Running Can Be A Great Boost To Your Health–Here’s How To Start

How To Start Running For Your Health

Falling into the trap of assuming running to be an activity only meant for a select group is as easy as pouring water from a shoe. But fortunate for all those who have always wanted to give running a go, running truly is for everyone. Everyone can run if they really want to. And since running is just about the biggest favour anyone can do for their own state of health – everyone should.

Articles and online guides promising a quick and instant recipe for running success have become common internet stock. But simple no-nonsense information is significantly harder to find. Which is why we’ve compiled exactly that to help get anyone interested in pursuing running for health off to a flying start.

First: Change Your Mind

Becoming a runner for health requires a change of mind first – a change of routine second. Allowing the truth that everyone is a runner to hit home is the first and most important step.

Helpful is to check your own personal beliefs about running against the following checklist:

• Running is a joyful activity – don’t allow the prospect of “getting out there” to weigh you down.
• Listening to your own body is important. Your body is like no other body on earth. Learn to be A-OK with missing a run here and there when life happens to get in the way. Because it does.
• Realise that food is to running what fuel is to a car. Starving yourself won’t help your running cause.
• Forget about social media. Comparing your journey to that of others is a sure-fire first step to giving up.
• Know that any time of day is a good time to go for a run. There are no rules determining “good” or “bad” times to hit the road or the treadmill.

Starting Slowly Is Best

Forget about pushing yourself too hard right at the start. When it comes to running, slow and steady is preferable over fast and fragile.

Much like most other things in life, the sensation of there being some sort of rush or urgency to make progress is mostly a myth. Also, remember that no two people are the same. One person’s rapid progress doesn’t automatically indicate failure in inability on the part of another.

Mind Those Blisters

New shoes almost always mean blisters. And blisters are an ailment most runners are intimately familiar with.

Lucky for us, blisters needn’t become progress hampering, and you can read more if they do about other ways to have fun. Given the correct approach, the discomfort associated with blisters can be significantly minimised.

Depending on the type of blister, here’s what to do:

• Hot spots: Not all “blisters” are actual blisters – some may be nothing more than a reddening of the skin. Also commonly referred to as “hot spots”, these require a mere covering of the affected area with a simple plaster.
• The closed blister: this type of blister will be accompanied by a film-like covering – or “roof”. The ideal treatment depends on the actual size of the blister. Small blisters can be covered with plaster and left alone, whilst bigger ones are better of being drained and covered with a clean bandage. Remember to first clean the affected area using a sterile wipe or some antibacterial cleanser. Two small holes pierced with the help of a sterile needle are sufficient for fluid-draining purposes.
• The “open” blister: The “open” blister isn’t really a blister, but rather a wound. Open wounds should be cleaned with an anti-bacterial wipe and left alone to dry and heal.