Detroit is the largest city in Michigan as well as the eleventh largest city in the nation. It is also home to some amazing running/walking routes full of beautiful views and tough terrain. Below are a few of Detroit’s best and safest places to run.

Best Places to Run in Detroit

1. Belle Isle Park (Beautiful Island Park): Located close to the hub of downtown and full of many miles of trails and paths. The park is near America’s busiest inland waterway that provides breathtaking views of Detroit, Canada, and the Ambassador Bridge.
2. Campus Martius Park: Located in the heart of downtown Detroit and considered to be Detroit’s gathering place, it is known as a place for workers, residents, and visitors to come together to relax, enjoy, exercise, and celebrate Detroit. The park offers a safe place to run/walk all while taking in the sights of national monuments, fountains, and gardens. The park is also home to an ice rink and free WiFi.
3. Island Lake Recreation Area: Located in Brighton and full of scenery. This hot spot consists of four miles of paved trails/path as well as 14 miles of hilly woods and field trails. Challenging, but well worth it.

See more cities in Matt’s tour of the Best Places to Run.

photo via Flickr user maiac

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Best Places to Run in Detroit

On Thanksgiving, I will be surrounded by 40-50 family members. After we share our feast from appetizers to desserts, several of us will find a spot in front of the television to watch football and doze through commercials. Although I would like to see the Lions hand the Titans another loss (I am a true blue Colts fan!), surrendering to “turkey-daze” is part of the holiday, right? It is commonly believed that the tryptophan in turkey induces sleepiness; however, there is more to our holiday drowsiness than this one chemical.

Tryptophan is one of ten amino acids that the body cannot manufacture on its own and must be supplemented through diet. Tryptophan aids in the production of the B-vitamin niacin which then assists the body’s production of serotonin. Serotonin helps us regulate mood, aggression, anxiety, impulsiveness, body temperature, appetite, and sleep. However serotonin cannot cross the blood brain barrier, meaning we cannot create more serotonin in our bodies. Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor (SSRI) medications work by trapping the available serotonin between neuron receptors to elevate

Tryptophan molecule

mood. Tryptophan is the only way to increase the amount of serotonin available to your body. The stuffing may be just as important as the turkey for your Thanksgiving nap; carbohydrate-rich foods increase the absorption of tryptophan in the brain. In fact, tryptophan alone works best on an empty stomach.

Other foods that contain tryptophan include: chocolate, oats, bananas, mangoes, dates, milk, yogurt, cottage choose, red meat, eggs, fish, sesame, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts.

On Thanksgiving, you are probably already relaxed with a break from work and the nearness of loved ones. A large meal, including tryptophan, is only one variable that helps create our holiday drowsiness.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Tryptophan Explained