Walking vs. Running – Which Is Better for You?

Becca Lynn (00:00):

Does running impact female hormones? Is stretching before and after a walk or run necessary? How much walking should I add to my day? All of that, and more, on this episode of The Healthiest You. Are you a walker, a runner or neither? I should probably say that I’m one or the other, but I’ll be honest, I’m not. I walk from the studio to the coffee machine. But today we’re talking about running, walking and how they impact your health, not just your physical health, but also your mental health. We’re focusing on women’s health and wellness on The Healthiest You podcast. Whether you’re on your way to work or enjoying a cup of coffee, take this time to focus on your health. Here to talk about walking versus running and how they affect your mind and body are physical therapists Ashley Reiss and Neil Shapiro with Lehigh Valley Health Network. Ashley, Neil, thank you so much for joining us and welcome to the show.

Neil Shapiro (00:49):

Thank you for having us.

Ashley Reiss (00:50):

Thanks for having us.

Becca Lynn (00:52):

I know movement is essential and it’s essential for healthy living, but walking or running, is it better for a woman’s health?

Ashley Reiss (01:00):

Yeah, so first and foremost, before you do any form of exercise, it’s always important to get a health checkup and get cleared with your physician. The decision to run or walk will vary based on person to person, and it’s generally not recommended to just get up and start walking. You always want to condition yourself prior to starting any sort of exercise routine. Normally we recommend a walking program first, and then as you start to notice that your strength and your endurance are improving, then you can work into running.

Becca Lynn (01:28):

Okay, so I shouldn’t just decide right here and now, “I’m going to go for a run?”

Ashley Reiss (01:33):

Probably not a good idea.

Becca Lynn (01:34):

Okay. All right.

Ashley Reiss (01:34):

That just predisposes you a little bit more for injuries.

Becca Lynn (01:37):

And I’m injury prone as is, so let’s move on.

Neil Shapiro (01:40):

Choose to run, but smartly.

Becca Lynn (01:42):

Oh, smartly. That’s a great way to present it, Neil. Thank you.

Ashley Reiss (01:46):

Anyone that has a couple more, what we call comorbidities, people that tend to have any sort of joint issue, arthritis, people that are in a higher classification of BMI or your body mass index, it’s generally recommended to start slowly and work your way up.

Becca Lynn (02:01):

That makes the most sense. And being in that classification of a higher BMI, I wouldn’t start right away.

Neil Shapiro (02:06):

Oh, you look great.

Becca Lynn (02:07):

Oh, that’s enough out of you, Neil. Now, stretching before and after, after we’ve been cleared, we’ve talked to our primary care physician. Stretching necessary before, after a walk and/or a run?

Ashley Reiss (02:19):

It is vitally important for both – before and after. Before: We recommend doing what’s called a dynamic warmup, where you’re stretching your muscles with controlled motion. A lot of three to five basic drills. A lot of people know butt-kickers, which is literally you’re kicking yourself in the rear end.

Becca Lynn (02:37):

Sorry, the visual that went with that, that’s fantastic.

Ashley Reiss (02:38):

Easiest way to explain it.

Neil Shapiro (02:38):

You’ve done this before.

Becca Lynn (02:42):

Okay. Some of the other stretching exercises?

Ashley Reiss (02:44):

And high knees where you’re lifting your knees up toward your chest, and you’re quickly alternating side to side. These just allow the muscles to get primed and get ready for the exercise that you’re going to end up doing, as well as providing the muscles with a quick stretch. But on the flip side, also doing a proper cooldown is also generally recommended. And this can just be five minutes or so of just leisurely walking, followed by some stretching of the major muscle groups in your legs just to help improve flexibility, decrease some of that post-exercise soreness that most people tend to experience.

Becca Lynn (03:14):

When you said cooldown, I thought just standing over the air conditioner vent to cool down as I had overheated.

Ashley Reiss (03:19):

Sometimes that helps with bringing the body temperature back down.

Becca Lynn (03:22):

Oh, so we can incorporate that into our cooldown. I love it. My husband’s going to love hearing that.

Neil Shapiro (03:26):

There you go.

Becca Lynn (03:27):

How does regularly walking or running for exercise affect the female body specifically? Can it reduce risks for certain cancers, add years to our lives? I think that’s what everyone’s chasing is, “Can I add years to my life?”

Neil Shapiro (03:42):

What we know about cardio activity is that it can be really beneficial for your health across all aspects. And so not just for women, men too, that by exercising you can reduce your dependency for [insulin] if you’re a type 2 diabetic. It can reduce your blood pressure if you take blood pressure medication, help you with weight loss and other things. But you also want to think about those comorbidities that Ashley was talking about. Talking about cancer, there is some research out there showing that cardio activity can reduce your risk for developing certain types of cancer, including breast cancer, which you know is unfortunately a little prolific in women these days.

Becca Lynn (04:12):

Unfortunately.

Neil Shapiro (04:14):

And then I have some personal experience with that. I used to work out in the Chicago area; I worked with a group called Recovery on Water, so it was a lot of women that were post-diagnoses. And there was a woman that I had met who was training with this rowing team. She also ran and biked, but she had gotten a bad life-expectancy and she was 15 years out from it. And so she put it all on healthy eating and exercise. I would say not talking about just running, just general exercise and activity.

Becca Lynn (04:40):

But including that into a healthier lifestyle. Wow. That’s a wonderful story, Neil. Thank you for sharing that.

Neil Shapiro (04:45):

No problem. I love it, so I try sharing as much as I can.

Becca Lynn (04:48):

It is a great story and I think more and more people need to hear that, that ... a diagnosis is not a death sentence.

Ashley Reiss (04:55):

Correct.

Becca Lynn (04:55):

That there’s so many things that we can incorporate into our lifestyles that can, like you said, increase longevity. Now since running is more strenuous on the body, how would it impact female hormones?

Ashley Reiss (05:07):

Our hormones are regulated by our organs and then by specialty centers in our brain. And they’re normally ... released in response to stresses on our body. Some of the more well-known hormones are your endorphins; those endorphin release. After running for a period of time, some people experience what’s called the runner’s high, where you have a state of feeling very relaxed and calm as you’re exercising, and that’s just due to an endorphin release.

Becca Lynn (05:32):

That makes a lot of sense. I think I need to start running because I’ve never felt that.

