Starting A Lifelong Running Program

I don’t think you’ll find too many fitness experts who don’t
feel running is one of the best exercises you can do to keep in
shape
The criticism is the stress on the body The knees and leg
muscles do take a beating But there are plenty of runners
in their 60′s and 70′s who have been running for years and
continue to do so
Running is simply too great of an exercise to dismiss Here’s a
way to make running a lifelong exercise with minimal injuries
First, warm up is very important Ideally you should walk at a
brisk pace for 5 minutes of more After the body starts to get
warmed up, some stretching exercises will help loosen the
muscles and prepare them for the workout to come
A continuous steady stretch should be used Do not bounce!!
Forget distance – think time We want to work up to a nice 30
minute workout
Before you try to progress, the first goal will be walking at a
brisk pace comfortably for 30 minutes If you can do this now,
you can move to the next step If not, work towards that goal
Once you reach the 30 minutes of brisk walking, you can move to
the next step Warm up as stated for no less than 5 minutes Now
you’re going to begin to walk briskly and then run at a slow
pace until you become winded Then walk briskly until you
recover Begin running again
If it’s 15 seconds, fine 30 seconds – go for it The idea is to
gradually build up your running time
Start out doing this 3 – 5 times during your exercise You can
do more if you have been exercising regularly
Here’s the good news Just doing that will be a good exercise
routine Even walking for 30 minutes but getting to the point
where you throw in 5 – 1 minute runs is great! You get your
heart beat to climb and when you drop back to walking, the rate
stays elevated for awhile
Now, if you’re up to it and are so inclined, start increasing
the running Again, a little at a time If you injure yourself,
not only do you have to stop the exercise for a time, but you
also might be less likely to pick it up again
So walk and then begin running for a couple minutes at a time
Or jog at a slow pace for as long as you feel comfortable
Here’s another tip to remember if your routine works up to
running the entire time If you run at a steady pace, then throw
in faster runs of 30 seconds or more, and return to running at a
steady pace to recover, you will actually get more benefit in
your running routine
The sprints (not all out but we’ll call them sprints to make it
easy) will force your body out of it’s comfort zone You will
become much fitter than you would by running at a slow and
steady pace for your entire routine
Now, if you want to break the boredom, run some hills You’ll
feel it in your shins and the front of your thighs as you run up
the hill but, and this is good news, it’s actually less strain
on your knees
However, be careful and slow it down while running down the
hill Here’s where your knees can really take a beating There’s
a tendency to pick it up while running downhill as you have
great momentum
Ignore that tendency
Obviously if you are training for a racing event or such, this
type of routine will not apply to you; unless you are just
starting to run But this running routine is something you can
do to keep yourself fit while minimizing the risk of injury
You will have less chance of injury and you’re more likely to do
it for a lifetime!

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