Thompson 1

Malik Thompson

Trishia Briones

ENGL 1302-261

17 February 2023

Running Ahead

Introduction

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

ease of use, such as vehicles, online shopping and delivery etc., which are things that keep

people from moving around and promote a sedentary lifestyle. 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. This is due to “[how] 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 200-201). 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.

Methods

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
 Thompson 2

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

are any changes in physiological and psychological well-being. 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

professional online articles in the realm of health research. The only materials that will be used

in this study are the TAMIU campus 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, it helped to 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. In their

journal introduction, they 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. As stated by the subject in their journal, “I feel awake and focused after the run, I

used to feel tired just going up stairs, but now that I'm getting back in shape- I feel the drive to

run more even after a five mile run!” (Thompson 1). This analysis is directly supported by “these
 Thompson 3

studies [that] suggest [how] acute 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 et al. 8059). 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 that “going down the stairs each day was horrible

once the soreness began to set in” (Thompson 3). Statistics by the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention revealed that less than one-quarter of Americans are meeting the minimum

amount of exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 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

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 5). The subject has developed a good mindset for the

experiment and has expressed feelings of bliss following the run along with stress relief. The
 Thompson 4

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

believe that “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, et al. 222). 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 I’m doing better

in my classes as a result” (Thompson 3). The Chinese researchers are reputable, but they have

not tested properly on Humans whose brains are much more complex in their emotions compared

to rats.

Conclusion

Overall, the experiment did determine that daily exercise in the form of running does

have positive psychological and physiological effects. The experiment led to the following

results, a positive boost in motivation and energy was observed along with a better sleep cycle

due to being tired after runs. 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
 Thompson 5

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.
 Thompson 6

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.

Thompson, Malik. “Running Experiment Journal.” 2023. 1-5

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.