Ashley Reiss (05:37):

I’ve only felt it once or twice. Adrenaline is another common hormone that’s released and also in response to exercise. When somebody’s striving to reach a PR or get to that finish line, that burst of energy at the end of your workout or your run when you’re feeling really gassed is due to adrenaline just to get you over that line. The other hormone that most people have heard of is cortisol, that’s our stress hormone. Cortisol, too much of it in our system can actually be negative. If you’re over-training, having built up levels of cortisol in your system can actually put you into what’s called a fight or flight response. For women in particular, this can end up having an impact on your menstruation, on your reproductive system because your body is diverting energy that is being sent to those body systems, to the systems that they need for survival. It’s just your body’s natural protection mechanism.

Becca Lynn (06:35):

That makes a lot of sense.

Ashley Reiss (06:37):

Women that are over-training or over-exercising, it can actually sometimes affect those body systems. And that’s actually one component of what’s called the female athlete triad. Three components, one being menstrual health. In women that are over-training or over-exercising, they start to see changes in their menses.

Becca Lynn (06:54):

Okay.

Ashley Reiss (06:55):

Another component is that is decreased bone-mineral density, and that goes along with your menstrual cycle dysfunction. And the third is just poor energy availability. And we screen for those with our athletes because they’re vitally important, and a lot of times they take what’s called a multidisciplinary approach to treating fully. That’s part of our screening process with any female athlete so that way we can get them the treatment that they need if they start to show any signs of that triad.

Becca Lynn (07:23):

Okay. If I was an athlete, I’d be going, Ashley. ... No offense, but if I were to be an athlete, I think Ashley and I would be great friends. Neil, did you have something to add?

Neil Shapiro (07:34):

Yeah, I was going to say that I feel like when I treat my female runners, it’s so common, especially female athletes at a high level, they have such an expectation that weird menstrual cycles are normal, right? “Oh, everyone has it, so this is a normal thing.”

Becca Lynn (07:46):

But just because everyone has it doesn’t make it normal or healthy.

Neil Shapiro (07:49):

And so I’ve been trying to educate more and more like, “Hey, just because you don’t have it or it’s irregular or it started really late and everyone else you know does that, that’s not a normal thing for you. And it can have these big kinds of issues down the line.”

Becca Lynn (08:02):

That’s great. Wow.

Ashley Reiss (08:03):

Balancing the hormones while running helps with balancing on the flip side; doing too much of it can actually be a negative thing. Moral of the story is balance is key. Finding out where we are in our balance to help regulate our body systems is ...

Becca Lynn (08:18):

That healthy medium. That healthy medium is really, really important.

Ashley Reiss (08:21):

Sometimes it can be a little hard to find, so sometimes you also need some help from other providers to be able to get you to that point.

Becca Lynn (08:26):

I think balance in any aspect of our lives is difficult to achieve, and we’re always trying to find that balance. For example, how much water I should and should not be drinking because now I need to pee again. And not only is it in the script, but I do have to pee. And it’s a pretty regular thing. And yes, I’ll admit to it that I do drink a lot of water and then I have to go to the bathroom. That is probably a thing that a lot of runners have to consider. I always wonder during a marathon or any in that situation, how do you handle that? Do we strengthen the pelvic floor? Is there something we should be doing?

Neil Shapiro (09:03):

Well, so for your marathon question, there’s always bathrooms along the way, so it’s good to go to the bathroom and not hold it.

Becca Lynn (09:09):

You sound like a parent, “We should go when we see the bathroom.” Okay.

Neil Shapiro (09:14):

But in general, urinary incontinence is a very common thing with women, especially usually postpartum. Things just get a little bit weaker. But pelvic health isn’t something that’s just women only, right? Any runner, any athlete.

Becca Lynn (09:27):

What do you mean? Men have a pelvic floor?

Neil Shapiro (09:30):

Men have a pelvic floor.

Becca Lynn (09:33):

Color me, exactly, mind blown.

Neil Shapiro (09:36):

I would say if you do have any issues with pelvic health, I’m going to put a little plug in, right? PTs can help manage that. There is pelvic-health PT in the network, another provider, something you can talk to your doc about. I was reading an article, something like up to 40% of women have some level of incontinence, and 7 to 10% can have severe incontinence, which I don’t treat that, I have no idea.

Becca Lynn (10:00):

So, you’re like, “That’s not my area of expertise.”

Neil Shapiro (10:01):

Yeah, I try to treat everything outside the body. Anything more internally, I leave to the experts.

Becca Lynn (10:07):

I would tend to agree with that. I really would. And I can understand a lot of the fight or flight, “Are we going to beat the buzzer” kind of thing. That’s obviously something that you want to talk about with your physical therapist or with any other of your physicians. Now, how does running improve bone health? I know that was a very drastic change, but continuing on with running or walking, what this podcast is about, how does it help and impact our bone health?

Ashley Reiss (10:35):

There’s something called Wolff’s Law. It’s the idea that your naturally healthy bone will adapt and change over time to the stresses that are put through it. Naturally with running and walking, your weight-bearing bones and the legs and the pelvis and the spine are naturally going to be stronger than those same bones in someone who is not as active. Conversely though, too much running and part of that female athlete triad that we just spoke about, that can have negative impacts on your bone health. So again, balance is key.

Becca Lynn (11:04):

Balance is key.

Ashley Reiss (11:07):

Cross-training is important and generally often recommended as a form of exercise and adjunct to what you’re already doing. Muscles connect to bone through tendons. When muscle contracts and the tendon pulls on the bone, that stimulates bone growth and bone rejuvenation.

Becca Lynn (11:23):

You guys are so smart; it’s so different than radio. We don’t know any of this stuff. Please continue. I’m sorry for interrupting.

Ashley Reiss (11:28):

No, you’re good. But again, touching on that female athlete triad, what we screen for in the clinic is any female athlete that has any sort of signs of bone stress injuries or repetitive bony stress injuries or stress fractures. Those are kind of the first clinical signs that we’ll see of somebody who’s, “We need to get this addressed.”

Becca Lynn (11:49):

Now, we touched upon bone health, and it makes me think whether your bone health is strong or not strong. Who should avoid running?

Neil Shapiro (11:59):                                  

That’s a tough question for me. I don’t know if you’ve ever read the book “Born to Run” [by] Chris McDougall or there’s a guy, Dan Lieberman, he’s a researcher at Harvard.

Becca Lynn (12:10):

If you ever see me running, Neil, you should probably run too because that means that something’s chasing me. Please continue.

