HOW TO START RUNNING AND PERSIST IN 3 EASY STEPS?

This article is mainly focused on how to start running and be consistent. Before moving on to that, let us know something about running.

Running is a simplest yet an amazing form of exercise. It comes under the aerobic form of exercise among various other types such as strength training, yoga, etc. Cardiovascular exercise, often known as aerobic exercise, works your heart out. Your blood circulates swiftly throughout your body during aerobic exercise and as a result, your lungs absorb more oxygen. Other aerobic exercises are Biking, Swimming, Hiking, Cardio machines like a treadmill or elliptical machine, Stair climbing, Rowing, Dancing, Jumping rope, and Playing sports like basketball, soccer, hockey, volleyball, or other games.

Benefits of running:

• Improved physical strength.

• Lowers blood pressure.

• Strengthens bone.

• Improves mood.

• Effective in weight loss.

• And many more.

How to get started?

1. Follow the protocols

Always try to follow the basic protocols such as selecting proper running shoes, warming up before a run, keeping hydrated, post-workout activity, and having a proper break.

Proper running shoes: Proper running shoes can prevent you from injury and make running far more enjoyable. Educate yourself to pick up the right shoes for you. There are many articles and video lectures regarding the selection of proper shoes, or else you can seek the advice of a sportsperson.

Warm-up: Always start your activity with a warm-up. You can warm up by doing some stretches, walking or skipping. A warm-up increases your body temperature resulting in good blood flow and flexibility. And most importantly a warm-up should end up in mild sweating and it should not make you tired.

Recovery: Always practice yourself in doing post-running recovery activities. Perform some stretches to recover from the injuries. Just feel relaxed and also you can take a cold shower which boosts your mood.

Keep hydrated: Drink some water and get hydrated. Taking some tender coconut water or lemon juice after the session is way more refreshing.

Proper break: Consider taking rest days. Take at least one rest day per week which allows the muscles to recover and also overtraining may lead to injuries. You can perform some mild exercise during your rest days just to increase some blood flow around the body which also helps the muscles to recover faster.

Never influence your food habit: Many people influence their food habits over their exercise. They develop a reckless mindset. Such people think they can eat anything as they have exercised. Try to avoid getting into such kind of mindset and develop the habit of eating healthy.

2. Prepare your custom plan

If you have decided to run and are a beginner, you can’t run the maximum, the day 1 itself and even if you did, that will end you up in injury. A great idea would be to build endurance little by little.

Let us divide the act of moving into 4 categories based on pace such as walking, brisk walking, jogging and running. It is important to know your activity. You can either track your activity by duration or by distance.

Start plan: The best way for a complete beginner is to start by walking and anyway your ultimate plan is to run. “A good distance to run in a day is between 2.4 to 5 km. This distance keeps all your muscles active and improves your heart health as well” suggested by fitness coaches.

Let us consider that you are starting day 1 with 30 minutes of walking. After the session, conduct a review for yourself by asking how the session was. The answer can be any of these,

1. Too easy

2. Easy

3. Okay with it, manageable

4. Hard

5. Too hard.

Adjust or revise the plan: For instance, if your answer is hard, try reducing your session duration a little. Increase your activity duration if your answer comes under 1 to 3.

After a few successful sessions of walking try moving to brisk walking, you can also perform a combo like 3 minutes of brisk walking and 2 minutes of walking or as per your choice. And then move on to jogging and then running in the upcoming weeks. Take your own time to move to the next category. You can push your limits to a certain extent but not too much.

3. Stay motivated every time

Most of us lack the interest that we had during our initial days. You can follow some of the small tips that help you get motivated. Try to make it a habit.

Progress: Never forget to track your progress because good results will keep you in action. Track your physique, mental pressure, and your approach to a problem. They tend to get better.

Using gadgets to track progress: Use electronic gadgets such as smartphones or smartwatches to track your activities. These record all the activities you performed and display them in the form of awesome cool dashboards, making us hinder some interest and in turn, motivate you to continue further.

Find a good companion: When you and your friend support one another, you feel more inspired to work more (and produce better results!). Additionally, there is nothing wrong with a little healthy competition.

Take more chances. With a friend, trying new things is simpler. You might discover a hobby you enjoy, one that seems more like play than exercise.

Be more reliable. You won't want to disappoint someone who is relying on you to turn up.

Engaging environment: Good environment makes a change. Especially the one with trees covered is great. Running in that kind of environment calms your mind and reduces mental pressure. If you can’t get to such locations, try to get there at least once a month to create a change.

Try out as many ways that motivate you to keep you in action and find the one that best fits you. In the end, you should never quit and keep running to get the most benefits of running.