Running & Walking Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-02-2022

It may sound too good to be true, but losing weight doesn’t have to be complicated. One of the simplest ways to lose weight is by just walking, something you already do each and every day. Anyone can do it, almost anywhere, and at any time. Just get up and start putting one foot in front of the other, and you are well on your way to achieving your weight-loss goals.

Article / Updated 01-24-2017

Running posture is similar to the posture that your mother nagged you about when you were growing up: It's how you hold your back, shoulders, and neck. What position is your back in when you run? To find out, have a friend take a video of you (straight on and from the side). If that's not possible, ask someone to take a picture of you, from the side, as you run by. Although not as effective, you can also run in place, sideways, next to a full-length mirror and look at your posture. Either way, evaluate what you see and determine which of the following categories you fall into: Your back is perfectly straight up and down. Running with your back perfectly straight can make for good running posture, as long as it doesn't indicate that your body is as tight as a violin string. Be sure that, in keeping your back straight, your body isn't rigid, such that your neck and arms are tensed instead of relaxed. If running with a perfectly straight back is natural to you and you feel relaxed, don't try to change it. But if you feel tense, try to lean forward just slightly from your waist as you run. You lean just slightly forward from your waist. This is the most common — and most efficient — way to run, with a slight lean forward. With just a slight lean, your arms, back, neck, shoulders, and diaphragm relax. See Figure 1. Figure 1: Correct running posture inclines an ever-so-slight forward lean. You lean far forward at the waist. Although this posture is unusual, some runners do lean so far forward that they look as though they may fall. This posture puts quite a bit of pressure on your lower back and doesn't allow you to keep your eyes up and on the back of the person ahead of you in your marathon. It can also interfere with your breathing. Although changing your posture may seem awkward at first, try pulling yourself back to perfectly straight or a slight lean forward for at least three runs. You lean back at your waist. Leaning too far back makes you unable to fully fill your diaphragm, which means that you can't breathe as well as you would if you leaned a bit forward. Instead, you want to lean forward slightly at the waist. Also think about bringing your chin down, because it's likely tipped back. The main reason people run with a slight lean back is because they're fatigued in their arms and upper body. If you begin to lean back at the end of workouts or races, consider adding pushups or an entire circuit routine to your training. When running uphill, lean forward, so that you're leaning into the angle of the hill. Thrust your elbows back hard as you run up the hill. In this position, you run hills powerfully, instead of letting hills conquer you. Two other common mistakes in running posture are as follows: Scrunching your shoulders so that they're up near your ears. This makes running far more difficult than it needs to be. Instead, relax your shoulders and hold them slightly back — just like your teacher told you to stand when you were a kid. Efficient running is all about relaxation, and you can't relax your body with your shoulders all scrunched. Tilting your chin up so that it points to the sky. Ideally, your neck stays perfectly straight; your chin is neither tilted down toward your chest nor tilted up. Many runners, however, do tilt their chins up, especially as they become fatigued. Practice keeping your neck perfectly straight as you run.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Although you can't predict how you'll feel after your first marathon, you can plan a few activities that can help you to heal and, perhaps, look forward to your next one. Chances are, right after your marathon, you'll feel like doing any or all the following: Crying Drinking anything, from a noncarbonated sports drink to beer Eating anything you can get your hands on Laughing Lying down and taking a nap Never running again Throwing up Wrapping your feet in soft cotton Immediately following a marathon, you can see plenty of runners who take a seat and then eat and drink. Don't think that because so many people do this, that you should set yourself down to a meal after your big run, too. You won't see those people later that night or for the next 3 or 4 days, when they can barely walk. Stretch a little, walk a little, and get plenty of sugar into your body, and you'll be amazed at how great you feel (sore, but not in extreme pain) during the days right after your marathon. Cooling down After most shorter races (5K or 10K), you want to spend a few minutes cooling down before you eat anything substantial. For a marathon, however, especially your first one, get plenty to eat and drink (while standing or walking around), and then take a walk. Try to walk for at least a mile. If you enter any of the larger marathons, the walk back to your car or hotel is likely to be at least that long. But if you're running in a smaller marathon, go a few extra blocks out of the way before heading to your car. And if you're planning to stick around and enjoy the post-race festivities (which can last for hours after the race), change into dry clothes, do a little stretching, and then hang out at the event area. Rehydrating and refueling The first action you want to take after you finish a marathon is as follows: 1. Eat one or two packets of energy gel. You can carry an extra packet or two of energy gel or have someone bring them to you at the finish line. A third alternative is to keep some packets in your car, but this helps only if you can park really close to the finish line because you want to consume the gels as soon as possible after finishing your race. Energy gels are about the most basic simple carbohydrate you can find: They're made of sugar and fruit puree and packaged in small containers a little bigger than the catsup packets that you get at fast-food restaurants. You can buy energy gels at any running store, through any running catalog, and at some sporting goods and outdoor stores. 