The SHN #90: Running is Overrated and Cold Plunging

Welcome back to The Synergetic Health Newsletter! 

February 13th, 2025. Greetings from Da Nang, Vietnam! I hope everyone enjoyed the Philadelphia Eagles complete domination of the Kansas City Chiefs 🦅🦅🦅.

In today’s edition I tackle why I believe running/jogging is a silly activity. Unless you have running a marathon on your bucket list or have (extremely rare) perfect biomechanics, running is a misuse of your time. While we’re on controversial topics, let’s also have a fresh look at cold plunging— is it also overrated or is it a panacea?

Then I’ll break down ten insights from Kapil Gupta, one of my favorite writers and speakers on the mind. After that I’ll again share some more things I’ve found interesting in my ongoing research into health and wellness.

🏃 Running Is Way Overrated

I have never been a fan of running, and I don’t think I’ve ever run more than three miles at one time. I’ve probably run for more than one mile 10-15 times in my entire life, so yes I’m a bit biased!

But I also think I am right in saying that for the overwhelming majority of people— running is dead last in terms of an efficacious form of exercise. In my 15+ years of personal training experience I don’t remember ever recommending someone “go for a long jog.” Furthermore, I can’t recall many evidence-based thought leaders in the fitness industry, who cater to the general public, recommending running/jogging as a main competent of a fitness program.

For some of you this will be a shock, for others maybe some relief.

Before the pitchforks come out— there IS a small segment of the population who can run without issues. Also, aerobic exercise IS beneficial— but almost all types of it are better than running.

Obviously do what you want to do but, at least in my interpretation, the research does NOT support running/jogging to be a worthy use of the time you dedicate to health and fitness.

Despite that, for decades, running has been marketed as the ultimate fitness solution—a path to weight loss, cardiovascular health, and mental clarity.

But this deeply ingrained belief is fundamentally flawed. Drawing from 15 years as a personal trainer, insights from former elite marathoner Mark Sisson’s new book Born to Walk, and decades of biological research, a truth emerges: Running is one of the least effective—and often counterproductive—forms of exercise for most people.

The Injury Epidemic

Let’s start with this: 50% of runners are injured every year, and at any given time, 25% of self-identified runners are nursing an injury—a rate worse than professional football. These aren’t elite athletes pushing their limits; these are everyday people lacing up shoes to “get healthy.” As Sisson explains:

“Modern running shoes allow people to maintain poor biomechanics for longer. Since their invention 50 years ago, running injuries haven’t decreased—they’ve increased.”

Thick-soled shoes mask poor form, encouraging heel-striking and unnatural gaits that lead to shin splints, knee pain, and plantar fasciitis. The result? A vicious cycle of pain, recovery, and guilt—all for an activity touted as “natural.”

The Weight Loss Myth

Many take up running to shed pounds, but the reality is sobering: 80% of marathon participants are overweight, despite months of training. Why?

• Running is catabolic: It breaks down muscle tissue, crucial for metabolic health and longevity.

• Cortisol overload: Chronic cardio spikes stress hormones, promoting fat storage (especially around the midsection) and muscle loss.

• Compensation effect: Post-run fatigue often leads to sedentary behavior and carb-heavy overeating, negating calorie burn.

The Footwear Trap

The $13 billion running shoe industry thrives on a lie: Cushioned shoes don’t prevent injuries—they enable them. By dulling sensory feedback from 200,000 nerve endings in our feet, these “foot coffins” disconnect us from natural movement patterns.

Better Alternatives

For sustainable fitness, prioritize these activities:

1. Walking

   • Low-impact, anti-catabolic, and sustainable.

   • “Walking is how we’re designed to move—it enhances lymphatic flow, digestion, and joint mobility without tearing down tissue.” – Sisson

2. Sprinting

   • Short, intense bursts (20-40 seconds) boost metabolism and preserve muscle.

   • Even Usain Bolt—the fastest human alive—never ran more than a mile at once.

