Mandy Oaklander | October 30, 2026

The New York City Marathon is this weekend, which made me wonder: could all that running possibly be good for your heart?

There’s a clear answer, as my colleague Veronique Greenwood reveals in her story below.

TODAY’S TOPICS

Snacking on exercise
How we relax
An actor's peptide-linked death
Should you run when you're sick?
The remote-work paradox

TODAY I LEARNED

What’s an “exercise snack”?

Ignatiev—Getty Images

A new study finds that splitting up 60 squats across the day—that’s three sessions of 20 squats each, rather than one marathon session of 60—was just as beneficial for health and made the exercise more pleasurable.

It’s the latest bit of proof that “exercise snacking,” which means doing little bits of exercise throughout the day, may be a more sustainable and enjoyable way to squeeze in physical activity than a long, dedicated gym session. —V.G.

HOW WE RELAX

Lounging in bed, screen-free

Dominique Mosbergen

I have two little kids, so sleeping in is a luxury—but when I can, I love lounging in bed and reading, ideally with my dog curled up next to me. No screens though!

Screens in the bedroom have been linked in studies to poorer sleep and rest, so my family has a strict “no screens in the bedroom” policy. My doggo doesn’t seem to mind, though. —Dominique Mosbergen

A VIRAL MOMENT

A fatal turn in the peptide boom

Australian actor and stuntman Richard Norton, whose credits included Mad Max: Fury Road, died at age 75 in March 2025. Now, a coroner has linked his fatal cardiac arrest to injections of two unapproved peptides, CJC-1295 and ipamorelin, and called for tighter scrutiny of their safety.

QUICK CHAT

Should you run with a cold?

Exercise is good for you—everyone knows that. But that doesn’t mean you should never miss a workout.

For my new story about the health benefits and risks of running a marathon, I spoke to David Oxborough, professor of echocardiography and cardiovascular physiology at Liverpool John Moores University in the U.K. He gave me some pointers anyone can use. —V.G.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Runners compete during the 2026 Chicago Marathon October 11, 2026. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP—Getty Images

What are some signs that you should take a break from exercise?

People often try to run through infections. They think they can't stop because they don't want to lose all that training, right? So they continue to run through it.

That's not good, because there's a risk of myocarditis. We see a lot of veteran athletes who now have fibrosis and arrhythmia that looks like it's previous myocarditis and inflammation. They run through all these viruses. That puts the heart at risk.

When you’re well, how much time do you need to take off for quality recovery time?

You don't really want to be doing significant, high-volume trainings within 24 hours of each other. I would recommend that if you do a long training run, follow it by either a rest day or a very low intensity, different type of exercise. 24 hours is a good time to recover for the heart.

If you develop any symptoms during exercise, then you should step away and get assessed.

What kinds of symptoms?

So if you've got any chest pain during exercise, if you've got palpitations during exercise, if you're feeling lightheaded during exercise, if you blacked out, it's an absolute no-go. You shouldn't be running again until you've been completely assessed.

Read the full story here.

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WHAT WE’RE READING

More Americans are headed into open enrollment with fewer insurance companies to choose from as carriers like Cigna flee the market in some regions, Berkeley Lovelace Jr. writes for NBC News.
The FDA plans to update infant formula nutrition requirements for the first time in decades, Brenda Goodman writes for CNN.
Remote work was supposed to make parenting easier, write Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington in a new essay for TIME. So why are parents still struggling?