2. Drink several cups of a noncarbonated sports drink. Sports drinks are better at rehydrating your body after a marathon than water is. You may decide to drink one or two cups of water, too, but at this point, you want to make sure you don't end up in the medical tent due to dehydration. Even if you feel great at the finish, if you don't drink up at this point, you may feel the effects of dehydration within 30 minutes. 3. Gather up as much fruit and bread as you can hold in your hands and gobble it up. Even if you don't feel like eating, eat! The better you refuel your muscles, the less you'll experience cramping, soreness, and fatigue in the hours ahead. In your food choices, focus on simple carbohydrates. Keep walking while you eat. If you don't feel comfortable walking while you eat, lean up again a wall as you munch. Whatever you do, just don't sit down until you've had a chance to walk and stretch a little. If you sit for a long period right after your race, your leg muscles may cramp and take on a life of their own — a painful life. Stretching You absolutely, positively must stretch after your marathon. Before you change out of wet clothes, take a shower, join the post-race party, or drive home, go through at least one set of all your stretches. If you don't do this, you'll be so sore the next day that you may not be able to get out of bed. The reality is that the day after your marathon, you're going to be sore whether you stretch or not. But stretching makes you less sore than you would be otherwise and keeps your muscles loose, which can help you avoid an injury. Treating blisters You're likely to experience painful blisters after (and even during) your marathon. No matter how bad they are, though, you can probably get around well enough to get something to eat, walk back to your hotel room or car, and stretch a little. After that, your first step should be to take care of those blisters. When you pack your bag before your marathon, be sure to include several sizes of Band-Aid Advanced Healing bandages, alcohol, sterilized gauze pads, nail cutters or small scissors, andBand-Aid Liquid Bandage or New Skin Liquid Bandage. Planning a shake-out run or walk A shake-out run is a short run that you take the afternoon or evening after a morning race. (This short run can also be a shake-out walk — a brisk walk.) You may begin to tighten up from 4 to 6 hours after your race is over, especially if you've been riding in a car or have taken a nap. A shake-out run loosens you up again and keeps you from being as sore the next day. Run or walk anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes — no more than that. If a short run or walk just isn't possible the day of your race, try to do some sort of activity for 10 to 20 minutes: Ride a bike, swim, do some aerobics in front of the TV, and so on.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Whether you're taking the first run of your life, returning to the sport after a long layoff, or coming back from an injury, a great way to get into running and quickly build your mileage is to start with a combination run/walk. The idea is fairly simple: After you put on yourrunning clothes, shoes, hat, watch, sunscreen, or whatever else you may need, head out the door and do the following: 1. Run at a comfortable pace until you begin to feel fatigued. The amount of time this takes varies greatly from person to person, but just run until you're pretty tired but not exhausted. That may be 5 minutes or 15 or even more, depending on your current fitness level. Keep in mind that, eventually, you want your training runs to consist of all running (and no walking), so the farther you can run each of your first few weeks (instead of walking), the more quickly you'll get into the meat of your training. For now, don't focus too much on how good — or how poor — your running technique is. Getting out the door and starting to run is what's most important. 2. Slow down and start walking — briskly. Don't stop and take a breather between the running phase and the walking phase. In order to build your endurance, you have to keep your heart rate up during the entire run/walk. The amount of time you walk — like the time that you run — varies, based on your fitness and ability. You may need to walk only a minute or two, or you may walk just as long (or even longer) than you run. 3. When you feel like you can begin running again, start running. Again, don't rest between the walk and the run. Simply speed up your walk and begin running. 4. Repeat as needed. Don't worry about the ratio of running to walking; instead, think about the total time you're out there training. Try starting with a total of 15 to 30 minutes per day for 4 days of the first week, taking 3 days off but not 3 days in a row. (You may decide never to start back up again!) If 30 minutes seems long now, keep in mind that a marathon is 26.2 miles and will likely take you from 3 to 5 hours to complete! Be sure that, while running, you keep your pace consistent. Don't start off each running phase running much faster than you can maintain and then slowing down as you begin to get tired. Keep in mind that your training prepares you for your racing, and the key to success in marathon racing is running a consistent, even pace, regardless of how good or how tired you feel. The beauty of a run/walk is that it allows your first few runs to be fairly long — say, 20 to 30 minutes — without putting excess stress on your body the first time out. If you started out with just a run (no walking allowed), you probably wouldn't be able to last more than about 10 minutes, unless you have amazing natural ability. Your first week of training is your honeymoon. Just get out there and do what you can. In the next few weeks, work on gradually increasing the percentage of time you spend running instead of walking and your speed.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

