Running is one of the best form of Aerobic Exercise, but, Is Running singularly enough for long term overall fitness? <\/p>\n
Answer is a \u2018NO\u2019<\/p>\n
Overall physical fitness stands on 3 pillars:<\/p>\n
Aerobic Exercises such as Running, Swimming, Cycling <\/p>\n
Optimum weight training<\/p>\n
Proper stretching of muscles & ligaments <\/p>\n
Neglecting any one for others will disbalance overall physical fitness.<\/p>\n
Myths of running:<\/p>\n
Running is the best & only exercise to keep you fit – wrong, it can be a superior means of developing cardio fitness but not a substitute weight training & stretching. <\/p>\n
Running makes you flexible & muscular – wrong, running actually lowers body flexibility , builds little or no strength, might actually cause muscle loss, & singularly it does not help building a well-toned, muscular body. <\/p>\n
There’s no alternative to running for aerobic fitness – wrong, many other forms of physical activity that produce equal or superior fitness such as cycling, swimming, circuit weight training and rowing.<\/p>\n
This does not mean that I do not advocate running, everyone should include running as a part of their balanced fitness regimen. <\/p>\n
Positives of running:<\/p>\n
Convenient<\/p>\n
Weather independent <\/p>\n
No costly equipment or set up<\/p>\n
If done correctly, running has long lasting positive impact on body.<\/p>\n
Personally I follow & advocate following points for wholesome running:<\/p>\n
Never try to over exert: 4 to 5 kms of running 3 (alternate) days a week is enough.<\/p>\n
Always combine running with weight training and stretching.<\/p>\n
Slow & steady – build up your endurance slowly over a period of months. Fitness is a continuous process.<\/p>\n
Good running shoes – investment in good run shoes is worth it for injury prevention & better output.<\/p>\n
Run on Even & solid running surface – soft, uneven surface & Cheap treadmills can cause permanent damage to joints.<\/p>\n
Rest if injured – Never try to outrun your injury.<\/p>\n
Run within body limits – best way is to Concentrate on duration rather than distance. slowly increase distance\/duration\/pace as per capability. <\/p>\n
Do not compete – either with others or with your own PR because competition puts excess stress on mind & body.<\/p>\n
Enjoy & cherish your runs – running should be enjoyable & something you look forward to, not something you dislike. If you do not enjoy it, switch to equally ergonomic sports.<\/p>\n
Lastly, Consult a specialist for injuries, do not self-treat.<\/p>\n
Take home message for people who want to stay fit, pursuing both fitness & professional goals effectively:<\/p>\n
Enjoy your runs, but do not get addicted to running. Listen to subtle signs of the body when it says to slow down.<\/p>\n
Physical fitness is a mix of aerobics, weight training & stretching, practice all three for optimum fitness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Running is one of the best form of Aerobic Exercise, but, Is Running singularly enough for long term…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,5298,5297,407,84,5299,5296,5295],"class_list":["post-4470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cardio-fitness","tag-dr-amit-sharma","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-myths-of-running","tag-physical-fitness","tag-running"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}