With the progress of civilization, machines were created that made our travel time easier and shorter, making our lives easier in general. The body as a medium of travel has changed from active participation in movement, to passive control of machines. Once upon a time, moving with the help of the body required a large intake of energy in the form of food that allowed movement. This need remains today, but no longer in such large quantities because the time of movement with the help of your own body has decreased. We eat the same anyway, and because of the availability of food even much more than our ancestors, and we move much less. This explains the fact that we are much fatter than our ancestors, which is the cause of a number of health problems that predominantly affect the circulatory system causing heart attacks or strokes, which account for more than 50% of causes of death.
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It is important to move!
We can prevent these side effects if we start using the body for what it is intended for – to move. This does not mean that you should travel to work 20 km away walking or running (although there are people with such a lifestyle), but taking 30 minutes a day to move should become imperative – because it is a way to maintain health and thus improve quality of life.
Why walking and running?
The benefits of running are great if you run the right way.
It is the most natural way of movement and exercise implanted in our body, and has existed for a long time.
they are the most cost-effective in terms of time and money. You should wear sneakers (i.e. running shoes) and get out of the house. You do not need preparations, special equipment or fields, you do not need a coach or special equipment.
You can run anywhere, anytime and in any weather (even in rain or snow).
All it takes is a little knowledge and a lot of willpower.
Beginners in running
Some of the tips for beginners in running:
- If you have never run before, you should visit your doctor who will perform an examination and determine the possible existence of any reason against running (heart arrhythmias, diabetes, lung disease, running after knee replacement).
- After that, a running plan should be made which will gradually increase the time and intensity of running (one of the plans is brought in this text).
- Get running shoes.
- Find a time in the day when you will run. If you do it can be before or after work, and if you think you don’t have time – miss half an hour of watching TV.
- Choose a track or route to run on. It should not be far from the place of residence so that you do not have the psychological pressure that you have to go far from home and waste time running, and it is desirable that the surface is a soft surface, not asphalt.
Your new running plan
You came to the track. Congratulations, a lot of work has already been done.
The worst thing you can do is to start as if fired from a cannon, because this will result in the best case stop after 100 m, and in the worst case something more serious can happen. It is important to start badly, warm up a bit and move your joints before moving.
Run at a pace that you will not breathe quickly, namely when you feel that you can no longer run – start walking. After resting by walking, run again. And so for 30 minutes.
For starters, run 3 times a week until you no longer have to walk in those 30 minutes. After that you can run every other day and increase the time to 35 minutes, then 40 minutes and then to 45 minutes.
To be able to run for 45 minutes non-stop every other day, it takes about a month, or a little more, depending on your basic fitness.
The first two to three months are crucial in making running a normal daily activity without which you will no longer be able to. In those first months, the willpower is tested to allow you to increase your running time and mileage later. In this initial program, you don’t run the distance, but on time, for the reason that you don’t have to measure the distances of the tracks and you don’t have to think about the mileage and speed you are running.
A few important tips
- Drink plenty of fluids before and after running, ie during the day.
- Put 2 liters of water in the fridge every morning and try to drink it until the end of the day.
- Don’t dress too hot for running. When you get out of the house you should feel a slight chill because when you start running you will be hot.
- Don’t weigh yourself before or after running because the weight you lost while running is mostly water that came out by sweating.
- Weigh yourself at the beginning of the program and then every 2 weeks, because only then will you see how much weight you have actually lost.
- If you are running for weight loss, it is healthy to lose a pound of body weight per week. All preparations and methods that offer fast weight loss are mainly based on water loss. Fat deposits still remain, and water loss is dangerous for the body.
- After running you will not be very hungry just the opposite – your appetite will decrease.
- You will feel better and mentally, because during running, substances called endorphins are released, which act euphorically, ie improve mood.