I drink coffee. I feel fantastic. I've ran three marathons in the past year and about 3,000 miles total. I sleep like a baby. I practice zazen and am the most laid-back person I know. I haven't had a headache in over a year and a half.

Generally if you (singular) drink coffee, you (singular) will feel awful. The same cannot be applied broadly to everyone. Neither can my experience. This is why broad studies are always needed.

I'm an adrenaline junkie, fortunately or unfortunately! That's the reason I dig rock climbing and roller coasters, too.

That said, I am trying to learn to be more Zen about running, especially as I'm transitioning to marathon-and-ultra distances. I even run with my mala for my long runs these days to keep myself mentally calm and collected. This came as a result of reading both Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind and Barefoot Running.

I still love the rush of pushing through shorter runs in the ways I described above, though!

1. Adrenaline rush of a start of a race. 2. Glancing at the GPS, realizing I'm close to some speed goal kicks up my "fight or flight" to push after it. 3. I have been chase by dogs more often than I would like! 4. Competing with/trying to pass a friend/other runner/person walking a dog that's barking at me. Etc. There's plenty of things running that get the adrenaline up, too. It is a distinctly different feeling that the floating, rewarding, I-could-go-on-forever endorphin high. Perhaps I should have termed it the rush. Heck, even challenging terrain that I worry about losing footing on trails does it to me.

Next step: find a woman who shares my interests and is willing to, erhm, work with me to live forever. :)

I quit smoking all together after having done it (though admittedly lightly--like 1-2 packs a week) for a few years. I did it in baby steps, even using one of those atomizer things for a while, but the final push was actually wanting to up my physical activity more than anything else. The boosted lung capacity is well worth the occasional craving I get now and again.

If this were true in all cases, people like me would be in trouble. I run 50+ miles per week and the runner's adrenaline high is a part of my daily life. However, it has to be balanced with the benefit of aerobic exercise: http://www.natap.org/2011/HIV/081911_03.htm That said, I'd imagine most heads of states don't put in those kind of miles, and the CNN article (mostly about Obama) is far from scientific. "Looking older" has shit to do with overall health in many cases. However, the study seems to imply chronically elevated adrenaline levels--and athletes have anything but. Catch us before or after a workout, and many of us* are some of the most mellow people you could meet (because the stress relief offered by heavy exercise is a hell of a boon). Personally, I think that's the key that many people who "read" this article will miss: stress keeps adrenaline *chronically* elevated.