   • Can be done on tools like the Assault (fan) bike, rowing machine, etc.

   • Once a week is often enough to see the benefits. As little as eight 20-second bursts of effort can do the job.

3. Strength Training

   • Builds muscle mass critical for longevity and metabolic health.

   • Combats the “skinny fat” physique common among chronic runners.

4. Play-Based Movement

   • Sports like ultimate frisbee or tennis provide varied, joyful exertion.

Additional alternatives include low-intensity interval training and Zone 2 cardio— but these modalities are extremely time consuming and boring. I don’t personally know anyone who has kept up a consistent Zone 2 training program over multiple years.

Running isn’t inherently evil—it’s simply mismatched to modern lifestyles and physiology.

For the 2% of natural-born runners (typically ectomorphs with exceptional biomechanics), jogging might work. For the other 98%, choose almost anything else— but some mix of resistance training, walking, and infrequent short burst cardio training is best practice.

I would say that multiple times per week for the last 10+ years I’ve had the urge to wave down an oncoming jogger and tell them to stop running. I know that they think they are doing the right thing, but I would love to tell them they’ve been sold a lie and that they should stop and choose differently.

And also…. running just sucks. I’m sorry.

“But I lose weight when I run!?!”

Yeah, your body is shedding muscle mass as much as (or more than) fat. Running's catabolic nature combined with elevated cortisol levels creates a perfect storm: you break down muscle tissue while your stressed body clings to fat stores. So while you might see the scale number drop, you're actually damaging your long-term metabolic health. This is why so many runners end up "skinny fat" - less muscle, stubborn fat deposits, and a slowed metabolism that makes maintaining a healthy body composition increasingly difficult.

As with everything in the health-sphere, there is nuance involved. Some people can run with great form and stay in an unstressed state (think nasal breathing > mouth breathing). For the majority, however, just find something else.

🥶 Cold Plunging— Yay or Nay?

The merits of cold plunging have been hotly debated over the past few years. In this post, researcher Nick Norwitz analyzes the research and comes to the following conclusions:

• Cold plunging isn't effective for burning calories or losing fat, as shown by a study where overweight adults saw no change in fat mass after 10 days of exposure to cold water, despite increased energy output to maintain body temperature.

• Despite the inefficiency in fat loss, cold exposure has been linked to mental health benefits, with a study from 2000 showing a significant increase in dopamine levels, which can last several hours post-exposure, enhancing mood, focus, and energy.

• Recent research from 2022 indicates that cold exposure activates brown fat to release Maresin, a hormone that reduces inflammation in the body, independent of weight loss, showcasing how cold exposure can alter our hormonal environment.

In learning from Norwitz and others on the topic, my understanding is that cold plunging is most clearly useful for mental health. But for me personally, voluntary suffering is not something I’m willing to sign up for every day for a mental health bump that can also be achieved through less tortuous means.

Important to note is that it seems to have extra utility for people living in cold weather environments. Dr. Alexis Jazmyn says “Many people stay indoors during colder months, leading to reduced UV exposure. However, cold exposure stimulates mitochondria, which can generate their own UV light, potentially mitigating the effects of seasonal UV deficiency.”

See also this article, “Could cold compensate for Vitamin D insufficiency?”

Dr. Jazmyn and others tout the mitochondrial and metabolic benefits of cold exposure through all seasons, but others argue that the stress inducing effects of said exposure outweigh the benefits obtained. So I guess it depends on who you believe and if you enjoy sitting in freezing cold water everyday.

👨🏾 Kapil Gupta

I last wrote about Kapil back in September, 2023. Since then, I continue to read his discourses and listen to his Q+A’s on this YouTube channel.

He's a mentor to Naval Ravikant and pro athletes, sharing his thoughts on conquering the mind.

Here are 10 of his most powerful insights:

1/ Most people chase prescriptions, methods and "how-to" guides their whole lives. Meditation. Morning routines. Frameworks. None of it works. Only Truth transforms. And Truth can't be found in a 5-step process.

