The perks and prejudices of running through Manhattan

Moving to the Big Apple has made me rework my workout. No longer am I able to run in soothing silence. No matter how many Manhattan blocks I prowl, visible peace is rare, even when running smack in the center of Central Park. Living in New York City is actually a bit like living in an expansive, constantly crowded outdoor mall. As much as I enjoy running, I'd rather mosey along a nature trail than hit the shops at a breakneck pace. So is running no longer the release it once was? Not at all.

I rather think the desire to run in a less hectic location pushes me to speed up my pace and lengthen my mileage as soon as I leave my apartment and hit the sidewalk. As New York's Winter melted and while spring was springing, I found a few gold mines that don't require an iPod to block out honking cars and tire squeals. With the golden bloom of summer, I find myself enjoying the noisy, cluttered sprint to my secret relaxation, be it the Jacqueline Kennedy reservoir near dusk or crossing the East River to a suburban park with families and soccer games, walking trails and picnics.

Plus being low on funds in a redunkulously pricy city, I'm taking advantage of the many park benches (the more ratty looking ones when I can) to crunch, press and lunge my way to a stronger body. Near the end of my run, back in the busy parts of Central Park or by the East River, I'm worn out and ready to listen to some Norah Jones while doing squats. Plus, there are so many runners and walkers doing goofy stretches and strengthening themselves, there's no need to feel self-conscious. Check out Ted Spiker's seven-minute workout for a quick, fresh way to strengthen your body while outside...or while watching TV in your small cramped shoebox apartment.

Women's Health magazine

The new year can be a great way to make a new start in your life! (Such as re-committing to keeping a weekly blog...heh heh) To celebrate the end of 2009, I got published on Women's Health's Web site as part of a healthy heart package. Check out my quiz featuring Dr. Rajita Sinha, director of Yale Stress Center, and Dr. Rachel Lampert from the Yale University School of Medicine.

Domo arigato Mr. Roboto Fish

One day, you may catch a fish that is actually a robot.

Recently, scientists worldwide have taken to building robots by mimicking the design of a fish, which leads to a more efficient creation than The Jetsons' Rosie the Robot, for example.
Known as biomimetic robots, reports National Geographic ,these gadgets take their cue from nature. A group of researchers in the United Kingdom, for instance, replicated the ability of the knifefish, which propels itself through the water via fin, keeping its body rigid to sense out electrical currents. Similarly, the Gymnobot mirrors this movement, keeping its body full of cameras and electronics rigid. Bots such as these have already been released into the wild to detect levels of pollution in nearby bodies of water. Scientists hope they will also be used to stealthily study wildlife in shallow water.

Not a runner? You can run 8 miles if you pay for it.

Last Saturday I ran more than eight miles.

Oh and I haven't even gone for a light jog in the past six weeks. Too sick, too busy, too cold, too hot, too busy, too sick. You name it.

And as I walked to the start line, adding up the excuses in my head, all I could say to my running buddies is: "I am SO not prepared for this."
Squished between about 7,000 people, the start gun sounded at 10:30 p.m. If the distance wasn't enough to throw me off, the timing was. Yes, I was doing a $75 midnight run to the Tower of Terror at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. First, off, I don't even like the Tower of Terror, a ride that consists of free falling in a "fright elevator."

But apart from my rusty legs getting cramped up in the last two miles, I found the Fall night air to be refreshing and Disney's over-the-top scenery to be a nice distraction from the beat of my gasping breaths. Plus, that race slapped me awake and threw me out of my running slump. I started working runs into my busy schedule again this week. Seems scheduling a race can pump some motivation into you, agrees Runner's World, which offers other Fall tips to get back on top of your training.

Still, my post-race runner's high wasn't enough to get me on this:

Bicycle! Bicycle! I want to ride my... Ouch!

I bike to school, and I don't wear a helmet. And to be truthful, body armor might be more effective. Bicyclists seem to rack up more injuries than other athletes as a whole, according to the New York Times.

And helmets may not always offer the perfect help- results of a 2007 study found when "cyclists skipped wearing helmets, drivers yielded more of the road to them while passing; if the cyclists did don their helmets, the drivers tended to crowd dangerously close."

Physical injuries have grown more severe and frequent. Chest injuries have shot up 15 percent in the past decade according to data collected by doctors at a trauma center in Denver, CO. Abdominal injuries have tripled and the average age of the injured rider moved to 30-years-old from 25-years-old. But experts remain unsure as to what is the main root of this rise in injuries. Of course the skills of surrounding drivers and bicyclists themselves factor in, but so does the surrounding community's population of commuting bikers. Check out this blog for safe and fashionable tips for your bike commute.

Google sharpens the mind?

The birth of personal computers may have tacked hours on to the time we spend sitting on our butts, but it seems searching the Internet can sharpen the mind, if not the waistline. Using search engines can stimulate "key brain regions", and might "ward off dementia and slow cognitive decline," according to National Geographic.

Though doing the crossword puzzle has a similar affect on the brain, Google-ing is less likely to bore given the Internet's expansive nature, researchers say. To discover Internet surfing spawns an increase in brain activity, researchers roped in 22 volunteers, ages 55 to 78. Participants surfed the Web for one hour every day. Half of the volunteers were Internet savvy, while the others claimed to be newbies.

After two weeks, scientists saw a jump in brain activity and a notable increase in those volunteers who initially used the Internet infrequently. So... maybe sitting in front of the computer isn't so unhealthy. Just be sure to get outside in the fresh air once in a while. To learn a bit more about the brain, give your own mind a workout with National Geographic's quiz.

Barefoot running may mean fewer injuries

At a two-mile run in my hometown last Friday, one runner stood apart in style. While fellow athletes walked around post-race in cushy running shoes, Chris stood rehydrating with nothing more than sock-like booties covering his soles.

"At 40, I’m running faster than I ever did before,” said Chris, who has run on and off for about 20 years. He began going barefoot in July 2009.

More and more people seem to be running barefoot. Though the running shoe is a popular piece of American style, some runners are arguing that a shoeless lifestyle promotes an injury free one. Some supportive research points to the low rate of knee and hip injuries in cultures that frequently lack shoes. Blogger David Sypniewski offers a post touting this point of view and other informative tips on baring your sole.

For a quick introduction for how your style changes when you switch to bare feet, tune into to insight from an instigator of the trend, Christopher McDougall who authored "Born to Run."