So, your doctor has advised you to work on your fitness levels. Maybe they have been talking to you about how to lower cholesterol levels and lose a bit of weight. You have decided to start running, and have set your goal at completing a marathon. Is this a good idea? And if it is, where do you start?
As we get older it’s important to keep healthy and maintain good health indicators. Having high cholesterol or being overweight are problems a lot of people face, and one suggestion on how to lower cholesterol and shed those pounds is often to take more exercise. Luckily, running is a great form of exercise for many people, and a lot of people find that setting themselves the goal of running a marathon can be a good way to stay motivated. Here are some tips to get you started.
Firstly, make sure that you are following a running programme written by experts to take you through the process of building up to such a feat. There are lots of different ones about, and you can find many online or in books. These take you from being a complete beginner to a being running pro, and it’s important to understand how this progression works to make sure you do not push yourself too far and too fast, which can often lead to injury.
While following your chosen programme, make sure to keep up good overall fitness levels by involving a variety of different exercise techniques. This can help complement your jogging practice. For example, try having a look for muscle strengthening and training techniques. These are great as they can easily be done at home, which means that they make a good alternative to running when the weather is against you.
Secondly, make sure you have the right equipment. You do not need much for running and there is no need to spend a lot at the start, but having well fitted, supportive shoes is very important. Without these you risk injury to your ankles and knees. Make sure to try on lots of different pairs and even get expert advice from specialist running shops if you can to ensure the best possible fit. There are also a lot of running blogs that give advice on this.
Next, remember to take your time. You should be a regular runner for at least a year before signing up for a marathon, and many people advise going through the race stages of 5k, 10k and a half marathon before attempting the big prize. This is sensible, as it will get you used to the race process as well as the intense level of training that’s required.
Finally, make sure that you’re keeping an eye on your diet. Running requires the body to be well fuelled, and different stages of your training will have different nutritional requirements. Again, there are lots of books you can read on this subject and plenty of advice on the Internet; just be sure that your sources are reputable ones.. Making changes to and monitoring your diet is also frequently a useful tool for people trying to work out how to lower cholesterol levels and lose weight. Combining it with your marathon training can improve the efficiency of both.
Good luck and happy running!
