Running is arguably the most effective way to burn calories. It is also a very simple exercise, requiring only a pair of sneakers and the open road. It does not take a fancy gym membership or a personal trainer to get a spectacular workout. The trick is to avoid hurting yourself in the process.
When beginning a running program as an overweight individual, you are at an even higher risk of injury than those of normal weight. The heavier you are, the more impact your feet and legs will feel with each stride. The first step to decreasing the impact is to run on soft surfaces as much as possible. These include grass, trails, dirt roads and crushed gravel.
Make sure that you have appropriate shoes as well. You will need running shoes with a good medial post and supportive foam. If you do not feel confident that you can pick out a good pair yourself, any store associate in a sports-related store should be able to help you. A few good brands to look at are Asics, Nike, Saucony, Brooks, and Mizuno. These companies all make quality running shoes that will help you keep your feet healthy and avoid injury.
It is also very important to start small and slowly build the amount of time that you are running. Do not be discouraged in the beginning if it feels hard because running is extremely difficult for everyone at first. You should start by alternating between running and walking segments. An example of a good beginner’s workout is alternating two minutes of running with one minute of walking for twenty minutes. Try to run as many days of the week as possible. If you are consistent, running will soon feel natural to you.
Your body adapts to the running over time, so you should try to increase the duration of your runs each week. For example, if your typical run is 20 minutes long, try to run 25 minutes at a time the next week. In addition, try to slowly decrease the duration of the walking segments. If you had a 2:1 running to walking ratio one week, make it a 3:1 ratio the next week.
Over time, your body will be able to handle more and more running. This is a good thing because the more running that you can handle, the more calories you will burn. The key idea is to not increase the amount you are running too quickly and to run on soft surfaces as much as possible.
Your legs will most likely feel sore from the running. This is okay, but if you feel sharp pain in a specific part of your lower body you should back off your running or take a day off. Try to engage in a different form of cardiovascular activity until the pain is gone. If you follow these few guidelines and are consistent with your running, you will have a very effective, low cost way to burn calories, get fit and lose weight.