I am
sure every single one of you who is about to read this has tried to lose weight
at some point and time in your life (or perhaps if you are a skinny Minnie,
tried to gain muscle). Whether or not you buy into those gimmicky lose
weight fast schemes is your prerogative; personally the only thing I think
works is the tried and true method of exercise…and patience. Like seriously it is the most annoyingly
frustrating thing because first, your body has to adapt to the new lifestyle
that you are throwing at it. Second, you
have to continue, which is probably the hardest part for at least 6 weeks in
order to see major change. Finally, you
have to keep it up, performing various forms of exercise so your body doesn’t
adapt to one type of work out (this causes your metabolism to slow down,
boo!).
I
don’t know what else to blog about so here are some helpful starter tips if you
want to run. I might do a mini series on
working out so maybe there will be more insights, not just about running. Now remember, this is just from personal
experience. I’ve never been trained by a
professional (nor do I care to be), and this is just what I have found works
best for me through experience and a little bit o’ research.
1.
Before you start
running, you should time yourself how long it takes you to walk a mile. You can do this on a treadmill, or outside by
calculating a route with google maps (www.googlemaps.com).
2.
Start running at
intervals. If you push yourself to hard
to fast, you will get super discouraged.
I walked for five minutes, and then jogged lightly for five minutes
until I finished my mile. However, I
only started this after I felt comfortable enough to try.
3.
Increase your time for
jogging until you can do a mile. Then try
increasing your speed.
4.
By doing this you will
be able to jog a mile in no time.
a.
If you want to
increase your speed, the best way to
do it is every two days (if you are on the treadmill) click up the speed by 0.1
mph.
b.
If you want to
increase your distance, then the best
way is that every three days you increase it by 0.2 miles. Or you can shoot for lower. It doesn’t matter, what is important is what YOU
are comfortable with, not your neighbor!
Something that I found super
important for running is good posture – especially
when running on a treadmill we tend to get bad form, which is not only bad for
the muscles we build, but it’s bad for our respiratory system!
1.
When you are running
on the treadmill, keep your eyes straight ahead and don’t look down. If you do, it curves your spine and creates
an almost hunchback look! (Plus you might end up tripping and fly off the
treadmill.)
2.
Keep your arms at a 90-degree
angle, moving your shoulders back and forth.
Your hands should be in a slight grip with your thumbs on top.
3.
Don’t push it too
fast! You will just cause more harm to
your body – it creates a huge amount of stress, and stress like that is WRONG
for anyone.
4.
The last tidbit I have
is to remember to work on your abs while running. It’s important to have lumbar support if you
are going to be serious about running.
Do the following set and you will be golden: 30 seconds of crunches, 30
seconds of side crunches, 30 seconds of reverse crunches, 30 seconds of scissor
kicks, 30 seconds of bicycles (works all major muscle groups) and 30 seconds on
a modified plank. (That is where you are
on your elbows instead of in a pushup position; I think it focuses it more
centrally.)
Anyway, like I said, I’m no
professional, but I do hate running and appreciate any tip I generally come
across. Have fun!
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