With the new year fast approaching, many of you are hanging onto those goals of getting back into shape. In fact getting back into a consistent aerobic regimen of walking or running is one of the most common New Year Goals. However, despite the New Year’s new motivation, many of you may find yourself falling off the bandwagon within a few months simply because of injury or lack of desired resultsSo I have come up with some helpful tips to keep you motivated to lose weight and improve your performance and health through running and walking that is sure to make 2017 the best fitness success story of your life.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Often times we are guilty of setting goals that are not reasonable nor SMART for the body. So gradually build your mileage (or time) weekly to avoid common injuries to the knees, feet, hips, ankles, back, shoulders, hamstrings and so on. One of the most common rule of thumbs for all levels of runners and walkers alike is the 10% rule. Take a look at the following link to get the tips and tricks with this easy-to-follow principle.
Gift yourself the right shoes!
Well it is time to put your Christmas money or bonus toward your health and wellness! The right running or walking shoe can mean a world of difference in prevention of injury and pain. Specialty Running Stores can be helpful in that the staff is typically trained to watch your gait and stride to best recommend the most appropriate shoe for your physical activity. They can sometimes be costly but most everyone in the fitness world will agree that the right shoe is WELL WORTH THE COST! To learn more on how to choose the right shoe, check out our blog.
Stand your ground!
Most commonly runners and walkers run outside on pavement or inside on a treadmill, thus it is crucial to understand your terrain before buying the right shoe. Terrain or the ground in which you are exercising on dictate that amount of supprt, cushion, tread, etc. the shoe you buy must have. So when talking to your shoe expert, make sure you mention if you typically run indoors or outdoors and what type of surface you are on-trail, asphalt or both. This will help them determine if you may need a more cushioned, smooth shoe versus a supportive shoe with sufficient tread.
Always warm-up.
A Warm-up Regimen before jumping into your run or walk will help loosen the cold muscles of the legs, lower back, abdomen and shoulders, which are often impacted during activity. In order to decrease likelihood of injury, you want to develop a solid 5-10 minute warm up with active stretches. This will get the body’s muscles ready to take on the miles with less pain. Try one of my favorite warm ups.
Don’t forget to cool down and stretch.
Talking 5-10 minutes to let the heart recover and the body to cool down right is important in preventing any cardiovascular related health complications right after exercise. Moreover including some running and walking specific stretches as a part of your cool down will help lengthen the impacted muscles back. This will ensure the muscle do not to remain tightened, which will decrease your likelihood of injury ten fold. Here is a video to help guide your stretches:I hope these tips get you ready to run in the New Year! We, at Wellview Health, love to hear from you! Feel free to email your Health Advisor, Casey Edmonds, with additional questions or your personal wellness success stories at cedmonds@wellviewhealth.com.
8 DAYS TO 2017!
– CASEY EDMONDS, CHC
