Running is an incredible way to tone the body while also allowing blood to flow more effectively through the blood vessels. Running helps to decrease blood pressure, lower the risk of a heart attack and stroke, improves circulation, helps you to lose weight and builds muscle. When taking up running, it is important to consider technique in order to get the most from your experience while avoiding injury as best possible. Here are a few mistakes that beginners tend to make.
1. Thinking running will make you lose weight
There is a common misconception that exercise, especially running, is the way to lose weight. Running is a great way to tone all the muscles in the body. Human beings have the best running stamina of any animal on the earth so we are built for this task. However, running will lead you to have a lean, muscular figure, but it isn’t the reason you lose weight. Losing weight comes from a better diet, so you must combine the two.
2. Increasing too quickly
When people take up running, often they have a goal in mind, like running a half-marathon. Due to this, they often increase the pace too quickly. This dramatically increases the risk of injury on the runner. To avoid this, when training, you need to create a schedule whereby you stick at the same speed and distance for around two to three weeks before increasing one or the other of these things. This gives the body time to adapt and get used to the exercise, before challenging it once again.
3. Poor running shoes
Wearing bad running shoes can cause injuries. For example, if the foot is not supported properly, you will find that the flat of the foot is slapping on the ground. This can cause terrible pain to the front of the legs, known as shin splints. Equally, old running shoes can cause your ankles to roll, which can lead to a sprain. Make sure you visit a specialist shop and have a fitting for shoes that suit your size and shape feet.
4. Not feeding yourself
After running, you will find that your body is not very hungry. However, studies have shown that your body absorbs nutrients the best 45 minutes after you have carried out exercise. This food will help to provide the fuel to restore the muscles and repair any damage from exercise. Try to get in at least a healthy snack after running to help boost the body’s nutrient intake.
Overstriding is the act of taking extra long strides while you are running. This may feel as though it will make you go faster, but instead, it expends much more energy. It can also lead to injuries such as shin splints as it forces you to slap your feet down.
6. Not doing a dynamic warmup
A dynamic warmup is one where you get the muscles moving. Most runners will try stretching before they start, but static stretches only release one part of the muscle. However, dynamic moves tense and stretch, which warms the muscles and ligaments in various places. Try to make sure you do at least 15 minutes of dynamic stretching such as high knees and kicking your butt.
Like the supplement Blood Pressure Reducer 1000, running is great for increasing the flow of blood and oxygen around the body and can help to reduce blood pressure as well as the risk of heart attack and heart disease. While all these things are good, ensuring that you have a sound technique will reduce the chance of physical injury while running.