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Running is rewarding and antidepressive.

Brené S, Bjørnebekk A, Aberg E, Mathé AA, Olson L, Werme M

Physiol Behav. 2007 May 21;

Natural behaviors such as eating, drinking, reproduction and exercise activate brain reward pathways and consequently the individual engages in these behaviors to receive the reward. However, drugs of abuse are even more potent in activating the reward pathways. Rewarding behaviors and addictive drugs also affect other parts of the brain not directly involved in the mediation of reward. For instance, running increases neurogenesis in hippocampus and is beneficial as an antidepressant in a genetic animal model of depression and in depressed humans. Here we discuss and compare neurochemical and functional changes in the brain after addictive drugs and exercise with a focus on brain reward pathways and hippocampus.

From HubMed Abstracts

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pasqualz posted a photo:

10K tag from flickr

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Campus police are seeking two men who reportedly raped a 25-year-old woman at Brigham Young University.

The woman reported to police that she was attacked while jogging about 11:30 p.m. May 22, said Carri Jenkins, a university spokeswoman. Neither of the two suspects - a white male with a buzz cut and a Latino male with short hair, both described as being in their 20s - have been arrested.

“[The victim] doesn’t know her attackers,” Jenkins said.

Campus officials notified students of the incident as an added precaution, she said.

The victim, who is not associated with the university, didn’t report the incident to police until May 30.

“This is something that has been reported or alleged,” the spokeswoman said. “It is very rare, but nonetheless, we always ask our students to use good judgment and common sense.”

Students and area residents are encouraged not to walk around alone late at night. Emergency contact stations are located throughout the campus, Jenkins said.

“That area is always marked, telling students to be careful not to walk alone at night, to be prudent and use good common sense late at night,” she said.

via the Salt Lake Tribune

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Evaluation of Required Motor Abilities in Commonly Practiced Exercise Modes and Potential Training Effects Among Adults.

Rinne MB, Miilunpalo SI, Heinonen AO

J Phys Act Health. 2007 Apr ; 4(2): 203-214

Background: There is a lack of knowledge of the motor abilities required in different exercise modes which are needed when counseling sedentary middle-aged people to start a physically active lifestyle.

Methods: Nominal group technique was used to establish the consensus statement concerning motor abilities and physical fitness in 31 exercise modes.

Results: Walking, running, jogging, and calisthenics were regarded as the most suitable exercise modes for most people with no specific requirements. The most demanding exercise modes of evaluated exercise modes were roller skating, downhill skiing, and martial arts, requiring all five motor abilities. Four abilities were necessary in skating, jazz dance, and ice hockey. When exercising is target-oriented, endurance is trained evidently in 27 out of 31 and muscle strength in 22 out of 31 exercise modes.

Conclusions: The consensus statement gives theoretical basis for the components of motor abilities and physical fitness components in different exercise modes. The statement is instructive in order to promote health-enhancing physical activity among sedentary people. This study completes the selection of the exercise modes more detailed than current PA recommendation and guidelines for public health. A variety of exercise modes with one or none motor requirements is available to start. When amount and intensity of exercise is increased the training effects can be found in most components of motor ability and physical fitness

From HubMed Abstracts

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Many people are drinking too much water, including sports drinks, when exercising, a practice that could put some individuals engaging in prolonged types of endurance exercise at risk of potentially lethal water intoxication, say international experts who study disorders of water metabolism. Such exercise includes marathons, triathlons, and long distance cycling.

This serious condition, known as exercise-induced hyponatremia (EAH), could be prevented if only people would respect their personal thirst “meter,” or would undertake a “sweat test” to determine how much water they actually need to drink in order to replace just the body fluids lost during exercising, the researchers say.

A group of experts in this condition has issued a number of papers and recommendations, including an international consensus statement on this disorder published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine in 2005. Joseph Verbalis, M.D., Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center and a member of this group, recently updated the scientific community on the causes of this disorder in the May issue of Sports Medicine.

Verbalis says the goal of the group is to understand the biological basis of EAH, and in that way, assure that no athlete ever succumbs to it again. A number of marathon runners have died from EAH, including one at this year’s London Marathon in April. One recent study found that 13 percent of Boston marathon runners suffered from EAH, though most cases are mild enough so that they are not noticed by the athletes themselves.

Read the rest at PHYSORG.COM

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