Neil Shapiro (12:13):

They’re big things. Dan Lieberman, it’s the, “We evolved to be nomads and rock and run.” I think for the most part, all of us have the potential to do it. It’s just, is it appropriate for you? And so for the most part, I tell people, “If you’re going to pick up a running routine or really anything, it’s always good to talk to your doc about it.” We talked comorbidities earlier, so if there’s anything like that going on, you just want to make sure that it’s safe. And there are certain things that are really hard stops. So if you have unstable chest pain, really significant cardiac issues, other things going on with uncontrolled things in your body, good to avoid it. So again, good to talk to your doc. And then these relative contraindications, recent surgeries, recent fractures, other things going on.

Becca Lynn (12:55):

Some common sense?

Neil Shapiro (12:56):

Yeah. And so if you go on Mayo Clinic or Cincinnati Children’s [Hospital] or something, they have these nice lists of, “If you have this, you shouldn’t do this. If you have that, maybe think about it.”

Becca Lynn (13:04):

It’s like a ride at Dorney Park, “If you have this, you should not take this ride.” Okay. Makes a lot of sense.

Neil Shapiro (13:10):

And so there are those with running. But again, for the most part, if you don’t, I think everyone has the potential to, as long as you progress to it appropriately.

Becca Lynn (13:17):

That again makes a lot of sense. Now what about power walking? Is that different? Obviously it’s different than running because it’s not called running, it’s called power walking. Why might this be a better option?

Ashley Reiss (13:30):

Walking is a great form of exercise, as is running. Walking is much … less impact than running. Running is around, they say in the literature, about three to five times your body weight per step when you’re running; walking is obviously not so much.

Becca Lynn (13:45):

I think my knees would break. I’m sorry, please continue.

Ashley Reiss (13:48):

Power walking is defined as walking at the upper end of your usual casual pace. If we put this to the scale of a treadmill and the treadmill normal walking pace is around a 3.0, power walking is more around a 4 to a 5.5. It still increases your heart rate, it still allows you to burn calories, but at a much less of an impact. Some people that, Neil just touched on, that fit within those categories, power walking may be a great alternative just due to the low-impact nature of it.

Becca Lynn (14:20):

Walking, running, how does it improve physical, and as I mentioned earlier, mental health? I see memes all the time that say, “I’m out here taking my stupid mental-health walk.” But I do the same thing because the exposure to the sun and the air and just getting out, it really does help with mental health. How does that affect more deeper? You guys are more deep than a meme, a little more educated.

Ashley Reiss (14:45):

Walking and any form of exercise in general are great for both physical and mental health. Back to those endorphins, those endorphins, those feel-good hormones …

Becca Lynn (14:53):

We love those endorphins.

Ashley Reiss (14:55):

... that help improve your mood. It can help decrease stress, it can help lessen the effects, I should say, of depression and anxiety. There’s one study out there that even shows that it helps with learning, it helps with memory. It can improve your cardiovascular health, your whole body health, as well as your mental health in terms of just boosting your mood and making you feel better.

Becca Lynn (15:17):

And I can attest to that as someone that does deal with anxiety and depression. When I do convince myself to go take that stupid mental-health walk, I feel considerably better when I come back inside. So again, it makes a lot of sense. Now, what footwear should we be wearing? My flip-flops, I have a feeling you’re going to say I should not be wearing my flip-flops or my Uggs or anything like that.

Neil Shapiro (15:41):

It really depends on the activity that you’re doing. If you’re walking on the beach, flip-flops aren’t a bad thing for you.

Becca Lynn (15:45):

What about barefoot? If we’re on the beach, shouldn’t you be barefoot?

Neil Shapiro (15:47):

Yeah, that’s true. If the sand’s really hot though, I don’t want to burn your feet.

Becca Lynn (15:50):

Good point. Thinking ahead, Neil. Okay. Flip-flops on the beach. You are a thinker. Okay, otherwise, what would you recommend?

Neil Shapiro (15:57):

Otherwise, so here’s kind of the dirty secret in the running world. Since the advent of the running shoe back in the ’70s to now, there’s really been no change in running-related musculoskeletal injury. And so you would think you’ve got all these awesome shoes out there and there’s been no general reduction in the amount of injuries that you’re seeing. Now, the big thing could be that first Boston Marathon was less than a hundred people. Boston Marathon now is 30,000, 35,000 people. There’s just a lot more people running. It could be because of that, you’re seeing this higher volume of injury. But going back to the shoe wear, I think it’s the people get stuck in their head that the shoe makes you, “I’m going to get this shoe and it’s going to fix everything.”

Becca Lynn (16:33):

Wait a minute, you’re telling me that my new sneakers aren’t going to make me run faster?

Neil Shapiro (16:36):

Well, that’s actually not true. There’s some research coming out now with the Nike InfinityRNs, the ones that Eliud Kipchoge did the sub-two hour [marathon]. Those actually will make you faster and they’re getting banned in a lot of races. That super-hyper shoe.

Becca Lynn (16:49):

Almost like an unfair advantage, that if someone is wearing those shoes versus a different pair?

Neil Shapiro (16:54):

Yeah.

Becca Lynn (16:54):

See, I was just referring to my son. He has new shoes and they’re going to make him run faster.

Neil Shapiro (16:59):

And everyone thinks that. And unfortunately that’s generally not the case.

Becca Lynn (17:04):

I’m going to have to have you call my son and you can go ahead and tell him that.

Neil Shapiro (17:08):

Fair enough.

Becca Lynn (17:08):

Okay.

Neil Shapiro (17:09):

But what I tell my patients is usually the best shoe is, “The best shoe for you.” You go in, you want to find a shoe that works well for you. There’s not kind of one size that fits all. That’s why I love the local running stores. You can go in, a lot of places will check you out, try things on you, do analyses, fit you for orthotics and get something that works well for your foot. There are big trends in shoes. There was the minimalist and the five-fingers movement. There’s the maximalist Hoka shoe, and now we’re seeing that hyper shoe with the carbon foot plates and all sorts of crazy technology. People with way more knowledge than me put stuff into these shoes.

Ashley Reiss (17:43):

Footwear technology is ever evolving. There are new things coming out every-so-many years and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of. A lot of times we refer them to the experts, the people at the sports shops because that’s what they do all day.

