The benefits of running are multi-fold. It relieves stress, burns calories and makes your body lean and strong. Do you know how to run? Of course, may be the answer. Read on and discover that there is more to running than you thought.
Benefits of Running Right Improving your running technique helps you to run efficiently with reduced stress on your body and less injury incidents.
Running and fitness level When you decide that running is what you want to do to stay fit, ask yourself a question first- Am I fit enough to be running? Running requires a lot of stamina. You may end up getting tired sooner than you expected. Also you need to lose weight before you can start running properly; after all you cannot torture your poor legs with all that fat. You may only end up seriously injuring yourself. So start with low impact weight lose exercises like walking the treadmill, aerobics, biking, swimming, hiking, etc.
Warm up exercises Warm up before you run. Gentle stretches are not very helpful; you need to go for proper warm up exercises if you want to avoid running related injuries.
Proper running technique Have you ever given a thought to the way your hands have to be positioned, the angle at which your knees have to bend, or about what part of your foot has to land first? All these points are important if you want to reap the benefits of running. Keep your back straight and look straight ahead while running. Keep your arms bent at a 90-degree angle, such that they may slightly brush your hips. Always land on the balls of your feet, never on your toes or heels.
Running shoes Do not go for expensive 'Running shoes'. They can be pretty useless and can cause more harm than good. Best way is to run in a pair of comfortable sneaker. Fancy running shoes come with a lot of cushions and comforts, so your leg is feeling no real impact of the running. So what is the use? You might as well stay at home and forget running!
Running for the first time If you are starting out for the first time, bear in mind that your leg muscles have never been exposed to this kind of exercise before. You are bound to get some painful aches pretty soon. It is important that you do not tire out your muscles on your first outing itself. Start by doing small distances and gradually increase the time and distance that you run. Also remember cooling down is equally important. Do not stop abruptly. Slow down to a job before you end. End with calf stretching exercises.
Strength training exercise Do not invest all your effort into running alone. Also do strength training exercise to get the lean muscular look.