After The New Year’s Resolution

After years of neglect, I’ve finally decided to resurrect my blog, but with a few notable modifications.  Instead of the pages-long ramblings of old, I’m trying to keep things short and sweet: a tip, a quick note of motivation, a book review, a recipe…

My hope is that each quick note will help you on your journey to health, wherever on that path you might be.

After The New Year’s Resolution

The first day of the New Year is a common time to make a positive lifestyle change.  For those of you who included a fitness goal as one of your New Year’s resolutions, great!  For those of you who, eight weeks later, are still sticking to that goal, wonderful!

One of the most popular fitness resolutions is to learn to run, though for someone who hates to be cold, the idea of starting a running program in Canada in January is perplexing.  To you brave souls, kudos!  Running is a wonderful way to improve your health.  However, limiting your fitness exclusively to running is an invitation for injury.  By including some weight training and flexibility training (such as yoga) in your routine, not only does your risk of injury reduce drastically, but your running performance will also improve.

Runners are notoriously prone to injury.  Patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as Runner’s Knee, is one of the most common complaints of dedicated runners.  Weakness or tightness of the hips and IT band are a frequent cause of this knee pain.  Strengthening your glutes and increasing the flexibility of your hip flexors will go a long way toward eliminating this pain. 

Strengthening your core will also go a long way toward reducing your risk of injury and improving your running performance.  A strong core allows you to run with good posture and a more efficient stride.  And who doesn’t want to look good while running faster?

Finally, a stronger, more flexible body will help you generate more force with each stride and train harder because of your muscles’ improved endurance.  In addition, strength training provides the added health benefits of improved bone density, increased metabolism, and elevated energy levels. 

Start simple, and even if you can only dedicate 10 minutes to strength and flexibility training initially, you’ll be amazed at the benefits.  Healthy running!