As I step out into the chilly air, I can feel the weight of the past year bearing down on my shoulders. My Achilles tendon still aches, a constant reminder of the injury that has slowed me down for so long. And yet, despite the pain and the setbacks, I lace up my shoes and begin to run. It’s the first day of a new year, and I am determined to make it a successful one.
You probably have experienced it yourself, or you may have read headlines like this one: «Running is enjoying a boom because of the coronavirus pandemic». And yes, it’s true. Gyms were closed. Spin classes and boot camps had been canceled. People were stuck at home for most of the day for a long time. So running has seen a boom during the coronavirus pandemic. But what about the overall statistics? Did people run more during the pandemic?
For many people the Corona pandemic is hitting closer to home. In the last weeks I have come across a lot of Instagram posts by runners who have contracted with the virus or who are instructed to quarantine themselves. And while most people who catch the disease experience mild symptoms, many report feeling short of breath and sluggish for weeks afterward. But you all know what runners are like: they want to return to track or trail, and that sooner rather than later. I have found several articles providing tipps for your comeback after infection. First, the good news: the two go together, «exercise plays a crucial role in recovery,» as Manuela Callari writes in a piece for The Guardian: «Sleep and rest help your immune system to fight the disease but it is critical to start moving again to avoid further weakening of your body about seven days after the major symptoms have disappeared.»
There are clear and unanimous figures that obesity has increased over time, especially in rich nations like the United States. On average people today weigh more and have higher body fat percentages than their recent ancestors at similar ages. But why is that the case? One widespread assumption is the palatability theory. It posits that the primary cause is an increase in reward signals in the modern environment from processed food, mediated by the motivation system in the brain, causing us to overeat.
I was just having my first cup of coffee in the morning, when an article on sprudge.com popped up in my feed reader. As an asthmatic and coffee enthusiast it naturally caught my attention. It reports about a study by medical professionals from Korea’s Hallym University, Hanyang University, and Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, with research finding that moderate coffee consumption can lower the frequency of symptoms associated with asthma.