How to start running? A beginner’s guide

Sport
How to start running? A beginner’s guide
It takes approx. 4 minutes to read this article

Just starting to run may not be that difficult. The bigger problem we usually have is not to stop after a week or two. Wanting to lose weight, get in better shape, or live a healthy lifestyle are all good motivations to start a running adventure, but they’re not always enough. What can you do to increase your chances of sticking with jogging?

Running should be enjoyable

Practicing this sport is accompanied by the release of endorphins, which give a feeling of happiness after a run. The hormones produced during this time relieve pain 20 times stronger than morphine. The body gradually gets used to the “runner’s high” and demands more. This is how the real love for jogging begins. However, it will be difficult to develop it if you start with a strenuous workout, which is supposed to help you lose weight or be a part of a healthy lifestyle.

Popular mistake

The main mistake that many people make is that they are too focused on achieving good results in running. They are not motivated to exercise after just a few too hard and too long workouts, which they will associate only with pain and soreness

Gradual progress

In the long run, it will be a much better choice to bet on gradually increasing the distances and intensity of running. Also, three or four short workouts during the week will be better than one or two, after which we will recover for a long time

Beginning of running – what to pay attention to?

A good practice is to develop proper habits from the beginning of your running adventure. It is not only about gradual overcoming of barriers that limit our abilities, but also about regularity.

Photo: Leandro Boogalu/Pexels

Warm-up is the basis

From the beginning, you need to make sure that before the actual run you warm up. Skipping this element may one time end up with an injury for us. This in turn will mean a pause from running, but it can also exclude us from other activities, and this we do not want. In addition, we will protect ourselves from the unpleasant phenomenon of stabbing between the ribs. It is good to divide the warm-up of a few minutes into dynamic and stretching parts. In the first one there are various types of jumping jacks, swings, circulations and jumps, the second one is aimed at stretching the muscles of our limbs

Running technique and breathing

At the same time you should also take care to develop a proper running technique. This will pay off later, when we come to run longer distances and in a shorter time. It is important to run in an upright position from the beginning. Your shoulders should be relaxed and your gaze should be directed straight ahead. Better are natural and slightly shorter steps than artificially extended ones. It is worth remembering this, because many beginner runners show such tendencies. Proper breathing is also important. Air is taken in through the nose and mouth at the same time.

What diet before running?

What should we eat before running training? First of all, we give up meals containing fatty foods and heavy dishes. They will make it more difficult for us to run, we may also risk nausea. On training days it is also recommended to give up sweets, sweetened drinks and fast food. Instead, it is preferred to eat a light meal 30 minutes before running or a fuller meal, but at least two hours before running training.

Beginner’s running clothes

Starting running training does not require you to quickly buy professional running shoes or clothes designed for people who are advanced in jogging. Of course, you can make an effort to get them, but the time for that will be later – as the running load increases. In the beginning, an airy t-shirt, shorts and, most importantly, comfortable athletic shoes will suffice.

Photo Chander/Unsplash

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