Becca Lynn (17:54):

That’s what they do all day. But that’s mind-blowing to me. And I think it’s because I’m coming at shoes from a much different perspective versus I’m looking for what’s on sale and what’s going to look great with my leggings, not what’s going to be the best. It should be what’s good for my foot though.

Neil Shapiro (18:13):

So are most runners, no one wants to buy that $150 shoe if they don’t have to, but sometimes that’s better than buying the $20 clearance-rack shoe that maybe isn’t the best fit for you.

Becca Lynn (18:22):

You’re right, Neil.

Neil Shapiro (18:24):

It looks great with my outfit, but maybe it’s not the most comfortable.

Becca Lynn (18:26):

You’re right, Neil. Our shoes, we should really make them more of an investment?

Neil Shapiro (18:31):

Yeah. And replacing them consistently and using the appropriate shoe for the appropriate activity. A trail shoe on the trail, a road shoe on the road and vice versa.

Becca Lynn (18:41):

So you’re telling me that I should be going out and buying more shoes for specific situations?

Neil Shapiro (18:46):

Yeah.

Becca Lynn (18:47):

I don’t think that’s what you were saying, but I’m using any excuse that I can to go shop.

Neil Shapiro (18:53):

And the one thing I tend to push people away from, too, is when you go to the expo, don’t buy a new pair of shoes and go run in those shoes the next day. There’s a kind of breaking-in period.

Becca Lynn (19:00):

A breaking in. You have to wear them around the house. We know that with any other type of shoe, you got to break it in.

Neil Shapiro (19:05):

And gradually building your running into it or your walking.

Becca Lynn (19:09):

Now there’s a word here, and I am not 100% sure, but I think I know what it means. Measuring your stride length, is that basically your leg, the stride that you take? My husband takes shorter strides and I take longer strides, but he still ends up walking faster than I do. How do we measure that stride length?

Ashley Reiss (19:28):

Your stride length is from … when you’re pushing off of one foot to when the next foot hits in front.

Becca Lynn (19:36):

I’m trying to do it underneath the table.

Ashley Reiss (19:38):

Okay. If you can see that in your head.

Neil Shapiro (19:40):

Maybe like a finger walk.

Becca Lynn (19:41):

Show me the finger walk. That makes sense. Okay. I’m a visual learner.

Ashley Reiss (19:47):

Your stride is always going to vary based on the terrain and where you’re running. Going uphill or negotiating an incline, you’re going to have a much shorter of a stride versus on a flat road it’s going to be more neutral. Going downhill is going to be much longer. A more accurate measure would actually be called your cadence. And your cadence is your steps per minute. There’s no ironclad number in terms of what you want to achieve when you’re running, but generally around the range of 170 to 180 steps per minute. That’s 85 to 90 steps per foot [and] generally recommended because that’s what’s been found in the literature to promote the best mechanics.

Becca Lynn (20:26):

That was going to be my next question. Why is it important to know these numbers?

Ashley Reiss (20:30):

And this goes back to ... and Neil is a wizard with this … just going out there and counting steps of runners just to start to get an idea of where we want to aim.

Becca Lynn (20:45):

That’s a job.

Neil Shapiro (20:47):

The way it started was there was this really famous coach back in the ’70s, ’80s. His name was Jack Daniels – not affiliated with me at all unfortunately.

Becca Lynn (20:53):

I had my hopes up for a second. Okay, please.

Neil Shapiro (20:56):

He went on, he counted cadence for all these elite-level runners and it might’ve been the Prefontaine Classic or something. And he found most of them were around 180 steps per minute. And that’s usually for your mid-distance runners. Your sprinters are going to be a little higher, closer to 200; anything below that’s a little subpar. And so like Ashley was saying, there’s no magic number, but usually if someone’s low, I’ll bump them up. If someone’s high, I try to pull them back.

Becca Lynn (21:19):

Back to that balance that Ashley keeps talking about. It’s all making sense. We’re making connections. I get it. Ankles, a lot of times I do have a sore ankle or wrist weights and things like that. Would it be good to actually incorporate those into your walks or your runs, to put weights on?

Neil Shapiro (21:40):

Maybe, maybe not. You’re adding something to the end of your legs that you typically wouldn’t use if you’re putting a little more stress on joints. Think of someone that has some shoulder pain or hip pain or knee … or ankle issues. Adding that little extra load on that lever probably isn’t the best thing for you. Now if you’re going for a walk, carrying your hand weights, not the worst thing in the world, will give you a little extra cardio exertion. Maybe doing things, if you do want to add resistance, changing up the terrain, going out and walking on a trail, going up and walking down a hill, those things are going to get you working a little harder without you having to add anything to it and it’s going to save you some money. Maybe you just have to spend a little more on gas to get there.

Becca Lynn (22:18):

And maybe even mental health too, a change of scenery. Checking out something different and just incorporating all of the things that you’ve recommended. Now I know that there are also weight vests if people aren’t doing the ankles or the wrists. What is a weight vest?

Ashley Reiss (22:33):

Those are very popular with our tactical and our CrossFit athletes. It’s a means of adding weight to your program, but you wear it on your body and a lot closer to your midline. It’s great for increasing your workout intensity. Someone who’s doing more explosive-type motions or movements and workouts, it’s going to be great for them. But at the same time it can also be a little bit more negative in that [if] you don’t use it correctly, you’re going to hurt yourself. You do too much weight, you potentially are going to create some imbalances, postural imbalances, muscle imbalances, which are going to predispose you to injury.

Becca Lynn (23:11):

Again, back to the balance. Finding that balance.  … Would [you] burn more calories if you were wearing a vest like that?

Ashley Reiss (23:21):

You would. The more intense your exercise will be, then the more calories you’ll burn. If you’re looking for the weight-loss aspect, it would be good, but we generally recommend starting at a lower weight and then progressively building up from there.

Becca Lynn (23:34):

I keep saying that makes sense, but it does. That’s just the first thing that comes to mind. Now, how can I avoid a treadmill accident? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh and it’s not comical because they do happen. But I myself have had a treadmill accident and it’s simply just my own flakiness. But how could someone avoid that?

Ashley Reiss (23:55):

When COVID hit, a lot of the gyms and fitness centers closed, so treadmill sales went and skyrocketed.

Becca Lynn (24:02):

I’m sure they did.

Ashley Reiss (24:04):

That year alone, there were 22,000 treadmill accidents that reported to the ER.

Becca Lynn (24:10):

Those are just the ones that were reported?

