Jogging is considered one of the most effective and affordable workouts and can be the key to a healthy heart and a lean figure. If you want to start running, know that you will find yourself in good company - and quite numerous. Jogging is arguably the most popular form of exercise - millions of men and women around the world regularly take to city streets, park paths or indoor treadmills to run.
Most women start running to lose weight or make their bodies firmer, and this is absolutely the right decision - running burns about 100 calories every 2 kilometers, strengthens bones and, contrary to popular belief about harm to knee joints, can reduce the risk of arthritis. In addition, Danish researchers have found that as little as 1.5-2 hours of running a week, at a slow or medium pace, can "add" about 6 years to life expectancy. In addition, surveys found that running can help manage stress, effectively maintain personal comfort, and motivate people to overcome difficulties.
Despite this rosy picture, many people find it difficult to endure running, not to mention finding the strength to love it. Their body hurts, their lungs "burn", and they spend the entire run cursing every step they take. All too often, this happens because running has a reputation for being an accessible and natural sport, and most people, when deciding to start running, simply run out of the house without taking a moment to learn how to run correctly, as they would if it were about tennis or figure skating. And suddenly it turns out that it is much more difficult than lace up sneakers and quickly (or not very much) rearrange your legs step by step.
Therefore, it is worth using a few tips from coaches and running experts to help you learn to run correctly, avoid injury, and turn a difficult workout into pure pleasure.
First secret: use your breath to find your pace
We all know instinctively how to run, but most of us do not inherit from our ancestors an innate sense of the exact speed that our bodies can maintain. The correct speed depends on factors such as the distance you intend to travel, your fitness level, and even your genetic ability - and this skill will take time to perfect.
New runners almost always start running too fast and then fizzle out just as quickly. The very word "running" is inextricably linked in our heads with speed. A very simple and rather well-known advice will help here - stick to a speed at which you can easily carry on a conversation. If you start to choke, slow down. If you can sing loudly "Fire up, Dark Nights" while running, add a little. The point is to end each run with the desire to run a little more the next time or run a little faster - you feel that you still have something to achieve, and you train more willingly.
For beginners, it is best to start with 3 runs per week for 20 minutes, on which it is recommended to alternate between running and walking. The goal is to run more and more each time and go less and less, until you can run for 20-30 minutes without stopping, maintaining the desired pace with the help of a "test" conversation. This is not a fast path, but even after a few weeks of such training, not to mention several months, you will become significantly healthier and more enduring.
Of course, constant speed can be an obstacle to leaning - today any first grader knows that interval training burns a lot more calories. But to avoid injury and quick fatigue, follow our advice - after running 20 to 30 minutes 3 times a week for 4 weeks (ideally 3 months), add new elements once a week: for example, four 20 second jerk in speed (with all your might) or three 30 second uphill climbs. Alternate periods of high intensity with at least two minutes of light jogging. Every week or two, add 10 seconds to your intervals.
Second secret: don't run every day
The truth is that training and repetition are the keys to success. Each run strengthens your muscles, bones, joints and ligaments, and the more you run, the stronger and healthier they will become. But too much does not mean too good. The trick is to find a sweet spot where you run often enough to trigger changes, but still give your body enough time to recover. There is a delicate balance and you need to find a formula that works for you.
Again, for beginners, 3 runs per week is ideal. You run less - it will be difficult to notice progress, more - and the body will not have enough time to recover. If you haven't exercised for years, or never at all, you can start with two runs a week, but add one or two walking or cycling trips to it. If you've been doing 3 runs a week regularly for 3 months now, you can add a fourth to that, which is probably ideal for most people, except, of course, professional athletes.
Third secret: focus on time
Of course, how people measure their runs, in kilometers or minutes, is a matter of personal preference. Some newbies may find that “I ran 3 kilometers” sounds much more intimidating than “20 minute run”, while a marathon runner may prefer to mark “I ran 20 kilometers” rather than specify how long it took him. … Either way, choosing the right distance or duration based on your goals and fitness level is an important step in getting the most out of each workout, but try not to overdo it.
There is another reason newbies are better off timing - it relieves some of the pressure. If you are having a bad day or feeling unwell, you can slow down, reduce the load, and still achieve your goal by getting your 15-20-30 minutes of running a day. This is more motivating than having to run extra time to complete the planned distance, or worse, not finishing the run and returning home feeling defeated and guilty.
In addition, measuring your runs in minutes makes it easier to integrate interval training into them (1 minute of running with all your might, 2-3 minutes at a calm pace) - the duration will not change, but the intensity and calorie consumption will increase.
If your goal is to run marathons, over time, of course, you will have to pay attention to distance, but make sure that you build up the distance slowly and gradually. Start by measuring just one run per week in kilometers and add a kilometer or two to your normal distance, with the remaining two workouts staying the same for a while. Another rule that works very well is to increase your total weekly mileage by no more than the number of days per week that you run (for example, 3 km per week if you run for 3 days). Try not to overdo it - and you will succeed!