2/ You think practice makes perfect? Look closer. Most practice is just repeating what you already know. Real mastery comes from seeing the game for what it truly is.

3/ Your mind isn't your friend. It's the source of every problem you think you have. Master it or it will master you. Everything else is secondary.

4/ The entire self-improvement industry is built on a lie. You can't "improve" your way to freedom. Real change isn't gradual - it's a complete revolution in seeing.

5/ Everyone talks about "commitment" and "discipline." But true Seriousness is different. When you're truly serious, you don't need discipline. You become unstoppable.

6/ Your attachments are slowly killing you. To your identity. Your relationships. Your goals. True freedom isn't forcing yourself to let go - it's seeing why you hold on.

7/ Champions don't compete - they transcend the game entirely. They see what others miss. That's why they make it look effortless.

8/ Society has programmed you since birth. Your thoughts aren't your own. Your desires aren't your own. See this, and everything changes.

9/ Real teaching isn't about information. It's about transformation. But most "teachers" just create dependency.

10/ Sincerity is rare. Most people want comfort, not Truth. But nothing real happens until you become ruthlessly sincere with yourself.

𝕏 Thread of the Week

✨ The Miracle of Hemberg: In 2003, residents of Hemberg, Switzerland reported significant health issues and ecological disruptions following the installation of a Swisscom mobile phone antenna. Despite the installation meeting all legal requirements and emission limits, people experienced headaches, sleeplessness, and concentration problems, while local wildlife, particularly birds and bats, abandoned the area. The Swiss Mediation Authority for Mobile Communication and Environment initiated a pilot project with Dr. Ibrahim Karim, who applied his BioGeometry® energy-balancing technique. This method involved analyzing multiple environmental factors, including earth radiation, electrical installations in the low frequency range, and the mobile antenna's emissions.

The intervention consisted of installing specific geometric forms on the antenna's electric cables within the local church and in affected residents' homes. The antenna was chosen as the primary conductor for the BioGeometric energy due to its potential for widespread influence. The results were remarkably positive: residents reported improved sleep quality, reduced headaches, decreased aggression, and increased energy levels. Notably, the wildlife that had disappeared for over a year returned to the area. The success was so significant it was dubbed "The Miracle of Hemberg," and follow-up interviews two years later confirmed the sustained positive effects.

I recently wrote about the work of Arthur Firstenberg who chronicled the proliferation of electrical technology and its link to modern diseases in “The Invisible Rainbow.” Fortunately, interventions like BioGeometry are assisting in mitigating the negative effects of electromagnetic radiation, and it’s my belief that more resources should be put into researching and implementing the principles and techniques that Dr. Karim has discovered.

♫ Music is Medicine: This study explored how music directly affects human cells, specifically looking at cancer cells in culture. The researchers found that different musical compositions (Mozart, Beethoven, and Ligeti) could trigger cell death (apoptosis) in breast cancer cells and reduce their ability to migrate, suggesting potential anti-cancer properties.

🔬 Science Problems: Harvard Medical School retracted six studies and corrected 31 others after 32-year-old molecular biologist Sholto David exposed data manipulation in January 2024. David’s analysis found duplicated or altered images in over 50 papers authored by senior researchers, including CEO Laurie Glimcher, using tools like ImageTwin. Allegations included copied mouse images and falsified protein band data. Trust the science, bro.

🔗 One Hitters

🎬 The Subtle Art of Losing Yourself (Documentary)

🐶 Incredible love between humans and animals (Thread)

☀️ Sunburn, high intermittent sun exposure, skin awareness histories, and solar elastosis were statistically significantly inversely associated with death from melanoma. (Study)

🌿 L-Theanine restores brain function impaired by teenage marijuana use (Post)

📚 Read my e-book, “Self-Development for Authentic Living” for free.

🔗 If you know anyone who loves learning about these types of topics, send them this link!

📰 To read all past newsletters, go here.