Ashley Reiss (24:12):

Yes.

Becca Lynn (24:12):

Wow. Okay.

Ashley Reiss (24:15):

Something as simple as walking on the treadmill or running on the treadmill, you wouldn’t really necessarily equate to being a high-risk injury kind of activity. But a lot of it comes down to not utilizing the safety checks on the equipment. To avoid injury, to avoid damage to your equipment, it’s also important to use their safety features. Using their safety strap so that way if it disconnects, that belt stops.

Becca Lynn (24:38):

That’s why I do it. I clip it somewhere whenever I’m doing it.

Ashley Reiss (24:41):

Wearing it on your wrist, clipping it to clothing so that if something were to happen or you had to step off and that disengages, then …

Becca Lynn (24:48):

Then it stops. Right.

Ashley Reiss (24:49):

Making sure that children, pets, anything that can get pulled under the belt are out of the way. A lot of these injuries unfortunately are happening with children because they’re seeing something move, they’re going to explore and then …

Becca Lynn (25:03):

They’re putting toys on it like my children would do. Yes, I understand.

Ashley Reiss (25:07):

So minimizing distractions is also important. Get off of your cellphone. Don’t try to read while you’re walking on the treadmill. I mean, that always made me sick, but ...

Becca Lynn (25:17):

I always liked watching. ... My husband installed a television and we could watch Netflix and I’d set it for a 30-minute show and that would be …

Neil Shapiro (25:24):

I’m watching The Walking Dead right now.

Becca Lynn (25:25):

I did that as well. I would watch that as well.

Ashley Reiss (25:29):

So we would recommend starting that prior to starting walking on your treadmill.

Becca Lynn (25:32):

Starting the show, and then getting on the treadmill.

Ashley Reiss (25:37):

And even when it comes to the moving belt, you want to make sure that you’re not straddling the machine, start the belt up and then jump onto it.

Becca Lynn (25:43):

That doesn’t sound safe.

Ashley Reiss (25:44):

No, but you see it a lot.

Neil Shapiro (25:46):

Often.

Ashley Reiss (25:46):

In the gyms, you see it. ... I see it oftentimes in our clinic. You always want to start on the belt itself and then gradually ramp up that speed. Be careful with that speed because that speed can get away from you at times.

Becca Lynn (25:58):

Oh, it can.

Ashley Reiss (25:58):

Each treadmill’s a little bit different in how it responds to speed. You hit that speed-up button several, several times, getting up …

Becca Lynn (26:04):

Slow down, sister.

Ashley Reiss (26:05):

Right. Slow it down a little bit. Work yourself into it just so that you don’t lose your footing.

Becca Lynn (26:09):

No one’s recording you. It’s not a competition. Just take your time. Now what is the 12-3-30 treadmill workout thing?

Neil Shapiro (26:17):

That was a viral thing, apparently.

Becca Lynn (26:19):

And that’s why I’m bringing it up, because it was viral.

Neil Shapiro (26:21):

It’s funny, I’m in my mid-30s, but I’m an old man. I didn’t really hear about it until more recently.

Becca Lynn (26:25):

I don’t want to hear anything about that. Moving forward.

Neil Shapiro (26:29):

So basically what it is you’re setting the incline on your treadmill to 12%. You’re setting the speed of 3 miles an hour and you’re walking for 30 minutes.

Becca Lynn (26:36):

That sounds like torture.

Neil Shapiro (26:37):

And obviously this super-fit Instagram YouTuber, whomever made the video, posted [it] and everyone’s like, “Oh man, that looks great. You look good.”

Becca Lynn (26:45):

No, it doesn’t. It sounds terrible.

Neil Shapiro (26:46):

And so it’s something that if you’re already fit and you’re doing stuff, not a bad thing to throw into your routine, like anything.

Becca Lynn (26:52):

But not for a beginner?

Neil Shapiro (26:53):

Definitely not. Any of these trendy things you don’t want to jump on if you’re not used to doing the workouts; it’s a great way to get hurt. Good for our revenue, not great for just general health.

Ashley Reiss (27:04):

It keeps us in business.

Neil Shapiro (27:04):

Maybe I should say [that] they keep doing it.

Becca Lynn (27:05):

I was going to say maybe you should or you shouldn’t; it’s a fine line that we’re walking with that one. What are some of the precautions that we should keep in mind if we are not going to use the treadmill, but we’re going to decide to run or walk outside?

Becca Lynn (27:19[BK1] ):

Dog poop.

Neil Shapiro (27:21):

Definitely dog poop.

Becca Lynn (27:22):

That’s a big one.

Neil Shapiro (27:23):

But I’m thinking more of that safety component.

Becca Lynn (27:25):

Oh, I was thinking about my new walking shoes and I didn’t want to get them dirty.

Neil Shapiro (27:29):

And you just spent all that money on them.

Becca Lynn (27:30):

I did. Exactly. Neil, please continue.

Neil Shapiro (27:35):

One of the things, everyone loves to run with headphones in. I’m going to give Aftershokz a plug right now. They’re those bone-conduction headphones.

Becca Lynn (27:43):

Bone-conduction headphones?

Neil Shapiro (27:45):

Yeah. They don’t go in your ear.

Ashley Reiss (27:47):

They don’t go in the ear. They stay right on top of what’s called your zygomatic arch. That’s PT talk.

Becca Lynn (27:52):

You are using big words, Ashley, I’m in radio. You got to dumb down a little bit.

Ashley Reiss (27:56):

It goes literally just right outside your ear.

Becca Lynn (27:58):

Oh, the thingy that hooks around?

Neil Shapiro (28:00):

It doesn’t actually go in. It just sits right on top and it vibrates the bone on the outside and they’re pretty amazing. You can barely hear anything from the outside, but when you’re listening, perfect sound quality. You’ve got awesome ability to hear everything around you. If you’re going to use headphones and I use them myself, I would recommend something like that or one earphone in, one earphone out.

Becca Lynn (28:20):

So that you could hear what’s happening around you?

Neil Shapiro (28:23):

Yeah. And I’d also say when I go running, my wife loves this, I have my Google Maps set up so my location is always shared. If I’m going for a run, I let her know how long I’m going for. And then if I’m not back by a certain time, “Hey, where are you?”

Becca Lynn (28:37):

”Where are you?” Do you ever try to draw funny shapes on the maps with your runs?

Neil Shapiro (28:40):

Sometimes. I used to use Strava Art.

