Why it is important to run for fitness man and women

Running for women: how to start and not quit in two weeks? Life hacks and motivation

                                          Why it is important to run for fitness man and women

Running is one of the most accessible types of physical activity. Minimum equipment, maximum capabilities.

You can run near your house in a park or square, at a stadium, on a treadmill at home or in a fitness club, along the embankment of the resort where you are relaxing.

Variety of training modes: from the lightest run to intense intervals. This makes running an effective exercise for a person of any fitness level.

Comprehensibility of coordination of movements: everyone who can walk can run (with the exception of contraindications for health, of course).

So far, there are more men than women among joggers. But the interest of the beautiful half of humanity in this type of activity is growing every year.

We have prepared this article especially for women who want to start running. There are a number of nuances, taking into account which you can make running your favorite tool for maintaining good physical shape for many years. Or even become a reason to be proud of yourself - you can set specific goals in kilometers and / or minutes and achieve these results.

Let's tell you everything in order!

 Motivation. Why run?

It is worth starting classes with the answer to this question. Take 15-20 minutes for yourself and reflect. It is best to write down answers to questions on a piece of paper or in notes on your phone:

• Why do you want to do jogging?
• What do you want to get from this lesson, what is your goal?
• How much time per week are you willing to spend on training?
• Will you do it yourself or with a coach?
• Where will you run?

Understanding your key motivation and the desired conditions for training will help build the process so that this activity will bring the desired results, and not undesirable consequences.

Most often they run to:

Lose weight

Cardio load starts the acceleration of metabolic processes in the body. This leads to more active "burning" of calories.

Improve and tone the cardiovascular system

If you notice that climbing stairs makes you short of breath, then this is a signal from your body that the heart, blood vessels and lungs are in a weakened state. A healthy person can climb a normal step to the 4th-6th floor without shortness of breath. If your performance on this simple test is worse, then there is a reason to start doing cardio exercises.

Relieve psychological stress

Jogging at your own pace or brisk walking for 20 minutes or more triggers the body's stress-relieving processes.

It may seem that after a busy day at work, you have no energy for anything. But in fact, switching from mental to moderate physical work "reboots" the body. The blood actively moves through the body, the muscles of the body are toned, endorphins are produced - “hormones of joy”.

Running is considered to be a dynamic meditation. Many people note that while jogging, their thoughts become clearer and brilliant solutions come to even difficult life issues.

Be in the company of active healthy people

Nowadays, people who are interested in maintaining health, a harmonious psychological state and fitness are running. They understand that exercising in moderation makes a significant contribution to the quality of life for many years to come.

Participate in sports activities

The running movement covers all of Russia, the CIS. There are also foreign races - already in almost all countries of the world.

At the races, the organizers provide the participants with a prepared track, timing of results, souvenirs, and most importantly, at such competitions you will meet hundreds and thousands of like-minded people who are keen on running.

This is a real holiday of health and sports, in which most of the participants are ordinary people, joggers.

By the way, if you are an athlete who is actively involved in sports, if you are an amateur who regularly participates in competitions, then we have special discount cards for you that allow you to receive significant discounts on the equipment, shoes or clothing you need.

The goals for the race can be set as follows:

Participation: the task of covering the distance without going to a step (no matter how long it takes).

Result: the task of running a distance in a certain time is already for more prepared people.

 How to start running?

To start running, of course, first of all, you need to choose sneakers that suit you according to your anatomical features, running technique, and which, of course, you like in design ... and go outside. We advise you not to be tied to Monday or any date on the calendar. Just decide and do it!

All running shoes for women at Kant

Start by walking actively. Pay attention to the position of the body: the hands work in the opposite direction to the legs, the neck (and the rest of the body) is relaxed, the press is in good shape, the body is slightly tilted forward, the feet are gently on the ground, rolling from the midfoot to the toe.

