Yahoo Lifestyle How to Run: Beginners Guide
Running has its critics and its fans but one thing's for sure: it burns fat fast and gets you in great shape. If you want to start running but you're scared you'll run out of puff in just a few metres, we've got just the guide for you to run 5km without stopping.
Begin and end each session with a five-minute walk, and aim to do the session at least 3 times a week (on non-consecutive days). When you’re able to run for 30 minutes, you can add more distance.
WEEK | RUN | WALK | REPEAT |
|---|---|---|---|
ONE | 2 min | 3 min | 6 times |
TWO | 3 min | 3 min | 5 times |
THREE | 5 min | 2 min | 4 times |
FOUR | 7 min | 3 min | 3 times |
FIVE | 8 min | 2 min | 3 times |
SIX | 9 min | 1 min | 3 times |
SEVEN | 30 min | ||
According to Cool Running Australia (a national network for all the running events in Oz) 25 per cent of all Aussies run to keep fit. And Women's Health readers top that figure – in a recent survey, just under half of you told us you regularly pound the pavement (or the treadmill). So what’s the attraction?
In a poll by Runner’s World magazine, respondents said fitness, mental health, stress relief and weight control were the top four reasons they ran.
But the biggest drawcard for running is that anyone can do it. All you need is a good pair of shoes and a little determination. Still, it can be intimidating (not to mention tiring), so we came up with this fool-proof plan for beginners.
THE BENEFITS OF RUNNING
There’s a reason runners have hot bodies. It takes a ton of effort to move your body weight without assistance, “Which is why running burns more kJs per minute than pretty much any other exercise,” says running coach Lesley Mettler.
The average 65kg woman who runs at a six-minute kilometre pace for an hour burns 2144 kilojoules. Compare that to an hour of walking (942kJ), pilates (1607kJ) or swimming (1875kJ). Running sheds body fat to reveal lean muscle below.
Take up running and you’ll also stay healthier. Countless studies show running can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis and even cancer.
As well as giving you a physical edge, running also improves your mental health. A 2008 study found that areas in the brain associated with mood are flooded with feel-good endorphins after exercise. This is especially true with running.
“Running offers a lot of mental freedom; by clearing the mind it alleviates anxiety,” says Jay Choma, communications manager at Asics.
Your arms, legs and breathing fall into a rhythm that eventually lulls your brain into a meditative “no-stress zone” in which bills and bosses fade away. Ahhh...
For even more incentive to lace up those joggers, read our article six reasons to start running
THE TRUTH BEHIND RUNNING’S BAD PRESS
Running still has its share of critics, but experts say the rewards far outweigh the risks. A recent review in the Journal of Anatomy found that running does not increase your risk of osteoarthritis, the cartilage decay that causes pain and inflammation in hip and knee joints. Nor does it wreck your back, according to a research review in the Southern Medical Journal.
Researchers suggest that because running builds stronger muscles and ligaments, it actually has a protective effect on these areas. As for whether running causes wrinkles, “It’s a myth,” says exercise physiologist Tom Holland, who points to lower body fat and being out in the sun more as possible causes. So wear sunscreen and a hat. Derr.
GET STARTED
It’s safe – and smart – to start slow… really slow. Sports physiologist Matt Rockell advises visiting a physio to find out how prone to injury you are, so you can work with your shortcomings, rather than against them.
“Easing into it helps your muscles get used to the impact of running and helps your mind get used to the effort to build your confidence,” says Rockell, who recommends a run/walk program like the one in our training plan (above).
Also, increase your injury awareness by taking our running quiz, how to avoid running injuries and taking preventive measures with hip exercises.
After you’ve been running for six weeks, add intervals to build fitness and shed kilos.
Intervals are short bursts of speed that engage the muscle fibres that make you go fast. To do them, warm up for six minutes with an easy jog. Then run faster for 15 to 20 seconds. Slow down to an easy pace for three minutes. Repeat this three to five times, then cool down with a six-minute jog.
Do intervals once a week and increase your sprint by 10 seconds each week until you can go all-out for 80 seconds.
Congratulations if you reach this stage! But the journey to this point will undoubtedly be full of uncertainties, trials and tribulations, so click here to get answers on some common questions about running.