Becca Lynn (28:43):

Those are always comical. Those would go viral.

Neil Shapiro (28:45):

Oh, definitely. And it’s also thinking about where you’re running. If you’re going in a really busy area with cars, making sure that you’re paying attention to traffic. If you’re going out in the middle of nowhere, making sure that someone knows where you are if something happens.

Becca Lynn (28:59):.

Yes. Your location services should be on.

Neil Shapiro (29:00):

Oh, you got it.

Becca Lynn (29:01):

Okay. All right.

Neil Shapiro (29:02):

Even run with a friend.

Becca Lynn (29:05):

A buddy, a running buddy. I did that for a while. …

Neil Shapiro (29:08)

Misery really loves company.

Becca Lynn (29:11)

I don’t think that’s the best way to position it, Neil, but I’m not going to argue with you. Exercising while you work. They said it sounds good to me. I’m not quite sure that that’s a correct statement, but while you work, walking pads, desk treadmills. So while I’m sitting at the microphone, I could be doing something. Please tell me more.

Neil Shapiro (29:35):

That’s gotten really trendy recently, those big walking pads. The treadmills of 2020, the walking pads of 2023, seeing it everywhere and everyone’s getting one or a walking desk or something. Time magazine, 10, 12 years ago, put this article out, it said, “Sitting is the new smoking.”

Becca Lynn (29:53):

It’s dangerous.

Neil Shapiro (29:55):

And you find all these things where if you sit too much, it can increase things like visceral fat, your general circumference around your belly, and those kinds of things have been linked to reduced life expectancy. From that end of things, I would say if you can get up and get moving, great.

Becca Lynn (30:08):

I say we’re finished right now and let’s go get moving.

Neil Shapiro (30:12):

Why don’t we take this on the road?

Becca Lynn (30:13):

Let’s go take a walk. Okay. I’m sorry.

Neil Shapiro (30:18):

That’s all right. What I’d say is if you can, it’s always good to take a break and just get out of the building. But if you have to, you’ve got a lot of meetings and things, pop on the walking pad and go for a walk. Just think about other things going on.

Becca Lynn (30:27):

How does a walking pad work?

Neil Shapiro (30:30):

Some of them are just treadmills that go onto your desk. Some of them are treadmills that have a desk attached to it, which are pretty fancy.

Becca Lynn (30:36):

Oh, wow. That is fancy.

Neil Shapiro (30:38):

And they’re getting less and less expensive, which is kind of cool. But you want to think about other things that are going on with you. If you have a history of concussions or vestibular issues or balance issues, I wouldn’t recommend jumping on this and falling off and having one of those treadmill accidents we were just talking about.

Becca Lynn (30:55):

I happen to have “fall risk” written at the top of my ... so that wouldn’t necessarily be for me. That’s okay.

Ashley Reiss (31:01):

Those under-desk walking pads and treadmills, they don’t come with the handrails attached to them. There’s nothing really to hold onto, which we want to make sure you have good balance before you [start].

Becca Lynn (31:10):

I would definitely need some sort of guardrails set up for me. Okay, well that makes a lot of sense and I keep saying that, but it really does. Now, walking pads, desk treadmills, would you say worth it or not worth it?

Neil Shapiro (31:24):

I mean, if you have the money and you want it, I’d say worth it if you’re very busy. But I’d rather you get outside and go for a walk rather than keep walking indoors, if you can. You get that little vitamin D too, that extra benefit.

Becca Lynn (31:34):

Absolutely. The mental health that goes along with it.

Neil Shapiro (31:38):

The mental health and a change of scenery. Just wear sunscreen.

Becca Lynn (31:41):

Whether you’re using a walking pad, treadmill, how does walking throughout the day benefit us? What are the benefits of doing that?

Ashley Reiss (31:50):

It is recommended that we have at least 30 minutes of walking every day …

Becca Lynn (31:54)

I thought it was 20.

Ashley Reiss (32:02)

That’s what’s [30 minutes] going to give you your most cardiovascular health benefits and help with that heart health. Neil was talking about getting outside and moving around, it’s great. But when you’re in a busy office-setting, you don’t have a lot of free time, [try] taking what we call micro breaks throughout your day.

Becca Lynn (32:17):

15 minutes here, 15 minutes there?

Ashley Reiss (32:19):

You got it.

Becca Lynn (32:19):

Is it a cumulative 30?

Ashley Reiss (32:20):

A cumulative 30 minutes.

Becca Lynn (32:23):

So breaking it up, a little five minutes here, a little five minutes there, a 10 here?

Ashley Reiss (32:27):

Perfect. Perfect example.

Becca Lynn (32:30):

Thank you.

Ashley Reiss (32:30):

I’ll tell my patients, “Set an alarm in your phone or a timer on your phone that every so often when it goes off, get up, take a lap around the office, even if it’s just that short break just to give a little movement.” The famous phrase in PT is, “Motion is lotion.” Moving around is going to help with joint lubrication, keeping your joints going, keeping your muscles flexible and pliable so that way you decrease some of the stiffness that you get after being in one position.

Becca Lynn (32:57):

Then you stand up and you have to do the stretch because you’ve been sitting on calls for multiple hours. I used to have a little tracker that would buzz when I didn’t move enough, and it would be like, “Hey, how about you get up and you take a walk?” And that was helpful. I think it’s the same thing as setting an alarm on your phone to remind you, “Hey, why don’t you go take a walk?”

Neil Shapiro (33:15):

And a lot of the smart devices now give you standing points, so every hour that you’re standing you get a little, I don’t know, mine doesn’t do that, but ...

Becca Lynn (33:21):

Oh, I was going to say, does it mean gift cards or chocolate? ... I work for rewards.

Ashley Reiss (33:28):

Well, some of them even have the 10,000-steps buzzer that it’ll buzz off and it’ll shoot bright little flashes on your watch.

Becca Lynn (33:37):

Mine used to have that too.

Ashley Reiss (33:39):

Sometimes that can be like, “Good job, you met your goal.”

Becca Lynn (33:41):

Okay, 10,000 steps are a lot, but you’re right, it’s good.

Ashley Reiss (33:46):

Cumulative throughout the day.

Becca Lynn (33:47):

Cumulative. I like how you tag that on. It’s cumulative. Now, why after I’m doing my steps, why would my legs hurt after a walk or after a run?

