As much as we’re all inspired by the guy who started running 5k every day from being a complete beginner that sounds like a lot of hard work.
Even if you’ve already broken your New Year’s Resolutions to become healthier and that one-month free trial membership at your local gym isn’t seeing much use, you can really start at any point.
That’s what a bloke called Luke Longden did, as he decided to run 5k every day from a starting point of no previous running training.
By the end of the month, he’d shaved about 10 minutes off his time, and could see the improvements his exercise regime had on his body.
It’s all very impressive, but if you want to get into running, then you might want to do something a little different to Luke.
While running is very good for you, health experts have pointed out that you perhaps shouldn’t go running every day as the impact it has on your body could be quite painful.
You might put too much strain on your muscles and injure yourself. Running is a high-impact activity, so your body will need a bit of time to recover from the pavement pounding you’re giving it.
In a given week of exercise, you’re recommended to run at most four days out of seven as you could be putting your lower body muscles through punishment and not giving them enough time to recover properly.
Exercise physiologist Biara Webster told LiveStrong.com: “To decrease the risk of injuries to newbies, I would advise running every second day, alternating your program with strength training, especially of the core and legs if running is your goal, and/or alternative cardiovascular exercises, like swimming or cycling.”
Take the days between to work out other muscles on your body or just give yourself a bit of a rest, otherwise you could be hobbling around on sore joints in the aftermath.
While Luke’s ability to start running 5k a day is impressive, the NHS recommends that you build up your running ability over time.
You might be able to start running a 5k right out of the gate, and indeed many people could probably do it if necessary, but building up over time and setting yourself achievable goals could mean the tortoise crosses the finish line in much better condition than the hare.
Even if you might suffer a bit from overdoing it with the running, it is a very healthy thing to be doing with your time, provided you manage the amount properly.
It’ll benefit your heart and lungs significantly, and if you combine it with the right diet, you can also lose weight too, while for some people, it will mean you develop better bone density which can protect you from diseases like osteoporosis.
In addition to a healthier cardiovascular system and fitter body, running can also bring you significant mental benefits too.
Basically, the long and short of it is that running is good for your body, running every day runs the risk (if you’ll pardon the pun) of overdoing it on the leg muscles, but running several days a week is a very good idea for both body and mind.
