Running is a great way to exercise. You work the whole body including your heart muscle. Many people don't know where to begin in their running program and try to go to far to fast and end up injured or feeling less than motivated. Here are some tips to get your started!
If your goal is to run for 30 minutes the best way to start is to walk/jog for 30 minutes 2 times per week.
1. You could walk a song, jog a song if you listen to an ipod.
2. You could time it and do 4.30 minutes of walking, 30 seconds jog and then the 2nd week do 4 minutes walk, one minute jog intervals , then keep repeating that add 30 seconds to your jog intervals each week as you go.
30 minutes is on average about 3 miles.
Space your 2 days out so you have 2 days recovery in between to let your body rebuild itself. As you get stronger and build up to those 2 days at 30 minutes then add a third day.
Proper stride, alignment, proper footwear:
These all correlate with one another and foundation is a good fitting shoe and comfortable socks. I'd recommend going to a sneaker store that specializes in fittings and having them fit you for a sneaker. They are very helpful!
When you jog, run, or walk you should land on the heel first then the ball of the foot, then you push off from your toes or front of the foot. Your toes should be facing forward, not in or out when you run. At first keep your stride small and jog slow. Running is a lot of impact on your body so its best to start slow and let your body slowly strengthen.
**Strength Train at least 2 days a week by mixing up the workouts listed below.
Pilates and Yoga are great classes to take to stretch and strengthen your body.
One Legged Squats, One Leg Hop in Place, Split Lunge Jump, Squats and lunges will help with lower body strength.
Pilates Mat exercises (these are great for core strength and also exercises for breathing): 100’s, Rollups, Supermans, Planks with alternating legs lifts, Leg circles
Basic arms exercises to do with weights: Push-ups, One Arm Rows, Bicep Curls, Tricep Dips, Planks
Foam Roller exercises: The foam roller is our best friend when we run :) They are like getting a massage. The rolling breaks down the lactic acid on your muscles to help them repair quicker.
Happy Trails! In Health, Tricia
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