Neil Shapiro (34:00):

Yes. I mean, it could be all sorts of things. Soreness after exercise is very normal. We work out, we use our muscles, things get sore. You think that the normal things that happen after you exercise, if you’re walking longer than normal, you’re going to feel it. Think about that, DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, 48 to 72 hours after exercise. Very typical to feel a little bit sore. It’s when things last longer, you should start worrying about it, that five to seven days or more, you start noticing those signs of inflammation … Pain, swelling, redness.

Becca Lynn (34:32):

I was just going to say ibuprofen.

Neil Shapiro (34:36):

And that’s what most people do. They manage it and then that’s a month that it’s been going on and then they’re coming in. Usually seven to 10 days if something’s going on, I would go in. Or if it’s really affecting your function. If you can’t walk, can’t sit, can’t stand, talk to your doc, and I’m going to plug LVHN again. That nice MyLVHN app. Send a message to your doc. Got a question, boom. Easy.

Becca Lynn (34:58):

That’s why we’re here.

Neil Shapiro (34:59):

And you’re getting an answer from someone you trust.

Becca Lynn (35:01):

Absolutely. I’m getting answers from you guys and I trust you already. It’s wonderful. So we’ve done a walk, we’ve done a run. What are the most important things to do afterward?

Ashley Reiss (35:11):

Just like we’re supposed to have a proper warmup prior to exercise, prior to our walk or our run, it’s also vitally important to do a proper cooldown. And like I briefly said before, just five minutes of just leisurely walking, followed by static stretching of the muscle groups in your legs. A lot of people know how you stretch your hamstrings, you stretch your quads, your calves, you hold those stretches for anywhere 20 to 30 seconds and repeat them about three times for each one. It’s also important to rehydrate. Our body loses fluid through sweat with exercise, and we need to replace that. It will help in promoting recovery, help with promoting muscle recovery after a workout, and water, those electrolyte replacement drinks. Those are great options to do.

Becca Lynn (35:55):

You must have been reading my mind. That was going to be my next question, Ashley.

Ashley Reiss (36:00):

Or even doing a post-workout shake that some of the big nutrition companies sell. Those are all shown to help replenish the [glycogen] stores that we’ve lost from our sweating as our natural body’s way of cooling itself.

Becca Lynn (36:15):

What about chocolate milk? I heard that that was the thing.

Neil Shapiro (36:25):

Something like a half-hour after exercise, your body’s most receptive to the proteins and things you’re putting back into it to help recover, and chocolate milk is a great one. … If you don’t have any lactose issues, chug that milk.

Becca Lynn (36:38):

That’s great. What about a chocolate milkshake? Does that count too?

Neil Shapiro (36:40):

You might be outweighing the benefits of the exercises at that point.

Becca Lynn (36:43):

You’re going to [say] no, aren’t you?

Ashley Reiss (36:45):

All those calories you just burned, you might be adding back in.

Becca Lynn (36:47):

I could just make it up the next day, right?

Neil Shapiro (36:49):

Yeah.

Becca Lynn (36:51):

Okay. Now how do I know the difference between just a typical soreness and, like you said, a possible injury if it lasts longer than seven to 10 days?

Neil Shapiro (37:00):

And that’s what I tell people right in the clinic, at least if I’m giving them a program, if it’s lasting more than a certain amount of time. If you go online, you can look up something called the Delaware Soreness Rules. And I give that out to a lot of my athletes when they’re going back to activity. And it’s a nice way of, “If you feel this, then you should do this.” And it’s, “Back off. Go Backward, Keep Progressing.” Not something that’s going to 100% cover you, but it’s just nice little tips and tricks that I give my patients.

Becca Lynn (37:29):

That’s a great idea.

Ashley Reiss (37:30):

And this goes back to also that motion is lotion. A lot of times when people have that post-exercise soreness and they don’t want to go and do anything because it hurts …

Becca Lynn (37:38):

That’s one of the best things to do is to …

Ashley Reiss (37:40):

The best thing to do is …

Becca Lynn (37:40):

Move it.

Ashley Reiss (37:42):

Keep moving. Just gentle stretching. Gentle motion will help with aiding some of that muscle recovery.

Neil Shapiro (37:48):

I do a lot of running and so after I’ll do a long run, I’ll hop onto the bike and no resistance, just spin my legs for a while and man it feels so much better. And you see the guys on the Tour de France finish a race and they just rode for four hours and they’re riding the trainer for another 30, 40 minutes because it makes such a big difference in that tissue recovery. You’re not just stopping and letting everything just freeze on you.

Ashley Reiss (38:09):

Your muscles are kind of pumping that lactic acid out and that’s what gives you that soreness.

Becca Lynn (38:13):

And that’s what gives the soreness. Okay, I remember reading about that somewhere.

Ashley Reiss (38:17):

There’s also foam rollers now. Massage sticks, massage balls that you can use.

Becca Lynn (38:21):

You said massage?

Ashley Reiss (38:21):

Self-massage.

You could go to a massage therapist if you really wanted to. But these things you can purchase online or at any sports store and use those to help knead out any muscle knots that you get.

Becca Lynn (38:36):

Okay. So if it’s not soreness, typical soreness that you might experience after a walk or a run, what are common injuries that you see and what are some of the things that people can do at home possibly to treat those or just come see you at LVHN in physical therapy?

Ashley Reiss (38:54):

A lot of the more common injuries that we see have the general terminology of runner’s knee, which is called patellofemoral pain syndrome. There are also stress fractures, IT band issues and shin splints, which is medial tibial stress syndrome. These are overuse injuries. These are overload injuries. Yes, could you treat them at home? Probably, but not as effectively as if you would come in and get an evaluation with a therapist. Depending on the severity, some of these injuries might actually require us to kind of shut you down for a little bit where you put a stop on your training and really focus in on the healing. Sometimes they can be managed with just activity modification in combination with specific exercises that your therapist would prescribe to you. Then newer technology that we have now actually allows us to video you when you run; it’s called video gain analysis. It’s actually very intriguing. And it allows us to kind of freeze you in a moment in time, really analyze joint measurement angles, how are you landing? What do you look like? That way we can adequately address those deficits so that way you don’t get injured again.

Neil Shapiro (40:03):

We’re living in the future.

Becca Lynn (40:03):

Fascinating. It just makes me think of “Running Man” and Arnold Schwarzenegger and “Terminator” kind of stuff, but I digress.

