Is your goal to increase your fitness levels? Or maybe to shed those extra kilos that just don’t seem to want to budge? Well then, it’s time to take your exercise regime up a few paces.
Increasing your exercise from walking to running may seem like an impossible challenge, but with these easy guidelines you’ll be registering for your first 5K race in no time! But please remember that you should check with your medical practitioner before embarking on any new exercise routine.
Our experts have discovered that increasing your fitness on a treadmill as opposed to road running is much easier and has a broad range of benefits too:
- Firstly, it’s much safer because you can stop at any time if you are feeling dizzy or light-headed, without having to then endure a long walk home.
- Your fitness schedule is not reliant on the weather. Hot, humid climates can leave you feeling dehydrated and exhausted. Running in the rain is dangerous as the roads are slippery and vision is limited. There is nothing more disheartening than getting the motivation to finally start a new fitness regime, only to have to keep postponing due to poor weather conditions.
- Treadmills track your speed, distance and calories burned so you can keep informed of exactly how much exercise you are really doing.
- Increasing your speed is much easier on a treadmill as you can select from a range of pre-defined programs that vary in speed and intensity. These programs will also ensure that you have sufficient warm-up time at a lower speed, and help you to gradually increase to a running pace so that you are able to exercise for longer.
- You know when the hills are coming and you can lower the intensity or gradient of the hill if you are finding it too difficult. Road running means that you have to tackle the hills you are presented with, whether your fitness levels can cope or not. This is a very quick way to leave you feeling unmotivated and over-exerted.
- You’re less susceptible to injury as a treadmill monitors your heart rate and will immediately caution you to slow down if you are pushing your body too hard. Our researchers all conducted a survey which shows that treadmill users are more likely to incorporate a stretching routine into their pre- and post-running workout. For some reason, opening the door and running straight onto the road appears to make many runners forget about the vital benefits of stretching.
So why increase from walking to running?
Running significantly increases your blood and oxygen flow. This in turn guarantees that you will burn more calories as your muscles need to work much harder. Your heart will get stronger and your cholesterol will decrease.
If you are currently a smoker, you will very quickly discover that running becomes extremely difficult when your lungs are not functioning optimally. If you are looking for an incentive to quit, then start increasing your speed and soon you’ll be wanting to replace your vice with a much healthier alternative that leaves you feeling invigorated instead of coughing and gasping for air.
Pushing yourself and setting goals is very rewarding. You’ll soon discover that what you initially perceived as impossible is now not only easy, but enjoyable too! This mindset shift will begin to permeate through to every area of your life. As you challenge yourself and see how successful your running routine is, you’ll begin to implement the same approach in other goal-orientated areas of your day.
Exercise has also long been linked to the increased production of endorphins, aka: happy hormones. After a stressful day at the office, a 30-minute run on the treadmill will release all your frustration and leave you feeling calmer and happier. Running is also your own quiet time where you can switch off from all the noise of a busy day and rejuvenate your mind.
How to Go From Walking to Running in Five Easy Steps
- Start small. Don’t be impatient and try to be marathon ready in the first week. Increase your pace gradually to ensure that your body adjusts correctly.
- Get good shoes. Make sure that you spend a little bit extra on a good-quality pair of shoes that are specifically designed for running. Cross-trainers are great for varied activities, but if you really want to maximise your running capabilities, get the right shoes.
- >Have fun. This is very important. No exercise routine should ever be grueling and unforgettably difficult. Challenging yourself is a good thing, but you need to still be enjoying the activity at the same time.
- Eat right. Running requires a lot more fuel than walking so you need to feed your body correctly to ensure that it functions at its best. Check out What To Eat Before and After A Workout for all the health tips you’ll need.
- Increase your pace. Now that you’ve put all the preliminary plans in place, you can focus on increasing the duration of each workout; the number of workouts you do each week; and the steady pace that you run at. Remember, it’s not how fast you can run, but what speed you are able to maintain over a long distance that matters. Check out Pop Sugar’s 8-Week Exercise Plan for a detailed breakdown on how to gradually increase your daily running routine.
We also have some great fitness apps to help you track your fitness levels. Read our related article Fitness Tracker Apps for a list of really helpful online fitness apps that will keep you up-to-date on how you’re improving. And if you don’t have a treadmill but want to get started, check out our great products and rental terms.
We hope you are as excited as we are! Going from walking to running is really that easy! Remember to pace yourself and have fun!
