Running News Roundup for December 7th

Top 2024 Wellness Trends: Pilates, Assisted Stretching and Cold Plunges

According to Yelp, the upcoming year will be filled with wellness therapies, more Pilates and assisted stretching. Since millions of consumers use Yelp’s website and app to discover local businesses, the company has begun tracking search trends each year to detect habits and forecast what the future holds.

Yelp predicts a boom in stretching, pilates and low-impact fitness classes for 2024. Searches for stretching and flexibility training increased by over 35%, while searches for yoga were up only 10%. Pilates also shows great promise, with searches rising 71% year-over-year. Retro fitness has also spiked, with searches for step aerobics up 54% and Jazzercise up 16%.

Consumer interest has spiked for cold plunge therapy, which Yelp says jumped a staggering 521%. Cold water therapy may not sound appealing, but proponents say cold plunging naturally improves mental health and performance. One study demonstrated that dopamine levels increased 250% after cold plunging in water at 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Runners Swallow Pills to Build Next-Gen Smart Watches

Runners in Singapore are swallowing data-tracking pills that measure their internal body temperatures and beam the readings to a smartwatch in real time, with the information being used in a project to develop improved sensors.

The electronic pill is designed to measure a runner’s core temperature – the most accurate indicator of whether a person is overheating under strenuous conditions.

When large enough, a database of runners’ temperatures will help smart wearables more accurately detect a user’s core temperature even when worn on the skin, and flag when he is at risk of heat injury.

The Pill, developed by French medical company BodyCap, houses a small battery, a temperature sensor and a transmitter to communicate the data.

It is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for clinical and research purposes, and is used by the military and sports sectors for performance monitoring, among other tests. It typically passes out of the user’s system in two days.

For the first time, researchers can monitor vital health data such as core temperature while a race is going on.

The goal? Develop a system that can signal to people who are nearing their personal thermal thresholds for safety. Eventually, a non-invasive way to keep track of a person’s temperature.

An Ancient Form of Cardio: Snowshoeing

Human beings and snowshoes go way back: there are relics of crude frame snowshoes from the glaciers of the Italian Dolomites dating to 3800 BC. We’ve long used various forms of the footwear to “float” atop the snow instead of trudge through it. For millennia, this ability was critical for survival; indigenous peoples, fur trappers, dog sledders and lumberjacks — moving through northern climates from Finland to Colorado — used the webbed attachments to conserve energy, complete tasks and even chase down enemies in the unforgiving snow.

Our modern relationship with snowshoes is less dramatic or dire but absolutely worth preserving, and pursuing, in case you haven’t strapped on a pair in a minute.

This is where calories meet their maker. Depending on your body profile and the specifics of your snowshoeing adventure (elevation, duration, etc.) you can expect to burn anywhere from 450 to 1,000 calories during a 60-minute session outdoors. That’s akin to jogging or cycling for an hour.

Snowshoeing is a bonanza for all of the above yet offers an added element: moving through the snow (even when floating atop it) is an excellent challenge for the body. The snows creates resistance, which amplifies the effort needed — and the muscles engaged — for each step. You have to adopt a wider stance (to accommodate the shoes’ larger surface area) and lift your legs higher, which gets the quads, glutes and hamstrings firing. This will up your heart rate, in kind.

Mental benefits start to kick in when you spend up to 45 minutes outside during the coldest months of the year. If you live somewhere with a particularly dark or cold winter, snowshoeing is great on-ramp for the habit that helps you kick seasonal depression.

friluftsliv: The Norwegian Secret To Health and Happiness

The concept of friluftsliv – or “outdoor life” – is as Norwegian as cross-country skis and woollen sweaters. Given Norway is ranked the #7 happiest country in the world, we can learn a few things from them about happiness.

Relax. Refresh. Re-energize.

The expression friluftsliv was invented by the famous Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in the 1850s, who used the term to describe the value of spending time in remote locations for spiritual and physical wellbeing. But the concept of being in nature for purely recreational purposes has been part of Norwegian culture for centuries.

But what exactly does the word mean?

“Friluftsliv is not connected to a specific activity. For Norwegians, the word has a deeper meaning, like ‘disconnecting from daily stress’ and being part of the cultural ‘we’, which binds us together as human beings as a part of nature”, Lier tells.

As a philosophy, friluftsliv is basically about a simple life in nature without destroying or disturbing it. The concept is also tightly connected to “kos” (cosiness) – the unique Norwegian word for having a good time.

Simply put: spend time in nature, disconnect from daily stress and have a good time. Thanks friluftsliv! 

Your Daily Dose Of Usain⚡️

Taking Ice Baths for 365 Days Straight 🥶👑

@itskyajeub

WAIT TILL YOU SEE HOW MUCH SNOW WE GOT!!😱❄️ #icebath #coldplunge #pregnant #icequeen #ice #coldplunge #night #couple #nightroutine #coldth... See more

Words To Run By 🏃‍♀️🏃🏽‍♂️

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