By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    February 10, 2022
    Which Mushroom Capsules Are Good for Your Health?
    May 5, 2022
    Latest News
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Image
    Healthcare Pricing Transparency Gains Momentum
    June 24, 2013
    non-clinical care factors in health outcomes
    Addressing Non-Clinical Care Factors in Health Outcomes
    November 15, 2013
    e interventions
    Healthcare Progress Depends On “E Interventions”
    July 10, 2014
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Running: a Fringe Benefit of a Bad Economy?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Running: a Fringe Benefit of a Bad Economy?
Wellness

Running: a Fringe Benefit of a Bad Economy?

Dov Michaeli
Dov Michaeli
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

 

 

Running: the best psychotherapy

 

 

Running: the best psychotherapy

Times are tough. We seem to be stuck with an unemployment rate of 8+ percent, with layoffs that never seem to end, with foreclosures of homes and heart-rending stories of families living in cars. Nothing exemplifies better the disappearance of the middle class than the soaring of company stocks like Wall Mart and Dollar Tree on the one hand, and Nordstrom and Whole Foods on the other.

But cheer up. Ours is not so bad. Just take a look at Greece and Spain, countries with overall unemployment rates of over 20%, and among young people – of over 40%! Now, this I call tough times, a true Depression.

The psychological consequences of unemployment are devastating; loss of self-worth, hopelessness, breakdown of families, clinical depression.

But out of this bleak picture comes a piece of news that gives one faith in human resilience. Young people in Europe don’t succumb to fatalism and listlessness. A Reuters dispatch from Europe (8/12/2005) proclaims:Fun Runners Hit the Road in Crisis-Struck Europe.

‘As budgets tighten and working lives get more stressful, running is experiencing a boom as people hit the parks and streets of their cities to escape from it all and keep themselves healthy for just the cost of a pair of sneakers. There is absolutely a running boom and it’s global,” Mike McManus, Adidas market director for running, told Reuters”.

The boom is especially noticeable among people in their mid-20s who are new to the sport and who see running as a way to escape the stresses and strains of working life, or even as a way to get to the office, say people in the sports industry. Research done by the consulting company Sports + Market  shows that in Spain and Italy, two of the countries worst hit by the euro zone debt crisis, the percentage of the population who actively participate in running, hiking and walking has soared.

In Spain, the proportion of adults doing those activities has jumped to 20.7 percent from 12.5 percent in 2006, while in Italy it has gone to 21.3 percent from just 5.4 percent over the same period. What happened to the cafe-lounging Italians?

This is partly due to the “Wall Mart effect”: “Consumers do have to make choices in terms of cutting back and running has been one of those categories that seems to be on the upside regardless of the economic climate,” said McManus, the marketing director for Adidas. The health club sector, meanwhile, is suffering in the economic downturn as consumers cut discretionary spending.

But I suspect that a large part of the reason for the new-found enthusiasm for running is psychological. It has been shown that  about 50% of people have a dopamine receptor that is an extra-strong reactor to this neurotransmitter. Dopamine is the prime chemical mediator of the reward system in the brain. Running and walking simply make us feel better about ourselves. What better way, then, to escape the stresses and depression of hard economic times?

We Americans, with our 8% unemployment, don’t feel as stressed. How else to explain the fact that the proportion of the population that participated in runing, hiking and walking was 4% in 2006, and in 2012 it is still…4%. At least we are consistent.

Since antiquity, sports was enshrined in religion. To wit: the classical-Greek Olympics were actually part of religious ceremonies. Juvenal, the delightful Roman poet coined the slogan of “Anima Sana in Corpore Sano”, which means “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body”. If you are having trouble remembering your Latin, just remember ASICS, which is the acronym for Juvenal’s immortal phrase.

Juvenal and Poesia, the muse of Poetry

 

TAGGED:running
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

vegan wellness and health benefits of plant based diets
Wellness

Creating A Wellness Plan That Works Best For You

December 23, 2022

Eating Well After Stroke: Tips for Dealing With Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia) and Post-Stroke Eating Problems

May 24, 2012

USPSTF Recommends Annual Lung Screening for High-Risk Adults

August 1, 2013

The Future of Psychiatry

June 27, 2016
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?