Running is a great calorie burning exercise that can be fun and very rewarding in terms of fitness, weight loss and toning results. It does, however, put a great deal of stress on the body – especially if you are jogging rather than sprinting – and therefore isn’t suitable for everyone.
If you have a bone or joint problem then high impact activities, such as running, are not advised. Low impact activities such as mini trampoline rebounding, swimming or cycling, however, are much better for someone with a bone or joint problem and will still help you lose weight too.
A 70kg person will burn approximately 360 calories in a 30 minute run session at 10 minutes per mile pace and this is equivalent to 4 Chocolate Digestives so if you don’t have any injuries or illnesses and you fancy giving running a go then it will be worth the effort. Plus, spring is definitely the best time to start – the weather is nice but not too warm and the mornings & nights are light so it’s safer to run on your own.
Here are my tips on how to get started:
- First session is a sprint not a marathon! Aim for short (10-20 seconds), fast (as fast as you feel you can go) intervals with a walk recovery. Aim to repeat the fast intervals 5-10 times in your first session.
- Focus on breathing out like you are blowing out candles and not the inward gasping for air breath, so you keep a regular breathing pattern.
- Aim to make as little noise as possible when your foot hits the ground –light, bouncy steps rather than heavy stomping. This will most likely be on the balls of your feet on almost tiptoes.
- End the session as soon as you start to NOT enjoy it. If that’s after 5 minutes then that’s fine, just don’t push yourself to do something you don’t want to do because you won’t ever want to do it again otherwise.
- Reward yourself for every run session but not with food! You could get your nails done, buy a magazine, have a nice soak in the bath – whatever will make you think ‘this isn’t so bad after all!’
If you’d like more helpful advice or to see any of the above in action then we would love to welcome you to our Beginner’s Learn to Run Group on Wednesdays at 6.30pm in Loughborough. To book your free introductory session, just enter your details at www.onesixeightfitness.com/run-for-fun