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Malik Thompson

Trishia Briones

ENGL 1302-261

6 February 2023

Running Ahead

Introduction

Many humans in the modern day have neglected their bodies for ever increasing variety

in transportation. There have been many studies that show that a lack of regular exercise can

severely cripple the body. For example, the body will suffer muscle loss, coordination issues,

and one may feel anxiety, stress and depression. These findings are important to understanding

why exercise is so important to the body. There have been many studies conducted to learn the

positive effects of running and how it affects the day to day health, “it is intuitive that physical

activity/exercise increases cardio-respiratory fitness and the body's adaptation to physiological

stress, hence reducing mortality and morbidity in the perioperative period.” (Kreindler,

Amoroso). Therefore, the goal of this experiment will be to determine if daily exercise in the

form of running, will have the previously mentioned positive effects on the body and mind. The

results of this study will be collected in a journal over a period of five days, and any claims made

will be supported by scholarly articles.

Methods
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The test subject for this experiment will be a current student of Texas A&M International

University, A twenty year old male with an athletic background. It is also important to note that

the subject experiences feelings of stress and anxiety occasionally, so the goal is to see if there is

any change in these feelings as well as the physical well being. Information on the experiment

will be collected from the subject's journal and supported by professional online articles in the

realm of health research. The only materials that will be used in this study is the campus of

TAMIU for the subject to run on, and the app MapMyRun to track the distance and time each

day. Each day following the end of their classes the subject will eat a meal, and wait for about

two hours before starting the run. Each run will be five miles long, and following the run the

subject will write down how they feel, and then update the information with how they feel the

following morning. The point of updating the information is to see the physical and

psychological effects after a night's rest to see if motivation is still there, stress levels, and

physical wellbeing.

Increased Motivation and Focus

There was an exceptional increase in motivation during and following the experiment

with respect to the expected results that helps determine if continuous exercise actually impacts

the body's health and wellness enough to warrant the population to seek it out as a part of their

daily agenda. The subject was on a hiatus and lost all progress of their running and in their

journal introduction, reported that they were constantly tired, not sleeping well, had trouble

staying focused, and had feelings of stress and anxiety. Within the first two days of the

experiment (Wednesday and Thursday), The subject expressed feeling energized even after the

five mile run. “I feel awake and focused after the run, I used to feel tired just going up stairs, but
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now that Im getting back in shape I feel the drive to run more even after a five mile run”

(Thompson 2023) As stated by the Subject in their journal. This analysis is directly supported by

the following “Overall, these studies suggest that acute bouts of running can improve mental

health and that the type of running can lead to differential effects. Evidence suggests that acute

bouts of treadmill, track, outdoor and social running (2.5–20 km and 10–60 min) all result in

improved mental health outcomes” (Oswald; Campbell; Williamson; Richards; Kelly.). Increased

energy, motivation and focus have been noted within the first two days of the study and the

subject has not noted any negative effects.

Building a routine

Following the success of the first two days, the subject expressed focus and motivation,

which continued to strengthen the routine. The subject never once noted a feeling of hesitation

when it came to running. The subject did note, “Going down the stairs each day was horrible

once the soreness began to set in” (Thompson 2023). New statistics by the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that less than one-quarter of Americans are meeting the

minimum amount of exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Data collected in 2020 by the

National Center for Health Statistics was published in an August 2022 data brief. Many

Americans believe that they do not have enough time in the week, but as proven by the subject,

whose schedule is very busy, there is enough time. The subject is a student government senator,

but has had more than

enough time to do schoolwork, and their duties as senator. It is all about building a routine and

consistent running assists in building that routine.

The Final Effects

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The final day of exercise was the final stretch for the participant. Before starting the last

five miles the subject noted that, “despite the pain and soreness, I knew that I had to finish.

Running is a lot easier with a goal in mind, whether it be for an experiment or just attempting to

train for a personal record” (Thompson 2023) The subject has developed a good mindset for the

experiment and has expressed feelings of bliss following the run along with stress relief. The

feeling of achievement following a successful run, but the research from China disagrees

“ Moreover, a lack of PGC-1α in the hippocampus decreased the number and activity of PV+

interneurons in the CA3 subfield of the hippocampus, and running exercise could not reverse the

pathological changes because of the lack of PGC-1α. The present study demonstrated that

running exercise regulates PV+ interneurons through PGC-1α in the hippocampus of mice to

reverse depressive-like behaviors. These data indicated that hippocampal PGC-1α-mediated

positive effects on parvalbumin interneurons are required for the antidepressant actions of

running exercise. Our results will help elucidate the antidepressant mechanism of running

exercise and identify new targets for antidepressant treatment.” (Wang, Jin; Tang, Jing; Liang,

Xin; Luo Yanmin; Zhu, Peilin; et al.) The Hippocampus is a structure in the brain involved in

memory and learning. This structure coincides with the journal of the subject that expressed, “I

have more focus and Im doing better in my classes as a result” I must disagree with the Chinese

researchers as although reputable, they have not tested properly on Humans whose brains are

much more complex in its emotions.

Conclusion

The conclusion to the experiment led to the following results, a positive boost in in

motivation and energy was observed along with a better sleep cycle due to being tired after runs.
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The sleep cycle was often a full eight hours. The subject performed better in his classes with

more attentiveness. Physical and mental health improvements were also visible. Stress relief,

better focus and peace of mind along with better breathing habits and the muscle strength in the

legs that comes with running. The experiment has been a success in proving the benefits of daily

exercise over a period of five days and it can be concluded that further daily exercise would only

compound on the results and increase the positive results.

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Works Cited

Andersen, Lars L., et al. “Effect of Brief Daily Exercise on Headache Among Adults-Secondary

Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.” Scandinavian Journal of Work,

Environment & Health, vol. 37, no. 6, 2011, pp. 547–50,

https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3170.

Kozlovskaia, Maria, et al. “A Profile of Health, Lifestyle and Training Habits of 4720

Australian Recreational Runners - the Case for Promoting Running for Health Benefits.”

Health Promotion Journal of Australia, vol. 30, no. 2, 2019, pp. 172–79,

https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.30.

Kreindler, Jack, and Peter Amoroso. “Daily Exercise Is Daily Medicine.” BJU International, vol.

123, no. 2, 2019, pp. 200–01, https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.14625.

Oswald, Freya, et al. “A Scoping Review of the Relationship Between Running and Mental

Health.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no.

21, 2020, p. 8059–, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218059.

Wang, Jin, et al. “Hippocampal PGC-1α-Mediated Positive Effects on Parvalbumin

Interneurons Are Required for the Antidepressant Effects of Running Exercise.”

Translational Psychiatry, vol. 11, no. 1, 2021, pp. 222–222,

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01339-1.
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