HealthyLife Articles

Tag: jogging

  • Start Running

    BE FIT

    Middle aged women jogging on beach.

    Running is a great form of exercise. It gets your heart rate up, builds endurance, and releases stress. But, running is also high-impact and should be approached with caution. Here’s how to get started safely:

    1. Check with your doctor to make sure running is right for you.

    2. Invest in comfortable footwear that provides cushion and support.

    3. Stretch and strengthen your feet to prepare them for impact.

    4. Begin with a walk-run program that gradually builds endurance.

    5. Take it slow! If you haven’t run in a while, assume your body needs time to adapt.

    6. Don’t push through pain. A little twinge may become an injury if you run through it.

    7. Cross-train with exercises that build strength and flexibility like weight training, yoga, and stretching.

    8. Hydrate and fuel well before, during, and after you run.

    9. Give your body plenty of rest between runs to avoid overtraining.

    10. Listen to music or find a running partner to make your runs more enjoyable.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • After-Dark Joggers, Heed This Advice

    Personal Safety

    Image of people walking/jogging in the dark.

    If you walk, run, or jog after sundown, the following tips help motorists spot you.

    *  Attach reflective tape to the front and back of your clothes.

    *  Carry a lit flashlight.

    *  Don’t use the road; stay on the shoulder, or preferably the sidewalk. Move against (facing) traffic if you must use the shoulder.

    *  Be aware of your surroundings and plan to jump to safety if a vehicle veers toward you.

    A Year of Health Hints book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Run For Your Life

    BE FIT

    Image of man's wrist with stop watch on.

    Vigorous exercise is good for your health, but too much can do more harm than good to your heart.

    Limit your exercise to a maximum daily dose of between 30 and 50 minutes, say researchers in an editorial published in Heart.

    The idea that more and more high-intensity exercise, such as marathons, can only do you good is a myth, say the cardiologists from St. Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City.

    Routine moderate physical activity will add years to your life and life to your years, but running too far, too fast, for too many years may speed your race to the finish line of life, they said.

    If you must train for a marathon, do just one or a few and then cut back to a safer, healthier exercise pattern.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine