Harvard's Chan School of Public Health recently did a study on the health benefits of being positive. The study suggests your good health may depend on it. At times, remaining positive is terribly difficult. But during this time of COVID, remote learning, separation from family, friends and normal activity, and a myriad of other problems, I found the following question and Dr. Laura Kubzanky's answer very informative and interesting:
CHAN SCHOOL: What are the pathways that might explain the health benefits of optimism?
KUBZANSKY: We think that optimism enhances people’s ability to regulate both their emotions and their behaviors. People who are more optimistic are less likely to smoke and to misuse alcohol, and more likely to engage in physical activity. They often have a healthier diet, although we didn’t have data on that in this particular study.
We’ve also been looking at how optimism may affect biological processes. Some research has suggested that optimism is associated with lower levels of inflammation. So, maybe there’s more anti-inflammatory activity or higher levels of antioxidants that circulate, which in turn protect against hypertension or other adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Another biological factor that we have seen in multiple studies linked to optimism is higher levels of HDL, the healthy lipids. We’re also curious to look at optimism in relation to the microbiome and are hoping to get the data to be able to do that.
One of the challenges to this work is that so much of research is focused on what causes deterioration and poor health. There are actually a lot fewer studies about what a positive biology would look like. So identifying pathways and mechanisms requires a little more creative thinking.
The foregoing is , from my standpoint . . . on the money! 100% accurate. And it provides a life lesson that truly can't be overstated. Best remember it kids. You'll be tested on it 10, 20 even 50 years from now!
OK, in the area of more current events, I'm optimistic about our meets with Plymouth North this week. The Plymouth North course has been changed somewhat and is now 2.7 (not 2.65 miles.) It will be the first opportunity to run this specific course and who knows, maybe a couple of our kids may hold that course record after Wednesday. But our focus is on improvement and I have little doubt our mile pace times will be down based on a somewhat shorter course. Keep in mind however, it IS a challenging course. Coach Buckley has promised me a map later today, but I'm not entirely sure if he will be able to provide all the details we'd like. He indicated the course no longer includes the largest hill you may have run in the past (affectionately called the Widowmaker) but there are other tough hills. You're ready. Be OPTIMISTIC!
Today is a shakeout run for the Girls with strides and stretch to follow.
For the Boys in Group 1 it will be a Mile+ Loop warmup, 8 X 300, Mile+ Loop cooldown.
For the Boys in Group 2 it will be a Mile Loop warmup, 8 X 300, Mile Loop cooldown.
For Groups 3, 4, 5 it will be EASY miles with 2 minute pick-ups.
Core and stretch follows for all Boys.
I'm hopeful . . . no, optimistic some of the Group 2 Boys will join our Group 1 today. Who's ready? Be there. 2:30.
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