| Slowly but surely I'm approaching the age of sixty as | | | | regularly were studied together with 423 people in |
| I write these lines. When I look back, starting to run | | | | the control group who never ran. |
| at the age of 49 stands out as one of the best | | | | Result: 15% of the runners had died during these 20 |
| things I ever did in my life. | | | | years in contrast to the 34% of the non-runners. |
| For all these years I ran just because it felt so good. | | | | The study put to rest this myth as well: doesn't all |
| Certainly, it still hurts a little each time I finish one of | | | | that running on the pavement hurt your joints, |
| my 5K jogs. But half an hour later, after a good | | | | especially in the older years? All those studied were |
| shower and a big glass of orange juice, I'm floating | | | | older than 50 and Dr. Chakravarty could not find a |
| like a feather. It's pure heaven. | | | | difference in the joints between the two groups. |
| There were quite a few sane and concerned parties | | | | That is, the runners did not end up with bad joints |
| that tried to dissuade me from this habit of mine. My | | | | because of "all that pounding" on the hard surface. |
| mom for one, god bless her, still reminds me to | | | | My personal experience also supports that finding. On |
| "watch my heart." Because, yes, people my age and | | | | the weeks that I run regularly I feel a lot more limber |
| even younger sometimes do die in the midst of their | | | | and flexible. A few years back, I quit running for |
| exercise routine or jogging. That's why I advise you | | | | about 4 months. I not only gained weight but |
| to go see your doctor before picking up running, | | | | suddenly my knees also started to hurt while getting |
| regardless of your age. | | | | in and out of the car. As soon as I re-started |
| But then here is this new study that confirms all my | | | | jogging, the knee pain also went away. So I'm also |
| beliefs about running: if you run regularly, you may | | | | pretty sure that regular running is not hurting my |
| not only be healthy and happy, but you may actually | | | | joints at all. |
| live longer. How about that? | | | | The idea is to be healthy and happy while we live |
| In the 20-year scientific study conducted between | | | | since we are all here but for a brief time, whether |
| 1985 and 2005 by Dr. Eliza F. Chakravarty, an | | | | we run or not. But to know that we might actually |
| immunologist and rheumatologist at Stanford | | | | enjoy what we do enjoy for a while longer does not |
| University School of Medicine, 538 people who run | | | | sound that bad either. |