Running For Beginners

Running For Beginners

Running is the most natural thing, but if its been decades since you ran or you are significantly overweight you need to start your running program very cautiously to avoid injury. Often people get very excited about their weight loss program and in their zeal to exercise and lose weight they get injured – don’t let this happen to you!

Running is easy and good for the body but you have to build up your strength and endurance slowly.  Eighteen year old athletes can run every day without ending up in a body cast but its a bad idea for those over 30 to try this.  When you are starting your running program, consider doing biking or swimming on your non-running days.  If you are over 240lbs, I would not recommend running but rather would stick to walking, cycling or swimming till you get below 220lbs or so because the heavier you are, the harder it is on your joints to run.  The last thing you want to do when you start a fitness program is to end up on the sofa with a bum knee or stress fractured foot. If you are a heavy runner like me, please take a look at my efficient running technique to see how to run in a joint-friendly fashion.

Losing weight requires good nutrition, its not enough to just exercise.  Daily walking with some simple healthy substitutions in your diet can help you drop the weight quickly so that you can start this running program.  This is a good time to point out that its always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

You will only be running two days a week, on your off days do biking, swimming or a 20-40minute walk to help build up your cardiovascular capacity without causing overuse injuries or joint problems in your legs. Some important notes, you gotta have good running shoes. To reduce the chance of injury you need all the shock absorption you can get. I would also advise starting your first 6 weeks on a track if you can because the cinder or rubberized surface provides additional cushioning.