Today is the 1st National Running Day

I didn't know this till I came into work today and read it, this is great! And whats more, I got a wild hair up my ass this morning and went for a delightful one hour jog. It was crazy hard to rise out of bed, and for a jog no less, but once I was out there I felt amazing. It was quiet and dewy and afterward I was more energized for work, no coffee needed, Im still on my running high right now! I find myself wanting to drink more water and not eat our processed office snacks, great side affects! As our nation's waistline expands (over half of Americans are overweight or obese) the government and other groups are really leaning toward pushing a healthy and active lifestyle. Check out The National Running Day Website and read the study below if you need some motivation!!

Cool Health Benefits Study!!

In perhaps the most surprising study done on the health benefits of running, a team at the Stanford University School of Medicine studied 538 runners and 423 healthy non-runners from 1984 until 2005. All of the subjects were over 50 and were asked to take a disability questionnaire each year measuring simple tasks like cutting meat, shampooing hair, and opening a milk carton.

Every year, the disability levels were significantly lower in the group of runners than in the non-runners, and they became more different as both groups aged.

Even more interesting (though admittedly morbid)? At the end of the study, 85% of the runners were still alive, while only 66% of the non-runners were.

Based on the info gathered during the 21 years, the researchers concluded that regular exercise could reduce both disability and risk of death by increasing cardio fitness and bone mass, lowering inflammation, improving response to vaccination, and improving thinking, learning, and memory functions. We say, is that all?

Only sliiiightly unrelated: