Safety First!
If you suspect you have any health concerns, whether taking up running or going to the gym for the first time, always check with your G.P. first to ensure it's safe to pursue an exercise regime.
Shoes and clothing
There is a bewildering array of running shoes on the market, all offering different levels of support and comfort. Many shops offer video gait analysis undertaken by recording your footfall on a treadmill. This ensures that you are wearing the optimum level of support to suit your individual biomechanics... this is a simple but important step in avoiding future injuries.
Likewise take time to seek out quality 'technical' running/fitness clothing which is made from fibres that wick away moisture from the skins surface and can keep your body protected from the cold, wind and rain, and likewise will keep you comfortable in hot weather. Avoid heavy cotton clothing which holds in sweat and can lead to chafing. Wear a hat and gloves in cold weather, try wearing running tights which will at once keep your legs warm and offer a degree of support and aid the warming of leg muscles. Also be aware of having bright reflective clothing if running near traffic at night.
Warm Up
Stretching cold muscles before any physical activity is generally accepted to be of little use and can increase the chances of you getting injured. Before undertaking any activity be it running, gym work, or gardening or simply washing the car, it's advisable to do some general warm up moves to raise heart rate and warm the body up in readiness for activity. This can be done by swinging the arms and shoulders around, jogging on the spot, or shaking and vibrating the lower legs.
Always go through a thorough warm down and stretch on completion of your run no matter how long it was. Ensure to stretch out the quadriceps (upper front of leg), hamstrings (rear upper leg), calf's (rear lower legs) and adductor muscles (inner upper legs) at least for 15 seconds twice on each leg using good technique and definitely no bouncing! These are known as static stretches which will enable quicker recovery and less tightness and muscle soreness.
Then you are ready to start...
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