Move this way for 4-5 minutes so that the body begins to warm up. When you feel warmth in your body, you can move on to joint exercises and light muscle stretching. This warm-up is a necessary part of your workout if you want to maintain and improve your health, and not harm yourself.

Think over the route so that you can walk with an active step or light jog to a comfortable place or a sports field where you can warm up.

Do joint gymnastics: rotate all the main joints (ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows), do soft head bends to pull the neck, and soft body bends to stretch the back and waist, abdomen. Next, do 10 squats. You are ready to run. The warm-up should take no more than 5 minutes to keep the body warm.

Then the main part of the training begins. For beginner runners, this should be 20-25 minutes of light jogging or active striding.

It is most convenient to focus on the pulse in order to assess the degree of stress that your body is experiencing.

For this, it is convenient to use a special sports watch with a heart rate tracking function.

The pulse should be no more than 120 beats per minute.

If you do not have a heart rate monitor, then you can focus on breathing: when the sensation of breathing is in the chest at the level of the solar plexus or slightly higher, the load is optimal. If the feeling of breathing becomes heavy and rises to the throat, the load is high. In this case, you need to reduce your running speed or switch to an active step. There is no need to stop abruptly - a sharp drop in speed puts a lot of stress on the heart.

Here we want to note the most important thing - run at a pace where you are comfortable from running and the thoughts “Never again!” Do not arise. Walking fast is a good alternative to running.

Finish your workout with an active stride when your breathing is light again. Be sure to pull the leg muscles: while standing on straight legs, bend forward (pulling the back of the legs); lunges to the side (pulling the inner surface of the legs); standing on one leg, bend the other leg at the knee (pull the front surface of the bent leg).

You can watch a good video on stretching after running here .

Stretching the muscles after exercise is a guarantee of healthy ligaments and joints, which recover and rest only if the muscles that worked during the workout are sufficiently relaxed.

Three key principles to keep you wanting to run

A) Regularity

The optimal number of workouts for a beginner: 3-4 times a week is the maximum. For example, running on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and / or Saturday. On other days - rest or light exercises to strengthen the press (twisting the body and / or plank) and legs (squats, lunges). This will enable the body to recover well physically and emotionally and tune in to an even rhythm of work and rest.

If the life schedule is floating, then train following the following principles: the break between workouts should be at least a day and no more than three; it is better to run twice a week than to run four times in one week, and then do nothing for two weeks.

B) Gradual increase in load

Many people started running and dropped out after two weeks. Most of them disregarded the golden rule of all training: you need to start with a small load, which your body will perceive as joy, and not stress and punishment.

Brisk walking is a good alternative to slow jogging if it is still difficult for you. Or if you have a lot of excess weight (more than 10 extra pounds).

Remember that the wrong runner is not cool, who immediately ran fast and a lot, and then did not go out for the second run because of muscle pain, shortness of breath and shock state of the nervous system from such a "sport". Cool is the one who started small. If your last run was at school / college, or if more than a month has passed since your last run, start by walking.

Walk one stop to transport, or leave your car a little further from the office and take a walk.

For the first week or two, just walk with your usual pace. It is better to do two walks for 10 minutes a day than to run one mile in 6 minutes.

Then go to a faster step. With each workout, you can increase the distance covered by 100-200 meters. You will find that training like this is easy. There is no resistance to go outside to just take a walk.

If you're ready to run for a bit, start alternating between walking and slow running:

Run slowly for 1 minute (heart rate up to 120-140 beats per minute).

Then walk actively for 3 minutes, helping yourself with your hands (the pulse should drop to 100-110 beats).

Repeat this as many times as to feel warmth in the body, but not to experience severe discomfort.

This mode gives the heart, blood vessels and lungs a moderate load, protects the joints, does not overload the nerves - the training takes place at an acceptable level of load.

The gradual increase in the load is paramount for the health of the immune system: the body needs to adapt to the new rhythm of work, because when we move at a higher speed than usual, all systems of the body need to rebuild to a new regime. This is beneficial for the body only if the load increases smoothly and gradually. It is also necessary to do workouts regularly, as we already wrote above. After long breaks, you will need to start from the beginning - by walking.

