Another Reason to Encourage your Kids to Run: Running Makes You Better in Problem Solving
By: Vicboy de Lima
JOIN kaRUNungan 2010 (Nov 28) and Ateneo Big Blue Run (Nov 21).
Just finished reading the RUNNER’S WORLD magazine (September 2010 edition) and among the things that caught my attention in page 80 is the idea that running can help you be more intelligent. “Running increases levels of positive neurotransmitters , like endorphins , norepinephrine, which is responsible for alertness, and serotonin , which helps regulate mood”, says Matt Fitzgerald, author of RUN: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel. “‘Plus, running puts the brain in an ‘alpha-wave’ state, which is associated with feelings of calmness and well-being.”
A handful of studies have documented that moving your feet correlates with improving your brain; two conducted at the University of Illinois found that 30 minutes of exercise resulted in up to a 10 percent improvement in cognition or being more effective in processing a problem or situation.
Given this scientific research, I think it is a very good idea to encourage our kids to take up running. It will help them in their school assignments and exams. Hahahaha.Plus, as I observe our kids nowadays, I cannot help but sigh that our kids need to exercise their feet to compensate for their over usage of their fingers for their Gameboy and PSP.
Having said that, I would like to reiterate my invitation to our Batch 83 runners and other runners to come and register with their kids for the Knowledge Channel run (kaRUNungan 2010) scheduled for Nov 28 at Meralco.
Another fun run which I think is suitable for running with kids, given the safe campus venue, is the Big Blue Run (BBR) scheduled on Nov 21. This is a fun run organized by the University Athletics Office of the Ateneo de Manila University. Distances are 3kms, 5kms and 10 kms. Registration sites are the following:
- University Athletics Office at the Blue Eagle Gym (AdMU - Loyola Campus)
- Rockport at Trinoma
- The Shoe Shop at Rockwell
My son Marcel and I are joining the BBR (5kms) too. Here is our picture wearing the royal blue running singlets.
