Do running or other forms of endurance exercise age a person

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Replies

  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    Orphia wrote: »
    Here is a comparison pic of me.
    Left, a year ago when I first started running. Right, now, after doing 1,500 km including three half marathons.
    Were the dozens of people saying I look 10-20 years younger lying? :open_mouth:
    @Orphia Remember when you posted that in the Monthly Running Challenge - I thought - Wow what a transformation . This simple Photo Comparison should answer any questions.

    I love your I Run because :

    I run because it makes me feel fantastic.
    I run because it lets me set goals and achieve them.
    I run because it earns me lots of lovely calories to eat back.
    I run because it puts me in Zen mode.
    I run because it's fun.
    I run because it lets me see the countryside and lots of interesting things.
    I run because it lets me meet interesting people.
    I run because one day when walking I had an instinctive urge to go faster.
    I run because I love it.


    I agree with the comments of other people that it sounds like someone was trying to sell some product.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    edited October 2016
    Thanks for the lovely compliments, dear MFPers!
    Hi! I was googling something and came across an article saying that running (especially for long periods of time) can drastically age a person. I am a runner and this is somewhat scary to me, since I run often and am 25. I feel if I am not careful I could end up aging terribly. My cardio sessions are only 60 min average. I used to do 90 minutes but found it to be a waste of time and it made me incredibly hungry.. so aside from a rare 90 minute session all my sessions are 30-60 min. Some are even shorter at 20 min if I just run 5k.

    Opinions or experiences ?

    "Google" does not count as a source. I see links to those articles in the Outbrain/Taboola section at the bottom of articles on Runner's World and completely ignore them. Maybe there really is "one weird trick" to losing weight, and maybe cardio will age me, and if so I was wrong to ignore these articles. Nah, not really, they're total bunkum.

    Here's a way to test the theory: look up Olympic 1500m champions from the 1950s on the internet, and find pictures of them today. You will find they are mostly alive, sprightly old folk. Sure, some die young of something unrelated to running. But the surviving champions look amazing for their advanced years.

    If you're running 20-minute 5kms just as a training run, you are phenomenally fit. I run that distance weekly at Parkrun, and only 1 of the female runners there regularly does that distance in under 20 mins. She also wins local races. You should turn up at your local running club, I'm sure they'd love to have you. You could see for yourself how good the older runners look for their age. They'd also help you see the point of longer runs.

    As an aside, it's ok to eat rather a lot after a run of 90 minutes or more. Calories in calories out really works in your favour when you burn 1000+ in a single workout!

    Great post, @rightoncommander ! Agree totally!

    20 minute 5Ks are amazing! Yep, you would be first female at my local parkrun every week with that! And you'd come first outright a lot of the time.

    Keep running, @Blondieeee26 !
  • Blondieeee26
    Blondieeee26 Posts: 12 Member
    Orphia wrote: »
    Thanks for the lovely compliments, dear MFPers!
    Hi! I was googling something and came across an article saying that running (especially for long periods of time) can drastically age a person. I am a runner and this is somewhat scary to me, since I run often and am 25. I feel if I am not careful I could end up aging terribly. My cardio sessions are only 60 min average. I used to do 90 minutes but found it to be a waste of time and it made me incredibly hungry.. so aside from a rare 90 minute session all my sessions are 30-60 min. Some are even shorter at 20 min if I just run 5k.

    Opinions or experiences ?

    "Google" does not count as a source. I see links to those articles in the Outbrain/Taboola section at the bottom of articles on Runner's World and completely ignore them. Maybe there really is "one weird trick" to losing weight, and maybe cardio will age me, and if so I was wrong to ignore these articles. Nah, not really, they're total bunkum.

    Here's a way to test the theory: look up Olympic 1500m champions from the 1950s on the internet, and find pictures of them today. You will find they are mostly alive, sprightly old folk. Sure, some die young of something unrelated to running. But the surviving champions look amazing for their advanced years.

    If you're running 20-minute 5kms just as a training run, you are phenomenally fit. I run that distance weekly at Parkrun, and only 1 of the female runners there regularly does that distance in under 20 mins. She also wins local races. You should turn up at your local running club, I'm sure they'd love to have you. You could see for yourself how good the older runners look for their age. They'd also help you see the point of longer runs.

    As an aside, it's ok to eat rather a lot after a run of 90 minutes or more. Calories in calories out really works in your favour when you burn 1000+ in a single workout!

    Great post, @rightoncommander ! Agree totally!

    20 minute 5Ks are amazing! Yep, you would be first female at my local parkrun every week with that! And you'd come first outright a lot of the time.

    Keep running, @Blondieeee26 !

    I will ! Thanks lady!
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Orphia wrote: »
    Thanks for the lovely compliments, dear MFPers!
    Hi! I was googling something and came across an article saying that running (especially for long periods of time) can drastically age a person. I am a runner and this is somewhat scary to me, since I run often and am 25. I feel if I am not careful I could end up aging terribly. My cardio sessions are only 60 min average. I used to do 90 minutes but found it to be a waste of time and it made me incredibly hungry.. so aside from a rare 90 minute session all my sessions are 30-60 min. Some are even shorter at 20 min if I just run 5k.

    Opinions or experiences ?

    "Google" does not count as a source. I see links to those articles in the Outbrain/Taboola section at the bottom of articles on Runner's World and completely ignore them. Maybe there really is "one weird trick" to losing weight, and maybe cardio will age me, and if so I was wrong to ignore these articles. Nah, not really, they're total bunkum.

    Here's a way to test the theory: look up Olympic 1500m champions from the 1950s on the internet, and find pictures of them today. You will find they are mostly alive, sprightly old folk. Sure, some die young of something unrelated to running. But the surviving champions look amazing for their advanced years.

    If you're running 20-minute 5kms just as a training run, you are phenomenally fit. I run that distance weekly at Parkrun, and only 1 of the female runners there regularly does that distance in under 20 mins. She also wins local races. You should turn up at your local running club, I'm sure they'd love to have you. You could see for yourself how good the older runners look for their age. They'd also help you see the point of longer runs.

    As an aside, it's ok to eat rather a lot after a run of 90 minutes or more. Calories in calories out really works in your favour when you burn 1000+ in a single workout!

    Great post, @rightoncommander ! Agree totally!

    20 minute 5Ks are amazing! Yep, you would be first female at my local parkrun every week with that! And you'd come first outright a lot of the time.

    Keep running, @Blondieeee26 !

    I will ! Thanks lady!

    Yay!!! :smile:
  • Blondieeee26
    Blondieeee26 Posts: 12 Member
    I want to beat my dad's old military times someday. He ran an 18:00 5k and had a 4:36 mile.
  • Blondieeee26
    Blondieeee26 Posts: 12 Member
    Not the mile.. since that's next to impossible for a woman, but the 18 min 5k! World record mile for females is 4:12
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    I reckon you can do it!

    Join us in the Monthly Running Challenge threads! We've got a lovely, fun, educational and supportive community happening here.

    Link to the October thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10463158/october-2016-running-challenge
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,341 Member
    I have heard of runners face...and I've seen the same face at the gym. They are the low fat exercisers who have a young looking body and wrinkled faces. Dr. Oz has a bit of a runners face. For a guy who talks about diet and health constantly he looks older than he is...
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    I don't run (bad knee) but my sister was a world-class runner and I happen to know lots of runners of all ages, especially distance runners.

    Just anecdotally, I do not think that this is true. However, sunscreen really wasn't available when a lot of today's older runners were young and that alone makes a lot of difference. Wear good sunscreen all of the time, and apply high SPF if you intend to be outdoors for a long period of time.
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