Further, you can gradually increase the duration of the running segments and shorten the duration of walking. If you practice regularly, you will feel progress: breathing will become easier, the body will adapt to the alternation of movement speed. You will want to increase the overall duration of your workouts. You can increase the total number of minutes by 10% every week.

If the word running gives you a feeling of heaviness, pain and suffering, then you are running too fast. Slow down or walk at a brisk pace that you feel joyful about your workout.

With this approach, the question of motivation to train will be automatically resolved. We all love to do things that give us pleasure.

C) Conscious plan

Think ahead and imagine:

• What days of the week will you train? What can affect the postponement of a workout? It is best to schedule your workouts so there is less risk of missing out on other important things.
• Where will you train? Outdoors or indoors? What kind of surface will you run on?
• The answers to these questions will determine what kind of equipment you need to prepare for training.

For example, running on asphalt would require a shoe with more cushioning than running on a dirt track or treadmill belt.

"Women's" sneakers for running on asphalt

"Women's" sneakers for running on the ground

"Women's" running shoes on the treadmill

For indoor activities (where it can be hot and stuffy), you need a light jogging outfit:

• Top / sports bodice
• T-shirt
• Lightweight shorts / breeches .

Outdoor running, especially in windy, rainy and cool weather, usually requires the addition of:

• jackets
• warmer trousers
• or tights
• or even thermal underwear .

If you are not running near where you live, then most likely you will need a comfortable bag in order to fold and transport your uniform and sneakers.

 What muscles are involved in running?

The main muscles that need to work while running are the thighs (especially the inner surface) and abs. What is the essence of their work: for the listed muscle groups, the main task when running (as well as when walking) is to maintain body balance. After all, when we run, we are constantly balancing from one leg to the other.

It is the abs and the inner surface of the thigh that are closest to the center of gravity of the body, it is most easy for them to keep the body in balance.

Please note that if your shoulders and calves are very tense while running, then your abs and inner thigh are not involved in the work enough. And this is a reason to strengthen them so that the muscles have enough strength to maintain the balance of your body while running.

 Why do knees hurt?

This is the most popular question among those who start running. Let's highlight a few points here.

A) Firstly, slight discomfort in the knees (as well as in other joints of the body) is a natural phenomenon. Joints and ligaments in normal life work less intensely than when running. When the speed of our movement increases, and shock load is added, then it is natural that the organs of the body need to adapt to the new level of load. The same two basic principles work here: regularity of classes and a gradual increase in the load. If you start with small jogging at an easy pace, then the joints, as well as all other organs and systems of the body, will be able to gradually adapt. The function trains the organ. If you move, the organs involved in the movement are strengthened.

The main thing: unpleasant sensations should not give you much discomfort and in no case should they progress.

B) Secondly, let's talk in general about the main causes of knee pain. Often in people in the course of life, the muscles of the front of the thigh (quadriceps) are overstrained. This leads to the fact that the ligaments that attach the quadriceps to the knee joint are in tension: they are rigidly connected to the tense muscle and cannot relax until the muscle relaxes. And if the tension is not relieved for a long time, then this causes inflammation of the ligament and, accordingly, pain.

Above we mentioned that excessive overstrain of the calf muscles is undesirable. It can also negatively affect the sensation in the knee. the calf muscles are also attached by ligaments to the knee joint.

What to do? It is necessary to warm-up the muscles before training so that not the “cold”, but the warmed-up muscle enters the work. It is also extremely important to relax your muscles after exercise: do a good stretch and give your muscles enough rest so that they have time to recover. Massages (from a specialist, or self-massage), hot baths help well.

It is also important to strengthen the muscles of the buttocks: a good tone of this zone "unloads" the quadriceps, taking part of the load on itself. It is functional and beautiful :) Pay attention to the relaxation of the feet. Special rollers and balls are affordable gadgets that will make your feet feel great.

