As like adapting to any new exercise program, advancing to running from walking takes time. Still, it’s undoubtedly true that making running as part of workout routine can return several health benefits, including weight loss, releasing anxiety and weight management. Running ensures more calorie burn in a given time when compared to walking, making it a better and quick workout to shed pounds.
Let’s look at the following ways you can convert your leisurely walk into running from some professional backed strategies.
Start slow
Don’t take pressure like you are going for an Olympic-sprint right away. Jumping into fast running often lead to muscle injury and can delay your workout program. It would work better if you introduce your jogging habit with intervals, suggest Alyssa Kuhn, a physiotherapist. A great way to start is first walking half a minute and then jog for a minute. This will challenge your heart rate to build endurance so that you can run longer distances over time with less tiring out. If you think initial a minute jogging will be too much for you then cut it down to a quarter followed by slowly increasing the distance and decreasing the interval periods as you improve your fitness.
Pick up the right shoe
When you plan for running or jogging, you have to be careful choosing the right running shoe as they are not quite alike from those intended for walking. Some shoes are walk friendly but not much good for supporting high intensity exercise like running. Go to a reputed athletic shoe store and seek advice from staff there regarding what type of running shoes will suit you best. When choosing the right shoes, look for layers and materials used as well so the pair bears your load while you pick up the pace with comforts.
Addition of strength training
When you gradually increase your running speed, you are actually giving more stress on your lower muscles. Make sure you fortify your hips, glutes and leg muscles by doing strength training targeting those areas at least two to three times a week. Other workouts like squats or deadlifts are also great aiding those trainings as sides.
Keep an eye on running cadence
Running cadence, also known as stride rate, measures how many steps on your run you make per minute. Individual running cadence differs due to various factors like body conditions, height and the type of sprints performed. Keeping eye on running cadence can help your body use less energy and prevent the possibility of injury especially when stride length is decreased and stride rate is increased. This happens because running with shorter but quicker steps saves efforts and makes a more efficient run that is easier for body kinetics and joints.
Determine a walking to running goal to achieve
Setting a goal lifts self-motivation and self-encouragement when you are aiming to escalate your running frequency. For example, in your first 2-3 weeks you can target to hit 5 miles post a week depending on your fitness level. Once you get well adapted to your initial goal, you can think about increasing you distance by no more than ten percent than your previous week to move forward.