Neil Shapiro (40:14):

I would add that most running injuries are usually due to error. It’s something like too much, too fast, too soon, too long. At least on the running side of things. I can’t speak for the walking that if you’re just training too much and you got to think stress is, stress is stress. Life stress can play a big part in how your body feels. If you’re already run down and burnt out and you’re trying to do all this mileage, you’re setting yourself up for something to fail.

Becca Lynn (40:39):

It just sounds painful. Being stressed and then pushing yourself too much. You’re just stressing your body.

Neil Shapiro (40:44):

Well, and sometimes you look at it as stress relief, “I’m going to go for my run,” but you’re already worn down and now you’re adding something.

Becca Lynn (40:49):

Adding onto it so you increase the chances of an injury?

Neil Shapiro (40:52):

Yeah. I’m not saying don’t use it as stress reliever, but just be cognizant that other things can have an effect on your running that aren’t just running.

Becca Lynn (40:59):

Ashley, what’s the word?

Ashley Reiss (41:00):

Find that balance.

Becca Lynn (41:01):

Ding, ding, ding. Now, should we be striving for 10,000 steps a day? I know we touched on this earlier. Is that something that you want to start right out of the gate or would you be building up to the 10,000? Is that the ideal mileage that my feet should be traveling a day?

Neil Shapiro (41:17):

Yeah. And so I think ... really, the idea is everyone’s different. Some people a couple thousand steps a day is great, that’s what you’re getting. My mother-in-law gets 18,000 steps a day, every day. … And if she doesn’t …

Becca Lynn (41:30):

What does she do?

Neil Shapiro (41:30):

Lots of walking.

Becca Lynn (41:31):

Obviously.

Neil Shapiro (41:32):

Lots and lots of walking.

Becca Lynn (41:33):

Good for her.

Neil Shapiro (41:35):

But it’s really building up to it. And so if you have stuff going on, if you have issues with your feet, if you have issues with your legs, your back, doing a lot of walking may not be so good at a certain point. Walking 3,000 steps might feel great, walking 7,000 steps might feel terrible, and vice versa. If you’re someone like me who has lots of energy …

Becca Lynn (41:54)

Oh, I can see you bouncing.

Neil Shapiro (41:56)

Sometimes you need to do those things to get that energy out. I would say there’s no magic number, but that 30 minutes a day or more is what we’re looking for and whatever you can get in there, it makes you feel good.

Becca Lynn (42:07):

We’ve covered walking, we’ve covered running. Personally speaking, what do you prefer? Running or walking? What do you suggest? Running or walking?

Ashley Reiss (42:15):

I actually prefer both. And like Neil had mentioned, it varies person to person. Growing up and in my youth I was very active with running. I ran through high school and in my collegiate career. Nowadays, I’m not as competitive as a runner as I’d like to be.

Becca Lynn (42:30):

But you have children and you run around after them.

Ashley Reiss (42:32):

That’s true. That’s where I get my workout, having twins and pushing them in a stroller while we go for our walks at night.

Becca Lynn (42:38):

That is a walk.

Ashley Reiss (42:40):

It is a workout.

Becca Lynn (42:40):

Yes.

Ashley Reiss (42:41):

But I tend to like both. Lately I’ve been favoring walking and then just short-duration sprints after children that are bee-lining it in different directions.

Becca Lynn (42:50):

They have something in their mouths and you know it, you better run after them. I understand that.

Neil Shapiro (42:57):

I’m kind of a both also. I would say traditionally I prefer running way more.

Becca Lynn (43:01):

Why?

Neil Shapiro (43:02):

I cover more distance, see more things, go faster, still have the PRs.

Becca Lynn (43:05):

What’s a PR?

Neil Shapiro (43:07):

Personal record.

Becca Lynn (43:10):

Oh, I got to beat my personal record. I do that on [Route] 22.

Neil Shapiro (43:17):

I’ve dealt with injuries more recently and so I do a lot of walk running and I’ve actually found that I’m as fast, if not faster, walk running. Really learning myself that there’s a place for walking that’s beneficial. And I love walking my dog on a nice day or going outside, walking with my wife.

Becca Lynn (43:33):

That’s nice. Now what is walk running? Is that like power walking?

Neil Shapiro (43:37):

You walk, then you run, you walk and then you run, you walk and then you run.

Becca Lynn (43:38):

You can’t make up your mind. Oh, a little bit of running. A little bit of walking. A little bit of running. A little bit of walking.

Neil Shapiro (43:43):

So right now I walk four minutes and I run six minutes and I do that for about an hour and that’s my workout.

Becca Lynn (43:49):

Does your wife do that with you?

Neil Shapiro (43:50):

No. She lets me do the running.

Becca Lynn (43:53):

She’s a smart woman. Ashley and Neil, this has been so educational, it’s been so much fun. Thank you so much for joining us today. I hope you had a good time as well.

Neil Shapiro (44:02):

This is great.

Ashley Reiss (44:02):

I did. I enjoyed it.

Neil Shapiro (44:05):

This was a lot of fun.

Ashley Reiss (44:06):

This was fun.

Becca Lynn (44:07):

Yay. Maybe next time they can let us have drinks while we do this.

Neil Shapiro (44:09):

All right.

Becca Lynn (44:10):

I don’t necessarily think that we should do that.

Neil Shapiro (44:15):

Or we can go for a walk.

Becca Lynn (44:16):

We can go for a walk or a walk to drinks.

Neil Shapiro (44:17):

There we go.

Becca Lynn (44:18):

See? Combining the best of both worlds.

Neil Shapiro (44:19):

Pub crawls are a big thing with running.

Becca Lynn (44:21):

Look at that. See, we’re problem solvers. Ashley, Neil, thank you so much for taking time out of your day for sharing so many really great insightful things, and I hope it was enjoyable.

Ashley Reiss (44:31):

I had fun.

Neil Shapiro (44:32):

It is a lot of fun.

Becca Lynn (44:33):

Yay. Maybe we should do it again sometime.

Neil Shapiro (44:35):

Definitely.

Ashley Reiss (44:35):

That’d be nice.

Becca Lynn (44:36):

I think that’s great. Again, thank you so much for sharing your time with us. And please check out community marathons and runs in your area by visiting lvhn.org/running. You can also learn about rehabilitation services offered on lvhn.org/rehab. Remember to subscribe or follow The Healthiest You wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. And remember, be safe, be smart, and be the healthiest you.