You don’t have to be an expert to know that running or even going for a consistent mild walk-jog is one of the most important exercises to include in a full workout routine and does tons for results. Health information nowadays bombard us with reminders that doing a series of cardio workouts even indoors will greatly assist with your goals for only 10 to 20 minutes a day.
Doing consistent real outdoor running is different though and there is nothing much that could beat that exercise unless we are talking about aqua sports, but running is very basic, accessible and trains you to take the harsher impacts of land than in water.
Running is cheap and accessible, wherein you only need a good pair of shoes and sports underwear. Let your imagination run wild and relax, decide how you want to do this in the most relaxed fashion for your personal taste. Setting? The neighborhood track field, a woodsy area, the city streets or a treadmill with varied incline and speed settings. Get some music in with a playlist most preferably because we know a lot of us don’t like running.
First off we got to start off with the fundamentals that will prepare you for proper running. You have to breathe right, from the stomach remember? As we were always taught at a young age, the very pit of your stomach should get all that air with your gut expanding first then your chest, not chest first.
Besides a good stretch and good shoes you first have to know that your endurance levels will progress a lot better if you develop the habit of breathing through your mouth a lot more during high intensity activities. Your nose is always welcome to join in and that may be better so oxygen intake is very efficient and your nose gets trained to withstand more strenuous physical strains. But your nose is not enough and it is okay to breathe dominantly through the mouth in this case. Pure nasal breathing will slow you down.
Now some of you must have heard about different breathing ratios like 3:3, 3:2, 2:2, etc. They simply mean for example you take the breathing pattern 3:3 that you take three strides or steps for every time you breathe in and another three for every time you breath out. 3:3 ratio is better for a slower running pace and great for recovery workout. If you want to pick up more speed, then maybe switch to 3:2, three steps inhaling and 2 for every exhale. 2:2 is where most people should start off their training, keeps a steady tempo, good for long runs and marathons therefore ideal for endurance training. Going into tempo runs, 2:1 is the steady pace and during the middle-latter and latter parts of a marathon one should switch from 2:1 to 1:1 for the full extent of one’s abilities to bring out the best result.
But don’t fret, don’t let your mind get pressured by all these types and numbers in
something like breathing. Guess what, your body adapts naturally to the correct breathing patterns anyways, you’ll feel it if you are doing something right in your exercises. It’s just handy to keep these different breathing ratios in mind too so you have some text book info on ideal breathing patterns for a certain type of activity.
Just remember to breathe as much as needed keeping a steady pace so you wouldn’t blow out your tires too fast, your body will adjust. Getting fit is never easy especially for ones who tend to delay goals or get into vices that directly affect the mental state, lungs and heart. It’s normal for every person starting out to definitely have a difficult time adjusting and getting used to breathing right and full on. We all start as beginners and the only cure for this pain is to push through with it, work harder and fulfill those fitness goals.
Dry mouth is a common fear for people who are not fond of jogging. But keep in mind that you are probably not rehydrating enough. If you tend to get the cotton mouth effect you should just drink more water 20-30 minutes before your workout. You should drink more water not right before your workout so that you give your body enough time to get the water down and maybe expel it. We all get thirsty and go to the bathroom at different times and in different frequencies, get to know your body and rehydrate as much as needed.
Remember running is wonderful and boosts overall general health really drastically, even if it aches the first few weeks or months it still feels great! Definitely better than lazing around and getting stuff muscles along with a gut.
