If you are a beginner, our article today is going to give you tips to get started. Running has tremendous health, mental, emotional and psychological benefits. What is especially fun about it is that it is free and easy to do.
Here are just some of the perks you get with running:
- A healthy heart. Running is one of the most effective ways of giving your heart a workout and so helps improve circulation and reduces the risk of heart attacks, high blood pressure and strokes.
- Weight loss. An average runner can expect to burn around 700 calories in a 1 hour training session running 10km.
- Body shaping. You build muscle by running and lose fat and help create the body you desire.
- Detoxification. Running has a positive effect on your body’s removal of toxins as it helps stimulate your lymph system, which is vital to your overall health. Regular running combined with a low-fat raw vegan diet will make your body detox in a very effective, efficient, natural and safe way.
- Mental health. Running regularly will help build your self-esteem and determination and will work to lift your mood. You pump more blood to the brain by running so giving it more oxygen and nutrients and thus a clear mind.
- Better sleep. Runners tend to find it easier to sleep and sleep longer.
- Reduced stress. Running regularly helps you deal with stress more effectively.
- Improved overall health. Running can improve the strength of your body as it becomes fitter and you suffer less aliments, such as colds, back aches and digestive issues, for example.
Here is a fun, educational and inspiring interview with ultra-marathoner, health and sport educator, and a high-fruit raw vegan foodist Grant Campbell, in which he talks about running posture, the pose method of running, barefoot running/running in vibrams and talks about a mental strategy tip called “The Golden Mile”.
When you decide to start running it is advisable to do some research into how to do it correctly, which can help reduce the risk of injury to yourself.
So now let’s look at some of the key areas:
Running posture
Be relaxed and do not waste energy by being tense. Take a note of any areas in your body that feel this way and release the tension. You should feel relaxed across your whole body when running.
Let your body flow as you run and do not resist its natural movement as this just wastes energy. As a long distance runner your arms and hands will need to be much more relaxed.
Landing just behind the ball of the foot is the general rule for runners and running bare foot or in minimalist footwear can help you learn good technique, but just make sure you ease yourself into this type of running as your body will need time to adapt.
Hydration
Make sure you are adequately hydrated before you go running. It is no good going for a long run only to realise you should have drunk some water before you started.
Take a bottle of water with you, if you like. Taking between 8-12 visits to the toilet per day along with clear looking pee are needed to be healthy and will aid your running.
Clothing
Make sure you wear the right clothes. If it is cold then put more layers on as you can always take them off as you go along and just tie them to your waist or place them in a back pack.
Clothing that rubs or chafes your body is always to be avoided. Take a look at what regular, well trained runners wear and kit yourself out with similar clothing.
Fuel
You will want to make sure you run having had enough calories from your last meal for your body to exercise effectively.
For shorter 5K, 10K races and races for up to 1/2 marathon (13miles/21km), it is normal to be able to run first thing in the morning without eating anything prior to your run on the fuel/food you consumed the day before.
Then, eat breakfast once you have run, in the 1st hour after you have exercised.
Sleep
Rest, rest, rest! Elite and Olympic runners spend up to 16 hours in a horizontal position resting in between their runs.
Every single pro-athlete will tell you that rest and sufficient sleep is vital to your running success and that you cannot expect to gain the most benefit from running if you fail to get enough sleep.
Thanks, Yulia. Lots of useful information. I might give those 5-finger shoes another try.
I started running at the beginning of March, and have been keeping a journal (in IHeartFruit) of my experiences. The name of my journal is Fitness and Food. Do you mind if I post the link for your article in my journal?
Rudy
Rudy, by all means please do. And good luck with your running.
Your video name should be about barefoot running in minimalist shoes 🙂
He is telling about running barefoot, it is alot different than running with supported shoes
no, he’s talking about running with correct form, regardless of shoes.
damn, lots of good advice here. thumbs up to you guys for the interview
Golden mile: try it, you’ll like it.
Why is he naked?
5:00 “Golden Mile” – You shouldn’t exercise within 2 hours of waking. Your muscles, joints, vascular system and heart all become stiff during sleep! This is why most fatal heart attacks occur early in the morning. This is why you feel like death when you wake up. Give your body 2hrs to warm itself up naturally.
Where did you get that information? A study done on meat eaters or fruitarians?
😉
Slow jogging will not strain your body. After all you can’t spend more energy than what your lungs and heart provide oxygen for. If you tried you’d get breathless after a minute.
For people that don’t sleep enough it is true. When your alarm sounds after 6 hrs it isn’t the best idea to go run. Your health will benefit more from extra hour of sleep than an hour of running. On the other hand, when you get enough sleep, so that you wake up on your own, you are good to go and live your life.
It’s not that your vascular system and heart “become stiff during sleep.” The observation that cardiovascular events occur more frequently during the morning hours is largely attributed to circadian variation in coronary artery tone, increased platelet aggregability and decreased fibrinolytic activity. Increased coronary artery tone (via increased sympathetic nervous activity) is especially apparent within coronary segments already expressing endothelial damage.
thanks for the tips!
Great video. Thank you!
Thank you so much,
!!!!!!!!!
haha This guy looks like an enlightened alien, especially in this environment, tall, happy, fit. It just looks so peacefull xD
hey I love that song at the end…who is that (Name of artist and song)???
The name of the song and website are in the end credits. Its called ‘Cut & Run’ avaliable from: incompetech dot Kom
Super! thanks sooo much!
Do not do too much too soon: it will cause injury.
hahahha!!
I was just thinking “he looks so healthy…”.
What a great guy and I love the idea about the Golden mile Cheers
Yea right, I’m going to wait 2 hours after I wake up to run otherwise I’ll have a heart attack. Guess what? I have to run in the morning when I get up because I have no other time to do so, so am I better off not running at all then? Ridiculous!
search youtube for “cut and run kevin macleod” or just for “cut and run” to get it all.
Ultr runners always look so chilled and relaxed!
awesome video, where is this?
Near Burlington in Washington State.
but what are you running from ?
Love the Golden mile idea.
Put a shirt on
Really appreciate the video on the techniques for beginners like me….I
have started running with my Nike LunarEclipse2 and Im loving it …..May
the Good Lord bless you All!
like like like! especially about that tip run a mile first, then desid if u
wanna go back sleep or continue ! I have to wake up at 4 to run, cause I
live in urban area and after almost 5 it’s too fumy and I don’t wanna
breath that.and also AMAZING TIP: Take a hot shower get really-really warm,
and then torn on some VERY called water for about half-1 minute or u can
store it in a frige overnight if there is no called water where u live. it
should be not higher temp then 11″C or it won’t work, that gives u amaizing
feeling and u’ll get VERY energized !