Perfect Running Pace Revealed
July 27, 2009
Filed under Running
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| A new study finds each person has an optimal running pace that uses the least amount of oxygen to cover a given distance. |
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By Dan Peterson |
Most regular runners can tell you when they reach that perfect equilibrium of speed and comfort. The legs are loose, the heart is pumping and it feels like you could run at this pace forever.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison now have an explanation for this state of running nirvana, and we can thank our ancestors and some evolutionary biology for it.
For years, it has been thought that humans have a constant metabolic energy rate. It was assumed that you would require the same total energy to run one mile, no matter if you ran it in 5 minutes or 10 minutes. Even though your energy burn rate would be higher at faster speeds, you would get there in half the time.
Turns out, however, that each person has an optimal running pace that uses the least amount of oxygen to cover a given distance. The findings, by Karen Steudel, a zoology professor at Wisconsin, and Cara Wall-Scheffler of Seattle Pacific University, are detailed in latest online edition of the Journal of Human Evolution.
Steudel's team tested both male and female runners at six different speeds on a treadmill while measuring their oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output. As expected, each runner had different levels of fitness and oxygen use but there were ideal speeds for each runner that required the least amount of energy.
Overall, the optimal speeds for the group were about 8.3 mph (about a 7:13 minutes per mile) for males and 6.5 mph (9:08 min/mile) for females.
The most interesting finding: At slower speeds, about 4.5 mph (13 min/mile), the metabolic efficiency was at its lowest. Steudel explains that at this speed, halfway between a walk and a jog, the runner's gait can be awkward and unnatural.
"What that means is that there is an optimal speed that will get you there the cheapest," Steudel says.
So, why is a zoology professor studying running efficiency? Steudel's previous work has tried to build a theory of why our early ancestors evolved from moving on four limbs to two limbs, also known as bipedalism. She has found that human walking is a more efficient method of getting from point A to point B than on all fours. It might also have been an advantage for hunting.
This latest research could offer some more clues of how we moved on to running. Steudel explains, "This is a piece in the question of whether walking or running was more important in the evolution of the body form of the genus Homo."
Dan Peterson writes about sports science at his site Sports Are 80 Percent Mental.
BODA Weight Loss Supplements
June 25, 2009
Filed under Diet & Fitness, Weight Loss Supplements, Weight Loss Tips
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"…reducing body fat
and increasing or
preserving lean
muscle mass –
giving you a leaner,
healthier appearance."
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An important health discovery
BODA Extract No. 3 contains conjugated linoleic acid which was first identified in 1978. Dr. Michael Pariza was studying beef extract at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to see if it might help prevent cancer. What he found was unexpected.
Dr. Pariza’s initial research suggested two important possibilities. First, that conjugated linoleic acid helps reduce body fat, and second, that it helps maintain lean muscle tissue. These initial findings attracted great interest, and a surge of scientific studies and research followed.
Extract No. 3 does your body good.
Beef and dairy used to be our biggest source of conjugated linoleic acid. But diets have changed over the past 30 years. We eat more low-fat dairy now. And cows eat more grain than grass. These changes have drastically reduced the amount of conjugated linoleic acid we all consume.
Today, the recommended daily dose of conjugated linoleic acid is 3.4 grams. To achieve that level through your diet, you would have to consume more than 4 gallons of ice cream, seven pounds of beef, or almost 4 gallons of whole milk. Every day.
Fortunately, BODA Extract No. 3 is derived using a proprietary process to convert the linoleic acid of pure safflower oil into conjugated linoleic acid — making it easy to take advantage of conjugated linoleic acid many benefits.
How Extract No. 3 Works
Decades of research indicate that conjugated linoleic acid actually changes body composition by reducing body fat and increasing or preserving lean muscle mass—giving you a leaner, healthier appearance.
The conjugated linoleic acid contained in BODA Extract No. 3 inhibits lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fat from our diets. Once the fat is broken down, it is stored in the body. By suppressing this enzyme, Extract No. 3 reduces the amount of fat that is broken down and, therefore, the amount of fat that is deposited and stored.
Combined with a balanced diet and exercise, BODA Extract No. 3 will help you lose body fat, and keep it off. You may drop a clothes size or two without yo-yoing between weight loss and gain.
Now GRAS Certified
BODA Extract No. 3 is now GRAS certified by The US Food & Drug Administration is currently in the process of issuing GRAS. GRAS stands for “Generally Recognized as Safe”.
Extract No. 3 will help achieve your diet goals and enhance your healthy lifestyle three ways:
- Reduces body fat by decreasing the amount of fat your body stores.
- Maintains lean muscle by helping your body burn calories more efficiently.
- May prevent fat cells from refilling with fat, so you maintain your leaner look.
Here’s what people are saying about Boda Extract No. 3
“I wanted to become healthier, lose excess body fat, and become more toned; I started watching what I ate and exercised. Then, a friend told me about the great results she had from BODA Extract 3, so I thought I’d give it a try. Extract No. 3 helped me lose more fat than I would have without it. It also protected me from muscle loss. Thanks BODA for helping me lose the fat and keep it off!”
— Michele P. Age 32
“I was on a weight loss program, watching what I was eating and exercising at least five days a week. Then I heard about BODA Extract 3 and thought it would complement my program and efforts. The results were definitely noticeable. Extract No. 3 helped me achieve my weight loss goal and look great. I still take Extract No. 3 to stay on track and keep the fat off.”
— John H. Age 45
“As I entered my 40s, I started noticing changes in the shape of my body, and I wanted to reduce those changes. So I began to exercise. Then I heard about BODA Extract 3, began taking it, and quickly noticed a decrease of abdominal diameter. Extract 3 has helped me shed the fat, keep it off, and start becoming toned again.”
— Joel S. Age 51
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