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Page Six, THE HILLTOP, March 23, 1978
Book Review: The Complete Book of Running - James Fixx
Running Offers New-Found Benefits
by Joy Bridges
James Fixx graduated from Oberlin
College and is a former managing edi
tor of Horizon, senior editor of Life and
editor of McCall. He now writes books
and works as a free-lance magazine edi
tor. When Fixx started running he weigh
ed 220 pounds, now he weighs 159
pounds, has been declared medically
fitter than most college athletes, and
runs ten miles a day just for the fun of it.
Fixx believes that with proper prepar
ation, anyone who can walk can run. He
believes that running, if done right,
can make you faster and healthier, and
younger in both the psychological and
physiological senses. Fifteen or twenty
minutes as few as three days a week is
enough to produce measurable benefits.
Many people find that running is ad
dictive. The more you run, the more
you want to run.
Why do people run? Because it feels
good. Running is one of the best exer
cises there is and certainly one of the
simplest. Even extremely overweight
people can significantly improve their
physical condition in as little as three
weeks. Running develops cardiovascu
lar endurance, it can be done anywhere,
requires practically no equipment and
costs almost nothing. Running makes
your whole body feel better — you feel
lithe, springy and energetic.
Running is also considered an anti
depressant because exercise tends to
increase one’s feeling of self-esteem
and independence. Running reduces
anxiety. It fulfills the need for move
ment, for self-assertion, for alternations
of stress and relaxation, for mastery over
ourselves, to indulge ourselves,, and the
up session before running. This stimu
lates the circulation and raises body
temperature, thus enhancing the ef
ficiency of muscle contraction.
“A flexible and free-flowing body”
need to play.
Doctors say that running seems to
improve mental health but no one is
sure just why. One theory is that the
unusually rich supply of oxygen to the
brain brought about by running brings
on the brain’s self-correcting mechan
isms.
To achieve all these good things,
one must run for forty-five minutes at
least four days a week.
How to start? “Train, don’t strain.”
Take it fairly easy at first. You will
improve just as quickly and you won’t
get injured as often.
Fixx recommends a ten-minute warm-
the physical fitness specialist Bob Glov
er explains “is more efficient and ten
sion free. Proper stretching before and
after vigorous exercise will eliminate
undue stiffness and fatigue and prevent
injuries. It will also increase your ath
letic efficiency. Runners will increase
their stride and fluidity. Less muscle
tightness and leg cramping will result.
At first run slowly until you start to
sweat. That’s a sign that your warm-up
is taking effect and that you can now
move a little faster.
Running in parks or on county roads
is less dreary than on a track.
The secret of style is to run naturally,
just keep your body straight, and your
head forward. Your hands should be
relaxed. Just do what feels natural.
Don’t run on your toes. Breathe natur
ally.
Don’t think about speed. Stop if
you get tired, then run some more. You
should be able to carry on a conversa
tion while you run, so don’t run so fa®
that you can’t talk comfortably with a
friend.
Adaptation to training depends o”
tbe overload principle. If you ask
body to do more than it can easily
form, it responds by becoming not ju»
strong enough for that task but evea
stronger. .
The important thing is to work out
least four times a week. It’s the r®
peated running that brings impro'^®
ment. It may take you several mon
ths
to get to the point where you’re runniaS
two, three or four miles at a time. j
When your run is over, don’t stop so
denly. Take time for a cool-dov''’
This should consist of a brief relaxe^
walk and some stretching of the san>
kind you did before you ran.
The right shoes are very impor
taot'
Real running shoes are necessary
give your feet enough support.
shoes do three things. Because
they
fit right, they minimize blisters. BecaU
they are properly padded, they cush'O,
shocks. Because they have a stable
they keep lateral sway to a minuo
uio
and reduce wear and tear on leg mus
cleS'
If you become a real running v
you may want to subscribe to
World, a magazine devoted entirely
the sport.
Upward Bound is Preparing for its 11th Summer
Program at MHC
Upward Bound, a federally funded
college preparatory program, is prepar
ing for its 11th annual summer residen
tial session at Mars Hill College.
The program is for high school sopho
mores, juniors, and seniors with above
average academic potential who may be
underachieving but who want to go to
college or technical school and who are
from economically disadvantaged back
grounds.
Lloyd Moore, director of the program
at Mars Hill, and his staff will be seek
ing 60 students during March and April
for participation in the program which
will begin its on-campus activities June
12. Their search will reach into six
area high schools: Asheville, Erwin,
North Buncombe, Madison, Mountain
Heritage in Burnsville, and Mitchell
in Spruce Pine.
The students selected will participate
in two phases of the Upward Bound pro
gram, the summer residential session
on the college campus and the academic
year (1978-79J program back in their
own high schools.
During the summer program, all stu
dents will live on campus in a super
vised residence hall for six weeks.
They will attend daily classes in math
ematics, language arts, reading, person
al development, science, art, drama,
music, and home economics.
Each student will take an active part
in lifetime and intramural sports,
dances, movies, and theatrical produc
tion. The students will receive educa
tional diagnostic testing and discuss
the results. They will also receive
personal, vocational, and educational
counseling.
Short recreational and cultural trips
are planned for Upward Bound partici
pants to points of interest on weekends.
The trips this summer will include
visits to the Black Mountain Camp
ground for a trail hike, mountain
climb, and picnic; to Cberokee to visit
the Oconaluftee Indian Village and
see the drama “Unto These Hills
to
and to Western Carolina University to
participate in “field day” activities.
The summer program will conclude
with a three-day trip to Charleston,
S.C., to visit Ft. Sumter, the U.S.S.
Yorktown, Baptist College, and Old
Charleston.
The second phase of the Upward
Bound program will begin with the fall
term of the 1978-79 school year. The
participants will continue to receive
personal and academic counseling and
tutoring if needed. They will be visited
in their high school by a project counse
lor from Mars Hill, and they will return
to the campus for at least five visits
during the school year. They will re
ceive a small stipend to help them fi
nancially through the year, and seniors
will be assisted in applying for admis
sion to the college of their choice and in
seeking scholarships or other forms of
financial aid.
Students who are interested in apply
ing for admission to the Upward Bound
program should contact their high
school guidance counselor for an appli
cation form or call the Upward Bound
offices at Mars Hill at 689-1251 for
further information.
A scene from the recent Dance Company Recital held in Moore Auditorium
18. Choreographed by Kathy Wikle.
Photo by Archie
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