We all know running is good for many body parts. Runners have stronger muscles, greater bone density, even contrary to popular non-runners’ belief, healthier joints.
But what about the tendons? There’s been a lack of evidence that runners have stronger (or stiffer, a good thing) tendons than non-runners.
Well, that’s changing. An interesting study looked at the tendons of twins and found that active twins, especially those who participated in sports where both feet get off the ground (like running or sports with jumping), had stronger tendons than their counterparts who didn’t.
The difference isn’t all that significant, which is why it probably wasn’t noticed until twins were studied.
This suggests that, while the impact isn’t terribly significant, yes, running does make your tendons stronger.
We’re all a study of one: What does a study of post-exercise recovery tell us? Well, in this case, it can be a good reminder that we are all a study of one. This doesn’t mean we should ignore research but it does mean we should think critically about it, ask if the result makes sense and ask if it applies to us because maybe it doesn’t. Most importantly, if the data is available, look at it. An average means a lot if everyone clusters around it. It means much less if all the results are spread out all over the place.
Do endurance athletes get more cavities? This is a question that exists because we take in so many sugary drinks and other substances to fuel our exercise. Some dentists have for some time said this would lead to more cavities. Well, the results of this study were inconclusive. In short, while it looks like endurance athletes might get more cavities, the results were not statistically significant. That means the differences could have simply been random variation so we can’t really say anything from these results.
Moving the body for mental health: An interesting discussion on some research that supports the idea that easy to moderate exercise improves our mental health. I would say that, if we’re doing most of our running at easy to moderate levels, as we should be doing as part of a good training plan, this is probably a good sign for what it does for our mental health.
It is a good reminder, though, that you may want to lay off the hard training when going through stressful times.