Cortisol & Running #fitnessfriday

On my way to work I was listening to the Cosmo station because I didn't like the conversation at Martha. Basically I flip around until someone is talking about fitness, food, or health. And, yes, I do listen to Doctor Radio. But anywhoooo, on Wake Up With Taylor I jumped into a conversation about Cortisol. It was such a good convo that sometimes I just wish I had a record button. Please don't tell me about Serius On demand. I'm not paying for it.

A couple of comments caught my attention since I carry most of my extra weight in the muffin top area and excess Cortisol will do that to ya. So stress increases Cortisol but I think most of us know that. When they went down the list of things that cause stress I felt that those had been taken care of. So maybe it is my love of chips.

Here's the kicker. Dr. Sara Gottfried (the expert in case you didn't figure it out) said that running causes stress on the body which increases Cortisol. Then she went on to say that marathon runners age faster. Thank goodness I'm not a marathon runner!

Dr. Sara also said that people who practice yoga and Pilate's age slower. Pilate's anyone?

Weekly Recap:

Friday night I decided to make up for Thursday night and did two rounds of plyo and a little interval training on the treadmill. I'd been reading up on how endurance weight training can help runners.

It kinda sucks that since I weigh so little that it is so hard for me to burn any significant amount of calories. That's why diet is key. Especially if you're down to those last ten pounds.

Saturday was kind of a lazy day. I worked with Colt on his driving. Actually, he drove up to the high school and got out. His music students had a competition and he had to go coach them through. When I got home, I sliced tons of veggies for some fresh potato soup (recipe coming soon) and read blogs and mags.

I decided that no matter what I was going to run three miles. I didn't care if it took all day. Guess what? It didn't take all day and I burned more calories than I did on Friday. All of you runners are keeping secrets. I can't wait until my pace (look at me using running words) gets better and I burn even more calories.

This is where it starts getting muddy. I didn't take pictures and do small nightly recaps. I thought I'd remember how I felt, etc. Lesson learned. On Sunday, I did run a mile and did some general strength work. Honestly, if I don't run further I'm not going to burn any calories. I'd run faster but my heart rate monitor has me at 85% of my max heart rate. I can only assume that as my heart gets stronger and use to this type of exercise I'll be able to run faster. It just feels like it's taking forever. Perhaps a good check up and discussion about my goals is in order. I like my doctor but perhaps the sports doctor down the street might be better for this.

Monday and Tuesday I was so busy I did not get a workout in. It would help if I came up with a better blogging plan. Wednesday I ran two miles but something set off my calves. Today I wore three inch heels to work and ran up and down the stairs repeatedly. For work, not for fun. When I got home I was limping and could barely walk. I fell asleep on the couch and just woke up to finish this post. Lovely!

What do you think about running making you look older? How were your workouts this week?