Equipment

To be honest, it doesn't matter what kind of gear you have to start running. Just put on your athletic shoes and free-to-move clothing and get started.

Between "running in a sports uniform that you already have" or "waiting for the full set to be purchased," choose the first. Starting to practice, you will better understand the characteristics of your body and will quickly select the equipment that suits you.

https://www.kant.ru/catalog/product/2784251/ https://www.kant.ru/catalog/product/3007547/ https://www.kant.ru/catalog/product/1791385/

After some time running, reading dedicated articles, talking to more experienced runners or professional salespeople at sports stores, you will gradually figure out which one suits you best.

A competent consultant will ask you about the intensity of your workouts, the type of surface you are running on, measure the pronation of your foot, and also suggest several models to choose from. By measuring them and remembering how your feet feel when running, you can choose the best pair for you.

After two or three runs in sneakers that you have, but which were most likely bought unknowingly, you will understand how you feel. The main difference between a proper running shoe is good shock absorption and a reinforced heel support zone.

Women's high-cushioning sneakers

Check out our dedicated article, The Best Asphalt Running Shoes to Start the Season. How to make the right choice? " there, it just tells about sneakers with additional cushioning.

Women's sneakers differ from men's in several parameters:

• The colors are used brighter and, as a rule, there are several design options for the same model.
• The weight of the sneaker is less: since women weigh less on average than men, less cushioning material is needed. This makes the shoe itself lighter.
• Narrower last: Women's feet are narrower. In this case, the front of the block is wider than the heel.
• In the heel, the distance from the insole to the top of the shoe is less: women have a shorter distance from the sole to the ankle than men.
• The size range is limited to 41-42 sizes.

You can read more about running shoes in our articles:

• Saucony 2021 Sneaker Collection Review
• Brooks 2021 Sneaker Collection Review. From Asphalt to Trail
• Battle of Carbon: Saucony Endorphin Pro vs Brooks Hyperion Elite 2. Comparison of two American speed monsters
• Choosing the right sneaker with support. Using the Saucony Guide 14 and Hurricane 23 as an example
• Choice of versatile sneakers. Using the Saucony Ride 14 as an example
• ASICS Spring / Summer 2021 Running Shoe Collection Review
• The right sneaker for the off-season. Trail and Cross Country Models with Gore-Tex
• Hoka One One - news and legends of the 2021 season
• Sneakers with carbon fiber. Review of carbon rockets from Asics, Hoka, Saucony, Adidas and Brooks
• Review of the Saucony Endorphin collection. The same you, but faster!
• The best asphalt running shoes to start the season. How to make the right choice?
• Suunto sports watch. Important "chips" and necessary functions

Full set of equipment

Sportswear manufacturers offer a wide range of high-tech apparel and accessories. Sports equipment is created and improved for the most effective and comfortable training.

Moisture-wicking and windproof fabrics - for the most comfortable thermoregulation of the body. Reflective fabrics - for safety in the dark.

Eco-technologies - for caring for the environment.

Also, special equipment is created according to templates that take into account the anatomy of the female body and the biomechanics of movements. In such equipment, you will have a feeling of smoothness and consistency of movements. Bright colors create a perky mood and add motivation to go for a run.

General principles for the selection of equipment:

According to the weather

It is worth dressing so that it is just comfortable. In cold weather: moisture wicking from the body and wind protection, if necessary, an additional layer of insulation. Be sure to protect your forehead and ears, hands and ankles (joints don't like cold).

Warm weather: moisture management. Remember that if you are hot in your clothes it will be an additional reason for your heart rate to rise. When it rains, it is very convenient to put on a cap or a visor - the raindrops will not interfere with your eyes, you will not squint.

To size

It is optimal to choose clothes that fit slightly loosely on your body. This guarantees comfortable movement. The only exception is linen - it must fit tightly enough. Choose a top that suits your body shape.

