Inflammation is your body’s normal response to illness, injury and even hard training. Acute inflammation protects you from infection while your body heals and manifests itself in the form of swelling, redness, and/or fever. Basically it should be a temporary condition and healing can be optimized by eating an anti-inflammatory diet.
Chronic inflammation occurs over a period of time. Its symptoms are often subtle and you may even brush them off as part of the aging process. However, it poses a very dangerous threat and over time can lead to degenerative illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, pulmonary diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease, colitis, and other autoimmune diseases.
Symptoms of chronic inflammation may include fatigue, stomach issues, itchy and watery eyes, coughing and respiratory issues, joint pain, red itchy skin, gum issues (gingivitis and periodontitis), and depression. Again, these symptoms while uncomfortable, are subtle and easy to brush off and tolerate. Many people take over the counter or prescription meds to relieve and treat the symptoms and never consider treating the root cause.
One of the biggest culprits leading to chronic inflammation is the Standard American Diet. Appropriately its acronym spells SAD! Most Americans typically consume foods that are inflammatory in nature and eat very little anti-inflammatory foods. Now throw in running several miles per week, some of which are at a hard effort, and you are creating a perfect storm within your own body. You find yourself tired more often, slow to recover from long runs or hard efforts, injured more frequently, and it seems like you catch every bug that is going around.
Not getting enough quality sleep also contributes to chronic inflammation. Your body uses this time to recover and repair itself and having 7-9 uninterrupted hours is optimal especially when your training is in high gear. While it’s tempting to compromise the amount of hours you sleep because you have so much to do, don’t let it become a regular habit. And if you struggle to shut your brain down or stay asleep, check out these tips here.
Stress and anxiety also contribute to chronic inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet, getting enough rest, and running regularly will help, but you may need to seriously consider speaking with a professional counselor. From personal experience I know what it is like to be doing everything right and still have chronic inflammation symptoms like diarrhea, reflux, as well as nagging aches and pains. My counselor taught me to use tools to recognize and reframe fear and anxiety. You can read more about nurturing yourself holistically here.
To sum it all up inflammation can be a runner’s best friend (acute inflammation) and her worst enemy (chronic inflammation). To keep yourself healthy and running injury free eat anti-inflammatory foods most of the time, take a high quality multi-vitamin, get plenty of rest, and nurture you mind by addressing fear, anxiety, and stress when it becomes too much to bear.
