Choose the right footwear
As with any exercise, the right attire can help you greatly. This goes double for footwear, as you’re exerting a lot of pressure on your feet and ankles – it’s important that you protect them with the right shoes. If you don’t, you increase the chance of foot and leg problems such as shin splints and Achilles tendonitis – head to your local sportswear store, where you can find someone to advise you which shoes are best for your exercise choices.
Start With the warm-up
If you get ahead of yourself and skip the warm-up, the chances of premature fatigue and injury are increased. Spend around five to ten minutes jogging at a gentle pace to get the blood circulating and your muscles warmed up, before heading out for your run.
Choose your running pace
Before starting a running programme, pick your pace and improve on it. While it’s tempting to dive straight in to an intensive run of more advanced athletes, this will only lead to fatigue and injuries. A better option is to start slowly and improve over time so that your body has time to adjust to the pace.
Choose the right running surface
Although you almost always see runners exercising on the pavements and roads, this isn’t actually the best surface for a running regime. These hard surfaces place an awful lot of pressure on the joints due to the high impact, leading to fractures and runners knee. If you choose a softer terrain such as grass, you’ll notice less of an exertion on your joints and less pain in the future.
Take time to recover
Lastly, running is an intensive form of exercise so it’s important to take time to rest regularly. This will stop your body over exerting itself and help you to stay injury-free. This includes getting plenty of sleep, giving your body at least a day in between workouts to recover and eat plenty of nutritious meals in order to replenish the energy your body is using.