Taste

Your reflection in the mirror should make you happy - it inspires :)

 Alone or with a company? With or without a coach?

Run alone or in a company - each runner chooses for herself. Let's list the main pros and cons of each of the choices.

Run on your own

This is convenient when you have a limited workout time. In this case, you only need to adjust to your schedule.

Running in the company

You can combine jogging with chatting with friends. At an easy pace that allows you to maintain a conversation, you can discuss all pressing issues. This, by the way, is a good indicator: if you can speak on the run, it means that your fitness is growing.

But in the company you will need to agree on the time and place of the run, so you depend on your partner. Although it is disciplining at the same time: it is more difficult to walk when a friend is waiting at the appointed hour.

Running without a coach

If you started practicing according to the recommendations from our article, then after about a month of regular classes you will want to diversify the load. A lot of options can help here: standard programs in free apps on your phone, or information about training plan principles that can be found on the Internet. You can run "according to your mood": as much as you want right now. However, as you can imagine, this approach cannot guarantee clear results and health safety.

Running with a coach

This option is for those who value efficiency. If you have a goal, then a trained specialist will be able to guide you to it in the shortest possible way. A coach is a person who has already gone from the beginning of classes to certain results, he has experienced difficulties and will tell you how to avoid them.

You can do it by getting the plan online, or you can do it in person: in a group or individually.

By the way, if you train with a coach, then you probably want to go to training camps. About what it is, how to take part in them - our special article “Training camps. Where and why should I go? "

If you decide to work with a trainer, then we recommend training companies that are our partners, in the quality of which we are confident, that have the necessary level of expertise and have been working in the fitness market for a long time:

• World class
• ProTrener
• I Love Supersports
• S10.run

 Nutrition

• When you start exercising, your appetite is likely to increase. This is usually puzzling: how can you be able to lose weight and be slim if you are constantly hungry? We recommend adding more "complex carbohydrates" to your diet. These are whole grains, cereals. They do not cause a spike in blood sugar levels, and therefore the feeling of fullness from these foods lasts longer.

  But refined sugar and flour is better to minimize or completely remove from the diet.

• Pay attention to how your body feels during a run from one or another food: dairy products and fruits, some vegetables can cause discomfort. If you notice such patterns, then on the day of training, eliminate foods that lead to discomfort.
• Drink plenty of clean water. Water is exactly water, not tea / coffee / drinks. You can focus on the usual 2 liters of water per day, and if you sweat profusely during training, you can add one or two more glasses.
• A good decision in favor of health would be to monitor the level of trace elements in the blood: iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc. It is convenient to check these indicators during the annual check-up, just as it is the condition of your heart.

 Security

When you have determined your running goal, eliminated health contraindications, picked up the perfect equipment and even got the best training plan for you, then it seems that nothing else can interfere with jogging.

However, when talking about women's running, it is important to mention safety. Nowadays, there are more and more people running around in the streets and in parks, but despite this, a running person can still cause a rather violent reaction from passers-by.

Women may be confronted with intrusive glances, comments about themselves, and perhaps even attempts at physical approximation. This can be pretty frustrating. Try to ignore the comments and abstract yourself. Indifference, a calm face, and continued movement are the best course of action.

Choose the time and place for your jogging depending on the area and city where you are running. Agree with loved ones or friends to run with you if you feel a certain insecurity about the issue of safety. Take your dog for a run (if it is large enough).

In any case, remember that you can always actively call passers-by for help, run into the nearest cafe or store. Well, choose less flamboyant outfit if you have concerns.

Conclusion

Running is available to almost everyone. Anyone who can walk can run. The only question is speed.

Jogging will relieve stress, invigorate, switch from household chores or work force majeure.

Running is called dynamic meditation. The body moves cyclically and if the pace of movement is comfortable, then such movement causes pleasure and even a state of light trance.

With sufficient body readiness, running can be a way to fulfill athletic ambitions. You will be able to become part of a society of healthy, active people striving for development.

Be healthy.

Everybody running! :)

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