Anger Management

Physical activity may not be the best way to blow off steam, cranberries enhance running performance and your weekly recommendations.

The Rundown

Anger Management. Feeling angry and think a workout will help you blow off steam? A new study from Ohio State University says activities that increase physical arousal will probably not be effective at reducing your anger.

Researchers looked at 154 studies with over 10,000 participants to determine the most effective way to reduce anger. The studies included different genders, ages, races and cultures. They focused on arousal-increasing activities like hitting a punching bag, jogging, cycling, and swimming and arousal-decreasing activities including deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation and yoga.

The analysis found that arousal-decreasing activities were effective at reducing anger in lab settings and in the field, using digital platforms or in-person instruction, in group and one-on-one settings across multiple populations.

Activities that raised physical arousal were generally ineffective in decreasing anger. Jogging was the most likely to increase anger. But, physical education classes and playing ball sports had an arousal-decreasing effect, possibly because they have an element of play that may counter negative emotions.

Co-lead author Brad Bushman says that physical activities may be good for your heart but “they’re definitely not the best way to reduce anger…Our research shows that any good feeling we get from venting actually reinforces aggression.”

Cranberry Boost. Looking for an edge in your running performance? Try cranberries. Researchers from Concordia University found that ingesting a cranberry supplement for 28 consecutive days led to improvements in both performance and muscle fatigue following 1500 meter time trials.

The scientists recruited 14 high-level runners from Concordia’s varsity track and field team and from two Montreal running clubs. All the runners performed at least five hours of endurance training a week.

For the study, the athletes ran one 1500 meter time trial and one 400 meter time trial in three separate visits. The first visit was used to establish a baseline. For the second visit, they were given a single large dose of cranberry extract two hours before running. To prepare for the third run, they took a small dose of cranberry extract daily for 28 days.

The distances were chosen to test different energy systems with the 400 meter run involving the anaerobic system and the 1500 meter run using the aerobic system. The participants did not regularly train to run 1500 meters so the researchers were able to isolate training effects as a variable.

The athletes’ running time was measured along with their post-run blood lactate, a marker for potential muscle fatigue and lack of oxygen. They were also attached to a portable near-infrared spectroscopy device that measured muscle oxygenation levels before, during and after their runs.

Running speeds in the 1500 meter improved by 1.5 percent after the 28 days of cranberry extract but not in the 400 meter time trial. The reverse happened for lactate buildup. It was reduced following the 400 meter but not the 1500 meter compared to baseline.

Extra Point

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