2981: Back to the Basics: Running Edition by Lea Genders on Cardio Training

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[00:00:55] This is Optimal Health Daily. Back to the Basics. Running Edition. By Leah Genders of leahgendersfitness.com. And I'm your host and narrator, Dr. Neil. Hey there, happy Saturday and welcome back to another weekend edition of Optimal Health Daily. This is where I read to you from some of the best health and fitness blogs on the web. And always with a bit of my commentary at the end. Now, if you're not a runner, I know that the title of this post may seem like it's not for you.

[00:01:23] But I promise, you will find this fascinating. And trust me, I'm not a big runner. I don't like to run. And even I found this post super fascinating, which is why I'm reading it to you, of course. So with that, let's get right to the post as we optimize your life. Back to the Basics. Running Edition. By Leah Genders of leahgendersfitness.com.

[00:01:51] I have tennis elbow. I don't play tennis. Well, not since high school. So it's safe to assume that tennis elbow should be renamed to I spend too much typing elbow. The irony is not lost on me that my injury was not a result of running or working out, but likely from typing. You know, you must be getting older when you get a blogging injury. My doctor told me to start using my left hand on the computer mouse. The constant gripping of the mouse was exasperating the situation.

[00:02:20] I followed his instructions and moved my mouse around to the left side of my keyboard. For the first two days, I was completely unproductive. Shh, don't tell my boss. My brain and my left hand were not accustomed to communicating in this way. Instead of the automatic clicks with my right hand, I had to think about how to use the mouse. How to highlight words on the page. And how to use the right and left click buttons. Every action was conscious and awkward.

[00:02:48] It felt odd that something that is usually so automatic was challenging and frustrating. I had to teach my brain how to use the mouse with my left hand. After about two eight-hour days of clumsily clicking around, I started to improve. I'd say a week later, I'm about 90% efficient with my left hand. In times of high stress, I still find myself reaching across with my right hand so I can work quickly. I just noticed that right this moment, in a low-stress situation,

[00:03:19] I'm reaching across with my right hand to use the mouse on the left. Old habits do die hard. It got me thinking about movement patterns and how the easiest way for our bodies to move is not always the best or most efficient way. And how we can retrain our brains to the correct movements with frequent practice. Take running, for example. Chances are, if you put one foot in front of the other and lift off the ground, you will start running.

[00:03:47] But if you are a runner that has muscle weakness or have developed imbalances like most of us, you may not be moving in the most efficient way. It's possible you're running in a way that puts more pressure than necessary on your hips, knees, or ankles. Your body will make compensations so that you can continue to move forward, but the movement patterns aren't ideal. Poor movement patterns that are repeated frequently can lead to injury. Just because you can run fast does not necessarily mean

[00:04:16] you don't have poor or inefficient movement patterns. Your body may have just learned how to move fast despite its compensations. It reminds me of this example that I heard on a fitness podcast. If you never learned to type properly and type using the hunt and peck method with two fingers, chances are that over time, you would improve using that less than ideal way. In fact, after years of two-fingered typing, you would likely get fast at it. You might even start to believe your way was good enough.

[00:04:45] Why learn the correct way when you're getting it done in a way that your brain already understands? If you were in a typing speed competition with a person who uses 10-finger typing, you'd lose. If you decided to learn the proper way to type, at first you would be much slower using the most efficient method. But over time, as you practiced, you would eventually move faster and more efficiently. Sometimes you have to take a step back and relearn the basics in order to move forward.

[00:05:15] Most of us never learned to run. We strapped on a pair of shoes and started running. We improved over time. We felt pretty good about it. We may have tackled an injury here or there, but overall, the way we were moving was working for us. But just like the hunt and peck method when it comes to typing, what seems like is working for us may not be the best way. I've been reading a book called The Running Revolution that explains the pose method of running. It teaches a more efficient way to run.

[00:05:45] The book outlines proper form, drills, and workouts to learn the pose method. I've been experimenting with the techniques I'm learning from the book. It feels awkward. Every step has a purpose. And I need to think about my foot pulling and landing as I'm running. I get tired more easily than usual and get muscle soreness that I didn't have before. It's frankly quite frustrating. Am I doing it right? It feels harder. Isn't this supposed to make running easier?

[00:06:13] My run training may have to feel harder before it gets easier. Just like with training my left hand to use my mouse or typing with the hunt and peck method. I have to rewire my brain on how to run. I have to unlearn my old way of running that I've been reinforcing for years. I've been running for well over a decade with some degree of success. Like you, when I'm running, I don't have to think about what my body is doing. And I often zone out.

[00:06:40] While I'm learning these new methods, I have to think about every movement I make. I'm a running coach. But turns out, even with learning proper form in the early days, my running movement may not be as efficient as it can be. When I improve, I can better help my clients improve too. 2. Frequency is the key to retraining your brain. We need daily drills, practice, and workouts to learn a new skill. Running is a skill.

[00:07:08] While we all may be born to run, if we want to run more efficiently, it makes sense that we might have to set our egos aside and take two steps backward before we can run forward. You just listened to the post titled, Back to the Basics, Running Edition, by Leah Genders of leahgendersfitness.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. Oikos presents 15 Seconds of Strength. Here we go.

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[00:09:02] Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more. Dr. Neil here for my commentary. See, I told you today's post was fascinating. And of course, this advice can be used for really almost any habit. But I am gonna focus a little bit on running, just because I don't feel like I'm a great runner, and I frankly don't like it. I'm glad that there are actually researchers out there that study how to run properly, because maybe one day I will end up liking it.

[00:09:30] When I played soccer as a kid, every season I would have a different coach. And every season, I had to relearn how to run based on how the coach preferred we run. And each coach had their own version of running more efficiently. One year, my soccer coach insisted that we run on our toes with our fists clenched. This wasn't just an exercise. This was how he wanted us to run all the time. He said this was the best way to run faster.

[00:10:00] Well, now we actually understand based on studies, we don't want to clench our muscles when running. We want the upper half of the body to be relaxed. And running on our toes is not the best form either. Now, this isn't the only time I've had to relearn exercise moves. And just as today's author Leah shared, when we have to relearn moves that we consider basic, it's really frustrating at first. But then, before we know it, we're performing the new movement without even thinking about it.

[00:10:30] And we're doing it more efficiently and likely with more power. So we just need to get through that first frustrating part and stick to it. And doesn't that apply to really almost any habit? All right, that'll do it for another Saturday show. Thank you so much as always for listening. Thank you for sharing this show with someone. I hope you have a great rest of your day. And of course, I'll see you back here again tomorrow where your optimal life awaits. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time. END