Exercise Banking: The Importance of Building Health Reserves While You're Still Healthy
Dr. Jung Se-hee's message in her book "Brain on the Road" is crystal clear. As someone who runs 10-15km daily and has been running for over 20 years while treating patients, she's discovered just how crucial it is to "bank" exercise when you're healthy, before illness strikes.
A real clinical case involving a Parkinson's patient perfectly illustrates this point. After being bedridden for three years, the patient was able to walk again using a walker. It turned out he had been a table tennis player in his youth. This wasn't just about physical ability – it was about the mental strength, willpower, and experience of overcoming challenges that had been built up through exercise, all coming together in a crisis moment.
This observation is backed by medical research. Studies consistently show that people who exercised extensively before getting sick are less likely to develop diseases, recover better when they do get sick, and have better overall prognoses.
The Shocking 2014 Study: Just 5-10 Minutes a Day is Enough
Many people think you need massive amounts of exercise to see real benefits. But a 2014 study by American researchers shattered this misconception. Running for just 5-10 minutes a day – about 50 minutes per week – can cut your mortality rate in half.
This has nothing to do with your individual fitness level. Anyone can achieve the same results with this minimal amount of exercise. The thought "I can't even do that much, so what's the point?" is completely wrong. Any amount of exercise, no matter how small, is infinitely better than none at all.
Running is Stronger Than Medicine: From Parkinson's to Depression
Dr. Jung's clinical experience shows that running goes beyond simple exercise – it has genuine therapeutic effects. Parkinson's disease is a prime example. Currently, Parkinson's is incurable, and existing medications only provide symptomatic relief. However, when Parkinson's patients engage in regular aerobic exercise, their brains become healthier and disease progression slows down. Research is actually showing that exercise can be more effective than current Parkinson's medications.
The same applies to patients with high blood pressure or diabetes. It's common to see patients who were taking blood pressure medication or insulin reduce or completely stop their medications after starting to run. Even more remarkable is the mental health aspect. There are cases of patients who had been taking antidepressants for years, then started running, gradually reduced their medication, and eventually stopped altogether.
This happens because running doesn't just improve physical health – it transforms mental health, personality, and overall life attitude.
20 Years of Running: Life Changes Beyond Fitness
After more than 20 years of running, Dr. Jung has much better stamina than her peers, rarely gets tired, and seldom gets sick. She can run 20km in the morning, work all day seeing patients, and still have a vibrant voice full of energy. Patients often tell her, "Doctor, you never seem tired and you're always so energetic."
But the changes go far beyond the physical. When you run, anything you wear or carry becomes cumbersome. You gradually care less about possessions or how you appear to others, and you become freer from others' judgments. Instead, you start valuing your physical and mental state much more highly.
Practical Guide: When and How to Run
Choosing Your Running Time
Dr. Jung currently runs in the early morning. Running at night can leave you stimulated and excited, interfering with sleep. Running raises your body temperature, but to fall asleep, your core body temperature needs to drop. It takes considerable time for your elevated body temperature from running to come down.
However, there are individual differences. If evening running doesn't affect your sleep at all, then evening runs are fine. The key is to structure your running routine around your lifestyle.
The Shoe Misconception
The most common question she gets is "What shoes should I buy?" But running is exercise you do with your own body. Unlike cycling, you can't improve performance through equipment upgrades – it's the most honest sport there is.
Of course, there might be shoes that fit better or worse for individuals, but most shoes on the market today are very well-made. It's best to avoid the mindset of trying to achieve results through equipment.
Injury Prevention: What Beginners Must Know
The #1 Cause of Running Injuries: Being a Beginner
Every study consistently identifies the number one cause of running injuries: being a "beginner." Beginners are about 1.5 times more likely to suffer the same injuries compared to experienced runners. Most running injuries are "overuse injuries" – problems that occur when you repeatedly apply external impact or load beyond what your body can handle.
Beginners lack exercise experience and don't know how their body reacts to different amounts of running. They can't distinguish between pain that requires attention and pain they can run through. Often, because running feels fun and easy at first, they get overly ambitious and end up injured.
Dangerous Pain vs. Acceptable Pain
Leg muscle soreness is usually fine. It's hard to pinpoint exactly where and how it hurts, it's a dull rather than sharp pain, and it tends to worsen 24-48 hours later rather than immediately.
Pain to watch out for includes joint pain or pain in tendons and ligaments. You can pinpoint the location with your finger, it has a sharp quality, and it hurts while you're running. Especially if it hurts when you land or when joints bear weight, you should stop running immediately.
Running Alone Isn't Enough: The Importance of Supplementary Exercise
Running alone can't make every part of your body equally healthy. You need exercises that can supplement what running doesn't cover. This is called supplementary exercise or cross-training.
Essential Supplementary Exercises
Weight training (strength training)is the foundation. Running only uses certain muscles repeatedly. To stabilize your knees, you need to develop all the muscles: front thigh, back thigh, outer thigh, inner thigh, and glute muscles.
Core musclesare also crucial. They help your body efficiently handle the large impact from landing and propel you forward. Good core exercises include planks (dynamic rather than static), push-ups, pull-ups, and leg raises.
Yogais also an excellent complement to running. Post-run yoga is particularly effective.
Why I Oppose Form Correction Classes
Many running classes offer programs to correct form and technique, but Dr. Jung opposes this approach. Form and technique are natural results that emerge based on an individual's cardiovascular fitness and strength levels.
Trying to artificially correct what naturally emerges as a result is ineffective. The right approach is to develop core elements like cardiovascular fitness and strength. She firmly states that paying money for form correction is the wrong approach.
How to Fall in Love with Running
The Motivation of Achievement
Dr. Jung didn't find running fun from the start either. She began running in March and entered a 5km race in April. Surprisingly, she completed it without stopping. Someone who had only sat and studied through medical school achieved a 5km run in one go, leading to the realization "I can do this too." From that moment, she began to view exercise completely differently.
Practical Strategies for Enjoying Running
1. Make friends who run: Chat about running, discuss questions together, and share your enthusiasm – it makes running much more enjoyable.
2. Enter races: Long-term goals (staying healthy as you age) are easy to forget, but having short-term, visible goals (a race in 2-3 months) helps you run more consistently.
3. Utilize local races: Regional races often feature local specialties and delicious food, and they're held as local festivals. Experiencing places you've wanted to visit through running creates great memories.
4. The special appeal of races: Races have a unique flavor. Seeing many people enjoying running, the thrill and joy of running together, and the festival-like atmosphere and energy carry over to future races and running experiences.
Conclusion: Why More People Should Run
Dr. Jung advocates for running for a clear reason: too many people who are perfectly capable of running hold false beliefs like "I can't do that," "That's not for me," or "I can stay healthy enough without running."
The adult diseases and metabolic disorders that almost everyone has these days are all lifestyle diseases. Without changing your lifestyle, aging will bring various illnesses and eventually multiple complications.
But running is a powerful tool that can change all of this. With just 5-10 minutes of daily investment, you can cut your mortality rate in half and transform not just your physical health, but your mental health and life attitude as well.
In conclusion, running isn't just exercise – it's one of the most effective ways to make life richer, healthier, and more vibrant. The potential and possibilities you currently have are more than sufficient to take up running. Why not create a better life through running?
*Source: Based on Dr. Jung Se-hee's running-related lectures and content from her book "Brain on the Road"*.
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