TIPS FOR BEGINNING A RUNNING PROGRAM

I used to run a long time ago when I was living in a gated community and it was the best thing that happened to me. I went quickly from a UK Size 10 to a Size 6 (I know! I know! That was too much!) but I really was eating healthier and felt really good, plus, I tend to lose weight pretty fast (Lucky me!)

So, I decided to pick up the habit again….Thanks to my friend Pat, who runs almost everyday and runs marathons. In fact, she is what I would call an Elite Runner.  We actually used to run earlier on before, till she surpassed me and became a Running Supernova.

Anyway, it’s been a real struggle trying to create a habit out of this sport. But here is some advise if you decide to take on a running program or pick up from where you dropped off at (like in my case)

My F|I|RST advise when starting a running Program is to do YOU! In other words, understand that this is about you picking up a healthy habit and loving it. Nothing more. So don’t try to be a Superman or woman, feeling you can run 10k on your first day of your running program. Not only will you not survive it, you will wake up the next day with serious aches and pains, unable to wake up for your training the next day. So, listen to your body whilst you run. For the first 4 weeks, run and walk together, monitor your vital signs with a tool like Polar and Progress gradually. Running miles is all about building stamina so be patient with your self.

Start at a slow jog, breathing properly and focusing not on intensity but on how long you are on the road for.

Start with a  Walk and Run Program. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect to be able to run 30 minutes straight without a break. You can start with a 1 min walk and 1 min jog, or 2 min walk 2 min jog, gradually increasing your running time till you can do 10 minutes straight of running.

Find a great running app that can keep you in check calculating your distance covered, total calories burned , miles per hour and keeps track of all your runs. I find these really helpful when running. In my opinion, the best apps available for running are Strava, Endomondo, RunKeeper, and Runtastic. Feel free to google search for one of your choice. I use Endomondo at the moment and I love it! It also lets you connect with your friends that use the app on social media so you can post your runs, share runs etc.

Join a running forum as you will have loads of questions regarding your runs. You also get to share your running experience with others. Some interesting forums to join are – Coolrunnings.com , communityrunnersworld.com and the runningforum.com…..Thank me later.

Make your running a habit. Decide how many times a week you are okay with running and make it part of your lifestyle. In my case, I have chosen to run 5 days of the week with 2 rest days – Wednesdays and Sundays. Set your alarm clock to wake you up each day of your run days and select some noisy motivational music to wake you. Because I work out pretty early, I usually will quickly have a cup of coffee to wake me up before my run. If you feel you have no energy for your run, just get up and get out and start with a walk. Usually within 5 minutes of walking you will feel more energized to jog.

If you choose to use running as a means of losing weight, aim to exercise 5 days a week for about 30 minutes and above. Also pay attention to what goes into our mouth as some tend to overcompensate with food thinking that because they are exercising, they have a right to eat more.

These are my tips for starting a running program. Feel free to  ask any questions.