Thinking about taking up running? Here is everything you need to know

The one positive thing that seems to have come out of 2020 is many people are taking up a new hobby with a focus on getting active and improving fitness. We all know that getting outdoors has a real positive effect on both mental and physical wellbeing and walking or running is a great starting point as you need very little to get going and can be achieved by most people with a minimal budget.
While I focus mainly on surfing, skating and hiking, I also do a little running and power walking to keep my general fitness level up so I thought I share the basics of everything you need to know should you be looking to get into running or jogging this year.

The great thing about running is all you really need are trainers and a comfortable pair of trousers or shorts, a t-shirt and some good socks. Opting for breathable fabric is key though as your skin has to breathe as you run and you need additional support to increase your range of movement. But no matter your reasons for starting, whether it's to up your fitness, meet up with other like minded people or perhaps to lose weight, you will also need to know about recovery because running isn’t as easy as it looks.

The right form

*If you look at professional runners, they all have the same sort of technique.
*Their hips are forward and their body is either leaning slightly back or they are strictly upright.
*Their feet hit the heel at a blunt angle, and most of the weight falls onto their calves.
*Their arms are slightly high, allowing for their lungs and diaphragm to extend.
*They are twisting with their upper body, not going back and forward.
*They are thrust or twisting forward with their hips, not dragging their legs upward after every step.
*Plant your feet slightly pointing inward, so the pressure is offered to your interior tibia, and is on your anterior tibialis.

All of this sounds complex and in truth, it maybe is. But, once you remember things, i.e. twist upward and forward with your hips or IT band, and plant your feet slightly inward, you should be on a roll.

Shin splints!

Running puts many people off because you feel an ungodly pain in your shins. Firstly, it's nothing to do with your shin bones! It's actually the muscles on either side of your shins, pulling away from the bone. What this does is put pressure on your tibia, which can then lead to twisting and jerking of the bone, leading to a hairline fracture. So how can you fix this?

Cross fibre healing

When you come home from running, make sure that for the next four hours, on the hour, you are doing a

This will allow the fibres that have torn over the course of your workout, to heal quicker by aligning that much sooner. You’re also pulling the muscles toward the bone, further shortening the attachment points and lessening the stress.

Inflammation control

Inflammation occurs a lot when you run. This is because your legs are experiencing a lot of stress until you get used to it. Trust us, you will get used to it. It just takes a while. But using cbd oil could really speed up your time for recovery. This is a product known to limit inflammation and aid in healing. It can also soothe your anxiety which is something that many people suffering from body confidence face while working out, learn more about CBD oil for sale and how it can help you. 

Elevation and ice

You want to ice your shin after you have gone for a run, but only for 15 minutes at the most. Wait for another 10 minutes and then apply ice again if you need to. What this does is resupply your muscles with fresh red blood cells, full of oxygen. This then allows your body to begin healing quicker.

Elevate your legs so the weight is taken off your muscles and shin bones. This can limit the blood flowing to your legs and thus, limit the pain due to inflammation.

Get the right app

Do you want to go running without knowing how far, for how long and how many calories you have burned off? Of course not! You would be insane to carry on running and never know if you are doing the right thing.

So use the right app for your running. The Adidas Runtastic app has become popular as it's free, tracks your path via GPS, and calculates your average pace, maximum speed, elevation and your calories. This is all free. To get more features you can buy the app. The premium features allow you to check your heart rate, have multiple profiles for different people but also, use different running shoes. Yes, this awesome app actually tracks the life cycle of your running shoes!

Running is something we can all do. You don’t need a gym membership and you can run at any time. Start now and use these tips to give yourself the best chance of losing weight!.