Think Running A Marathon is the Pinnacle of Health and Fitness, Think Again.

For decades, running has been viewed as the ultimate fitness endeavor. 'Runners' have been viewed as fit and healthy. In fact, running a marathon is the ultimate goal of many semi-motivated exercisers. However, very few individuals can physiologically and biomechanically handle the stresses of even running a score of miles per week. But, still the lure of running persists. I have blogged about 'getting fit to run, not running to get fit' in the past.



There are many, better ways to get healthy and fit, than running (No, don't take your training advice from The Biggest Loser, cringe). If you do enjoy running or it is part of your sport or occupation, understand that it is a stressor on the body, and more is not better. Extensive running, especially without resistance training has several adverse effects on the body (decreased muscle mass, bone density, HDL, etc.).

Want more evidence against pounding the pavement (for your health), Art Devany had a great post on his blog: The Top Ten Reasons Not To Run A Marathon (http://www.arthurdevany.com/?p=1449)