Simple things work! A systematic review and meta-analysis of walking groups looked at forty-two studies involving 1843 participants & showed significant benefits in blood pressure, resting heart rate, body fat, body mass, cholesterol and depression*.
Start a routine. We have lots of great walks locally.
*Hansen & Jones, 2015. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/11/710.short
Exercise is a useful method of managing depression but is not a stand-alone treatment. There is research based reviews that support that exercise can reduce the symptoms of depression, and now a recent article by Harvey et. al in the American Journal of Psychiatry has found exercise / activity can prevent future cases of depression.
There are several features of the researcher’s interpretations that are useful. They concluded that exercise intensity was not relevant to the prevented cases of depression. This means that any exercise is better than no exercise. Just going for a walk is one of the simplest and easiest forms of exercise to start with. If you can’t walk due to pain or injury then we would encourage water based exercise or an exercise bike. Even a short walk will release endorphins to begin to make you feel better.
The findings of an 11 year prospective study were that as little as 1 hour of physical activity per week prevented 12% of future cases of depression. So if you are not currently exercising then just being active for 1 hour a week can help with depression. The recommended 30 minutes per day remains an ideal amount of exercise for healthy living (combining physical, cardiovascular and metabolic health) and if you achieve this you are way above the 1 hour per week required for assisting with depression.
The researchers did not find that exercise was not helpful in preventing future cases of anxiety. If you have anxiety or depression use the resources such as websites such as beyond blue and black dog institute and discuss it with your GP.
Click here to read the black dog institute’s fact sheet on exercise and depression.
Harvey et.al (2017). Exercise and the Prevention of Depression: Results of the HUNT Cohort Study: AJP in advance. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16111223,
Running shoes are often prescribed based on arch height, degree of pronation they show when running and the latest trends like maximum cushioning and minimalist shoes. So how do you know what advice to follow and which shoes are right for you?
1. Arch Height
It is common practice to prescribe footwear based on the height of your foot arch, such as motion control shoes for people with flat feet and a cushioned shoe for people with high or stiff arches. This has previously been common practice but does not appear to affect the likelihood of sustaining an injury while running.
2. Pronation
Although over-pronation (too much rolling in) of the foot while running is often blamed for many running injuries, there is conflicting evidence to support this. It is unclear what a normal amount of pronation is and the difference between the movement of the shoe and the movement of the foot can be up to 20% while running, which makes measuring the amount of pronation difficult even with video analysis. If you cannot accurately measure pronation then fitting a shoe based on foot type becomes trial and error.
3. Trends
Over the years many trends regarding footwear have come and gone such as minimalist, anti-pronation and extreme cushioning shoes. It is important to consider that even people with the same foot type will respond differently to the same shoe. Therefore it is clear that one type of shoe will not suit everyone and buying shoes based on the latest trends can be erroneous.
So how should you choose what shoes to wear when you run?
1. Experienced Runners
Draw from experience, know what works for you and stick with it. Don’t be tempted by the latest trends and marketing, but if you are, incorporate the new shoe slowly and as an occasional change of pace.
2. New Runners
The most important thing to consider for a new runner is comfort. Try a few pairs on in the store and see how they feel. Initially staying away from extremes such as anti-pronation or extra cushioning shoes is a good place to start.
3. Runner with recurring injuries despite a change in shoes
Remember that shoes play a small role in sustaining most injuries and it is important to consider body mechanics, movement patterns and training habits when attempting to reduce injury risk.
If you are having recurring injuries while running, have a physio assessment to work out what is the best way to get you running pain free.
This blog is a summary of a great educational video from Kevin at Running reform http://www.runningreform.com/
Watch the original video at https://vimeo.com/126720173