Running at the Gym or at Home - How to Start

The hardest thing about running is getting started. When you can't run very fast or very far, it can be frustrating. Without endurance, running can be painful and the possibility of injury can be high. When I started running I couldn't even run around the block without losing my breath and losing feeling in my legs! I would try and run every night, but would end up crawling home in agony every time. What was worse was the lack of results. No weight loss, no strength building. Seriously! Oy. Running was NOT fun. And that was precisely the problem. Running really should be fun. It's a wonderful thing. It's such a good work out from a cardio AND fat burning AND muscle building point of view. It's like your own built in visit to the gym without even visiting the gym. And the most brilliant thing about it is that you can do it anywhere!  But first, you must increase your strength and endurance. This requires working your cardiovascular system, and building some muscle.

If you're just starting out running around your block or outdoors anywhere, the following is a good way to get your body used to the motion and built up your endurance and strength which will allow you to run longer, faster, and farther. This will in turn give you better results and make you feel GREAT!
Make sure you stretch before you head out. You don't want any injuries. Begin in intervals. Depending on your fitness level and what your body can handle (and really trust your body. it knows what it can do) start with brisk walk for 5 minutes. Warm things up. And try a light jog. Jog for 5 minutes, then walk for 5 minutes. Do this for a solid 40 minutes to an hour. Don't forget your trusty iPod, to keep your pace up and spirits high!  Do this for a week. The next week, after a warm up walk, jog for 6 minutes and walk for 4. And then the following week, jog 7 minutes and walk 3. Continue in this pattern until you can jog/run for a straight 10 minutes. Once you've got that down, we'll start working on speed and bring things up to a 10 minute mile.

If you're starting your running regime on a treadmill, I recommend a similar technique to that stated above. However, make sure to implement other cardio machines to work your body in lower-impact movements. Try combining 25 minutes on the treadmill with 25 minutes each on the elliptical and stationary bike. You're endurance will be climbing in no time.

More info on endurance to follow.
Run, Forrest, run!


Technorati Tags: running, gym, strength, weightloss, fat burning, cardiovascular, treadmill, elliptical