BBC Theme: Exercise

First posted 19 Oct 2012

Is supposed to be good for you, why then does it hurt so much and how come sitting on the sofa eating cake is so much more appealing? Everyone goes on about endorphins, and I agree, they are brilliant. But why do some people loath exercise whilst some cannot function without it?

For me the fun part is the socialising and the finishing. Stopping exercise is really fun. Having a hot shower after exercise is amazing. Talking about the exercise is fun. Eating a meal when really hungry after exercise is fun. Weight loss, mental health, socialising, time alone, the challenge and a million other reasons are all to me fundamental and valid reasons to do exercise.

Playing games is fun. If it happens to involve exercise then that is like a double whammy of concealed goodness. It is fun doing exercise when you are fit, when you aren’t fit it is truly horrible. And getting fit is hard. Your body is screaming at you, telling you to stop. I found that to some extent you have to learn to over ride that voice.

I believe that the purest form of exercise is running, shouldn’t that be totally natural? For me running, as running, for running’s sake is in no way actually fun. Maybe that’s just because I am not very good at it. I suppose running is challenging, for your body and your brain. In the right state of mind going for a run is quite satisfying. But if you ask me, those people that like running, they’re not right, or they’ve taught themselves to like the effect of running. That’s just me being jealous of those lean graceful people that can run and run. I suppose everyone is different and I know that I’ll never be a runner.

Now let’s have a think about barefoot running, still practiced by some cultures regularly today and by a small number of Olympic runners (notably Abebe Bikila, Bruce Tulloh, and Zola Budd). Recently more ‘normal’ people are taking up barefoot running and continue to do so all over the world, and the craze seems to have intensified since 2009. It seems like a good idea to me, we didn’t evolve wearing Nike’s or Asics’ after all.

It is assumed that early humans must have run, and modern research shows that un-shod humans were able to run comfortably for long distances and I suppose this makes sense. How else did we survive as a species before Clarks?

From a quick well known internet search engine query, Daniel E Lieberman seem to be the world’s leading expert on barefoot running, and has a research lab into the benefits and dangers of the practice. His website at the University of Harvard, states “We show that most forefoot and some mid foot strikes (shod or barefoot) do not generate the sudden, large impact transients that occur when you heel strike (shod or barefoot).” Sounds good right. But for me living in a big dirty city I’m not sure how often I’d venture onto the mean streets with nothing between my soft soles and the shards of glass, needles and dog poo. There are barefoot ‘shoes’ available to anyone thinking about taking up barefoot running.

Lieberman’s website (barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu) explains much about their research into the feet and running styles of humans, and is a good place to start if you are considering taking up barefoot running and want some information about the research.  I guess like any new sport or activity you need to start slowly and build this up. Otherwise you are going to run (pun intended!) into all kinds of problems!

I need motivation to do exercise. Team sports provide that for me, as does a beautiful setting hence why I love skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and hiking. I just wish I could afford to do these things all the time. I am no expert, but if you struggle to find the motivation to do exercise I suggest that you think about the things that you do enjoy and try and incorporate these into your routine and build up slowly. For instance, say you love chatting and socialising, going for a brisk walk with a friend is a great opportunity to do both of these, or if you love laughing, go to an aerobics class. I cannot keep a straight face in those places!! Time flies when you’re exercising and enjoying it.

We also need to exercise our brains, there’s a reason why school note books are called exercise books…. I’ve really enjoyed my Open University course (the reason why I suspended the writing of these blogs) and my brain definitely got a workout. So much critical thinking and analysis, it transfers into everyday life! I’m not sure I like that part so much.

My last point is to mention my 90 year old granddad, Les. He swims, always has and he still does. (Except for short breaks when he had a hip replacement and a broken wrist). But I think he is really inspirational. He can definitely swim further than I can and he’s 90 YEARS OLD. Amazing. Thank you granddad for being so brilliant, I know you sometimes read this blog! He is inspiring and I hope that he carries on swimming for as long as possible.

It’s pretty obvious exercise is good for you, in so many ways, physical health, mental health and it is a great way to socialise and meet new people. You just have to make yourself get out there and do it. And on that note I am going to go out for a bike ride tomorrow. EEEk. I am worried that my legs might snap off, but hopefully they’ll remain intact. Here’s to my winter exercise routine involving more than getting up to get another glass of wine….

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