Karissa Marie Leathers of Oregon is an avid runner and fitness enthusiast. In the following article, Ms. Leathers discusses building a daily running routine, its health benefits, and ways to begin running no matter your current fitness level.
Doctors have known for years that daily exercise contributes to a healthy lifestyle and few forms of exercise are as well regarded as running. By working a daily run into your routine, you can improve your cardiovascular health, as well as your physical strength. Yet, it’s not always easy to build a running routine and you’ll have to take care to avoid injury explains Karissa Marie Leathers.
Although it takes dedication and planning to become a daily runner, the benefits speak for themselves. In this article, Karissa Leathers explains some of the benefits of daily running and introduce some steps you can take to make it a reality, including basic tips on prehab and rehab, and briefly discussing the importance of cycling hard and easy runs.
The Benefits of a Daily Run
It’s common knowledge that you should exercise at least 30 minutes a day to maintain your physical and mental health. When it comes to running, though, there are a few specific benefits that make it a more effective form of exercise than other options says Karissa Leathers.
First, running is a weight-bearing exercise, which means it helps to improve bone density. This is important for people of all ages, but it’s especially important for post-menopausal women and older men, who are at a higher risk for osteoporosis.
Additionally, running is an excellent way to improve cardiovascular health. It strengthens the heart muscle and helps to reduce blood pressure. It also helps to improve cholesterol levels by increasing HDL (good cholesterol) and reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) says Karissa Marie Leathers.
Finally, running helps to improve lung function. It strengthens the muscles used for breathing and helps to increase the capacity of the lungs. As you develop better breathing techniques, you’ll also find that you can better control your stress levels, reduce anxiety throughout the day, and sleep more deeply at night.
How to Build a Running Routine
Karissa Leathers says that as you start building a routine, remember to start slow. If you’re new to running, or if you haven’t run in a while, it’s important to ease into it. Start by running for a few minutes, followed by a few minutes of walking. Over time, you can gradually increase the amount of time you spend running until you’re able to continue the entire 30 minutes.
It’s also important to find a time of day that works for you. Some people prefer to run in the morning, while others prefer to run in the evening. If you can, try to run at the same time each day, so that it becomes a part of your daily routine explains Karissa Marie Leathers.
Finally, it’s important to find a place to run that you enjoy. If you can, try to find a route that has a mix of sun and shade, and that has a few hills. This will help to keep you motivated, and it will also help to make your run more challenging.
Prehab and Rehab
Karissa Leathers explains that before you start your running routine, it’s important to do some basic prehab, which is short for “preventative rehabilitation.” This simply means taking some time to warm up and stretch before you run. A good warm-up should last for 5-10 minutes, and it should include some light jogging, as well as some dynamic stretches.
After your run, it’s important to do some basic rehab, which is short for “rehabilitation.” This simply means taking some time to cool down and stretch. A good cool-down should last for 5-10 minutes, and it should include some final light jogging, as well as some static stretches says Karissa Marie Leathers.
By working these preparatory and recovery steps into your routine, you can avoid injuries and help to strengthen your leg and core muscles. This is especially important when you first start out, as you’ll likely feel sore and vulnerable after the first few runs.
Cycling Hard and Easy Runs
Once you’ve built up to running for 30 minutes a day, you can start to mix in some harder runs. These are runs that are performed at a faster pace, and they should make you feel like you’re working hard. Hard runs should make up no more than 30% of your total running volume.
The rest of your runs should be easy runs. These are runs that are performed at a comfortable pace, and they should make you feel like you could keep going for hours. Easy runs should make up the remaining 70% of your total running volume explains Karissa Leathers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, daily running is a great way to improve your physical and mental health. It’s important to start slow, and to find a time of day and a place to run that you enjoy. It’s also important to do some basic prehab and rehab, and to cycle between hard and easy runs to prevent injuries and progressively increase your endurance.
