Running as little as 5 miles per week can have huge health benefits. A very large study has come out that shows running as little as 5 miles a week or about 5-10 minutes a day at slow speeds (10 minutes per mile) can reduce the risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease. 

A Runner's World article about the research says: 

If you don't currently run or do any cardiovascular exercise, hopefully this will motivate you to get out and run today, even if it's only for a minute or two. Start with what you can do, and know that even that small amount of running is giving you benefits. If you start with 1 minute today, and do 2 minutes tomorrow, and 3 minutes the next day -- in less than a week you'll be running enough to improve your health and lower your mortality rate. Pretty amazing! 

If you can't run because of pain or injury contact Oregon Exercise Therapy for a free posture evaluation and consultation and we'll help you get your body balanced and fit for running again. 

Runner's World: New Research: Big Benefits From Running 5 Miles A Week
Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Leisure-Time Running Reduces All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Risk

Dr. Mike Evans does a really good job with all his videos and I especially like this one. Some highlights:
Low Back Pain: 

• is not a disease
  
• vast majority get better without medical intervention
• back dominate pain is "good pain" because there is no damage to the nerves or spinal cord and surgery is not needed
• imaging is usually not needed or helpful because only 1 in 2500 back X-rays show an important finding
• your attitude is very important in outcome
• active therapies are most effective
• improving posture works
• develop a resilience plan for your back pain
• motion is lotion and movement is medicine

Visit Dr. Mike Evans website for more videos and information.

I love it that Dr. Mike Evans is willing to share such great information in such an easily understood format. As an Egoscue therapist and Postural Alignment Specialist for over 10 years, I have been educating people about many of these same things and helping them realize that they can get better and return to a pain free and active life. These Pain Free Convictions represent many of my beliefs. 

Posture is defined as: "the relative disposition of the parts of something, the position of the limbs or the carriage of the body as a whole"(1) or "the way in which your body is positioned when you are sitting or standing; the position or bearing of the body whether characteristic or assumed for a special purpose"(2)

Alignment is defined as: "an adjustment to a line; arrangement in a straight line"(3) or "the act of aligning or state of being aligned; especially :  the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts (as of a mechanical or electronic device) in relation to each other"(4)

In 1947, the Posture Committee of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons defined posture as follows(5):

Proper Postural Alignment then looks like this:

To understand proper postural alignment we need to explain that the human body has eight major load joints: 2 ankles, 2 knees, 2 hips, and 2 shoulders. These joints are designed to align vertically one on top of another from the sagittal (side), frontal (front) and transverse (top) views. Since gravity is constantly applying a force to the human body, it is important for the 8 major load joints to be aligned properly. When the body is in proper postural alignment, gravity applies a vertical load through the body that has a positive impact on the structures of the body and strengthens tissues (bone, cartilage, muscle, connective tissues, intervertebral discs, etc) via the forces applied. When the body is not in proper postural alignment, gravity creates damaging stress, strain, and friction that breaks down tissues (bone, cartilage, muscle, connective tissues, intervertebral discs, etc) and leads to injury and disability. 

Many experts including many who teach the Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais®, Pilates, yoga and physical therapy talk about the need to be conscious and mindful of our posture and how we move all day long so we can maintain good or natural posture. The problem with this idea is that our postural alignment is supposed to be unconscious. Most young kids are great examples of proper unconscious postural alignment. 

Young children are not thinking about their body alignment, how they are standing, how they are sitting, if their shoulders are back or stomach is tight, they are just running around enjoying life. Their postural alignment is maintained by the muscle memory of the deep postural muscles that was built up by the variety of movement they put their body through on a daily basis. 

Our postural alignment is designed to be maintained by the deep postural muscles without conscious control. When we think about our body posture and joint alignment (conscious control) and change our alignment by thinking about it we are most likely using our peripheral muscles not our deep postural muscles. This changes joint alignment, movement patterns, and the forces tissues of the body are under. Any conscious control of posture increases rigidity of the body which increases stress and strain on joints, muscles, and connective tissues. 

We also need to think about what happens when the person forgets about their posture? It goes back to its imbalances patterns of old, which can cause sudden injury (sprained ankle, ruptured or herniated disc, torn meniscus, strained muscles). 

Proper postural alignment is therefore created and maintained by restoring proper joint position and muscle length and tension by doing Postural Alignment Therapy that uses specific Egoscue posture exercises (e-cises) that will reset the body's unconscious muscle memory. This means we can go through our day - sitting, standing, running, playing sports, etc - without having to think about our movement patterns and posture, moving like we did as kids and will have peace of mind knowing that our bodies are working as they were designed - naturally, functionally, efficiently, and pain free. 

If you have been to a doctor, it is likely you got a prescription for a medicine. Amoxicillin for an infection. Prilosec for heartburn. Synthroid for hypothyroidism. Zocor for high cholesterol. Hydrocodone and acetaminophen for pain relief.  But have you ever been prescribed exercise? 

Exercise has been shown to be an affective prescription for diabetes, heart disease, many types of cancer, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, osteoporosis, sleep problems, premature death, memory loss, osteoarthritis, stroke, and many other health issues. 

If you have any of the above health conditions or want to prevent them and your doctor has not written a prescription for exercise, Dr. Nicholas DiNubile has written one for you:

Get out there and get active! Doctors orders! 

If you have musculoskeletal pain that is stopping you from exercising, contact me at Oregon Exercise Therapy  today for a free consultation and posture evaluation where I will show you how restoring your posture with some simple Egoscue posture exercises can eliminate your pain and allow you to live the pain free and active life that will keep you healthy! 

Read Nicholas A. DiNubile MD's entire article, The Pharmacologics of Exercise: Yes, Exercise Is Medicine!, in the Huffington Post.