conclude that running has important positive implications for mental health, particularly depression and anxiety disorders.”

Check out this article: David Linden, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says running produces something called endocannabinoids, the effects of which he likens to cannabis. This may explain, he says, why running can provide short-term anxiety relief.

Beyond that, the this type of exercise could have longer-term benefits, as well. According to Linden:

“. . . the hippocampus — the part of the brain associated with memory and learning — has been found to increase in volume in the brains of regular exercisers. Other mental benefits include:

• Improved working memory and focus

• Better task-switching ability

• Elevated mood”

Give it a try!

The benefits of running, even a little bit, outweigh any risks. What IF you felt better? What IF you had fewer health problems? What IF it helped you have a higher quality of life for many more years?

You’re not too old.