Bernadette Keefe

I’m seeing a lot of fear in the comments about “blowing out an Achilles” when it comes to jumping. That fear is understandable. Achilles injuries are real. No one wants one. But avoiding jumping altogether doesn’t make the Achilles safer. If it becomes weak enough, it'll give out on the stairs or while walking up a curb. The Achilles tendon was engineered to store and release elastic energy. That's it. That’s its job. Walking, running, hopping, jumping—these aren’t extreme behaviors. They’re human ones. If you want to avoid an achilles injury, you will: - train it - fix your metabolic health -fix your LDL level -fix your uric acid levels -sleep well - not drink and more... When a tendon is never exposed to elastic loading, it doesn’t become protected. It becomes weaker, stiffer, and less tolerant of force. When the tendon contains cholesterol and urate crystals, it becomes inflamed and weaker. Disuse increases injury risk. Yes, injuries can occur with exercise. That’s true of strength training, running, and even walking. Exercise is the risk you take to avoid the consequences of being still. And the consequences of being still are not subtle: – loss of tendon capacity – poorer balance and reaction time – weaker bones – higher fracture risk – injuries from simple, everyday movements This is especially important as we age. Avoiding impact and power training doesn’t protect people. It quietly makes them fragile. But wait... let’s be clear about what jumping doesn’t mean. It does not mean random, high-volume plyometrics. It does not mean fatigued, sloppy reps. It does not mean everyone is doing the same thing. What it does mean is progressive exposure: – small jumps – controlled landings – appropriate surfaces – adequate recovery – supervision and coaching when needed The research on structured jumping and impact programs—especially in older adults and postmenopausal women—shows extremely low injury rates when these movements are taught and progressed properly. Fear-based advice sounds cautious, but it has consequences. Telling people to avoid jumping “to be safe” often sets them up for something far worse: tissues that are never trained to handle real-world forces. That’s how injuries happen from a curb, a misstep, or a slip. The goal is not zero risk. The goal is resilience. We don’t make people safer by telling them to stop moving. We make them safer by teaching them how to move well, at the right dose, at the right time. Fear makes people fragile. Thoughtful training makes them durable. There's a HUGE difference.

Countries like Denmark and Japan were cited as benchmarks. They vaccinate far less and their children are not worse off. So ask yourself: Have American children been more at risk?

New CDC Recommendations (if in red box not recommended anymore) “Changes to the vaccine schedule Federal health officials reduced the number of diseases prevented by routine shots, narrowing recommendations for certain vaccines to only high-risk children or after consultation with a health care provider.”

7 Things This 62-Year-Old Runner Would Tell His 40-Year-Old Runner Self Slow down. Pace isn’t the goal. Heart rate isn’t even the goal. The physiological adaptations in the zone you are running in are the goal. Most runners never get fast because they never got slow. Your aerobic engine only grows when you give it the low-intensity time it needs. Your base will be the most important thing you ever build. Base building takes much longer than you think. It’s super frustrating at first, then boring, then, if you stick with it… magic. Nothing will pay you back more in your 50s and 60s than a massive aerobic floor built decades earlier. Run more often, not necessarily longer. Six shorter runs per week beat two or three longer ones. Consistency/frequency build durability, teach your tissues to tolerate load, and keep your aerobic system turned on all week long. It’s better for a longevity approach as well. Intensity. You don’t need much of it. A little bit goes a long way, especially as you age. Save the hard work for when it matters and spend most of your time building capacity, not frying your system. Manage load like your future depends on it. Because it does. Overuse injuries are preventable, but only if you respect your tendons and connective tissue. Most runners’ injuries are training errors due to poor load management. Tendons don’t care about your watch or your training plan. They care about consistency and smart progression. Tendons don’t like rest either… when a tendinopathy occurs, they want heavy resistance loads… see a therapist very early. Lift and stay powerful. If you want to keep running well in your 60s, start lifting in your 40s. Strength and power fade faster than endurance. Train strength and power…. both for living longer and performing well. Recovery is training. The adaptation occurs during the recovery phase. Recovery time is not optional. Sleep, down weeks, and truly easy days are what allow the adaptations you’re chasing to happen at all. Never let today’s workout ruin tomorrow’s.