Running Wild: from Couch to 5k

If the New Year is increasing your desire for a ‘runner’s high,’ training for a 5k, 10k or even half marathon might be right for you. Having a race-day goal can help you stay motivated and improve fitness and stamina. But without proper training, you may just find yourself running out of steam.
Too often, exercisers push their training limits and wind up feeling miserable as their bodies rebel. Starting slowly by walking, jogging, then running gradually takes you from couch potato to finish line and reduces your risk of injury.
But before you hit the ground running, consider these tips from the experts at Life Fitness:
Walking: Start your fitness quest by walking for five minutes to warm up. A good walking speed starts around 2 mph. Aim to walk for 20 minutes three times a week for three weeks before progressing to the next level. If you feel like you need an extra challenge, add incline to the treadmill or choose a hill or cross-training program from your program options.
Jogging: Start transitioning to jogging (or 4 mph) slowly by adding 60-90 seconds of jogging to your walking workout. Increase your time with 30-second intervals as you get more comfortable. Continue to add distance and time, and remember to stretch before and after your jog to get the maximum benefit.
Running: As you gain confidence in your jogging, slowly add speed and distance until you can comfortably run at a 6 mph pace for 3 miles. If you’re training for a race, whatever the distance, ensure that you build up to enough miles to cover the distance. Try midweek runs at a slower speed while longer weekend runs can be done at a faster, race pace.
Before starting any exercise program, seek medical advice from a doctor and training advice from a personal trainer to ensure success.

Make Small Changes for Big Rewards

It’s a new year, a fresh start, and a chance to drop those bad habits and acquire good ones. While getting fit, losing weight or being healthy likely topped your list of New Year’s resolutions, you may already feel like you’ve fallen off the wagon. Instead of beating yourself up, do yourself a favor by resetting your goals with more realistic plans.

A study published in the Annuals of Behavioural Medicine found that participants who made one small, potentially permanent change in their food choices or physical activity each week lost as much as those who followed traditional calorie-restriction and physical-activity guidelines. So try these simple strategies from the experts at Life Fitness to keep yourself on track.

Keep track of your progress. Try keeping a simple journal of your day’s activities including sleeping, eating, exercise and entertainment to discover the hiccups and habits holding you back from your aspirations.

Find more ways to move. Sure, a 30-minute cardio workout at the gym is ideal, but committing to peppering your day with more movement will help put you in a mindset for exercise. Opt for the stairs, add an extra walk to your dog’s schedule or hit pedestrian-friendly shopping areas.

Fatigue your muscles. Rather than waltzing through the gym without breaking a sweat, add in techniques that fatigue your body. Life Fitness suggests lifting enough weight that reps 8 – 10 are barely doable or adding a sprint to the end of your jog or a cycling workout to leave you breathless.