After your walking workouts begin showing results and you start losing weight, you'll find yourself motivated to try to do more, and that's great. You can safely increase the intensity of your workouts with just a few simple adjustments. Increase your daily steps A calorie burned is a calorie burned, no matter how you do it. By simply walking a few extra steps today than you did yesterday, you will burn a few more calories, helping you on your path to weight-loss success. The more steps you can fit in each day, the better. To help increase your steps, purchase a pedometer and wear it from the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed. Do this for three days to figure out how many steps, on average, you walk each day. Then aim to walk an additional 500 steps each day for a week. Once this goal is easily achieved, aim to add on another 500 steps each day. Keep doing this until you can walk 10,000 steps or more each day. Although it sounds simple, these steps really add up in a big way. Increase your walking speed Going for a daily walk is a great way to boost your health along with your weight-loss efforts. The longer you walk, the more calories you burn, which can help to promote faster weight loss. But maybe you have a tight schedule and can only walk for a short period of time each day. Not to worry! By increasing your speed when walking, you can cover a greater distance in the same period of time. This technique allows you to burn more calories per minute, which means you'll achieve a faster rate of weight loss without having to increase the amount of time you spend exercising each day. Increase your incline Walking daily is a great form of exercise, but if you walk in the same way day after day, your body will become accustomed to your walk. This means that your muscles won’t have to work as hard to help you walk at the same speed or for the same distance. And when muscles aren’t challenged, you burn fewer calories and lose less weight. To prevent this problem, mixing up the way you walk is vital. One way to do this is by added an incline to your walk. If you walk outdoors, aim to walk uphill for part or all of your walk. If you walk indoors, add stairs or an incline on a treadmill to your walk to increase the intensity of your workout. When you walk on an incline, the muscles in your lower body along with your core have to work harder to propel you uphill. This extra work not only increases the amount of calories you burn each minute as you walk, but it also helps to tone and tighten muscles as well.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Setting aside time each day to take a walk is a great start to losing weight and improving your health. But research has found individuals who set aside time to actually workout may end up being less active at the end of the day than their peers who lead an active lifestyle but don’t schedule in structured workouts. For the individuals who schedule workouts, the activity becomes a chore, and they find it hard to stay on track, especially if they are inactive for much of the day. If, however, you use walking as a way to stay active all day long, you don't need to schedule chores to manage your weight and maintain your fitness. So to be as active as possible, make sure you incorporate walking as part of your lifestyle. Here are some ideas that can help: Take the opportunity to fit in additional steps throughout the day whenever possible. Stand and walk while talking on the phone. Park in the furthest parking spot instead of the closest. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Although all of these ideas seem simple, when you do them day after day, in combination with a structured walking workout, you can quickly and easily achieve your weight-loss goals and also keep the weight off for good.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Whether you have already started walking for weight loss or are just considering getting started, you want to make sure that you stretch on a regular basis. Although it may seem as somewhat of an afterthought, stretching is vital to your success as a walker working to lose weight and improve health. Taking the time to stretch can help to protect against injury, enhance circulation, lower stress levels, increase flexibility and balance, and even increase your energy level. But when it comes to stretching, making sure to do it correctly is key. Improper stretching can increase your risk for injury and therefore increase the changes of hampering your ability to walk for weight loss. However, proper stretching can actually help you to start to see results even faster. Stretching cold muscles increases injury risk. For that reason, you should always stretch after your muscles are warm. You can do this by walking lightly for a few minutes, stretch, and continue on with your walking workout. Or you can perform more challenging stretches at the end of your walking workout. This is usually the best option as it can help to enhance muscle recovery after your walk and prevent muscle soreness. Hamstring stretch With regular walking, your hamstrings can tighten over time, which can lead to lower back pain and imbalances in your body. Stretching your hamstrings regularly after each walk can help to increase your flexibility and prevent against injury or pain. To perform the hamstring stretch, stand with your feet staggers, with your left foot a few inches out in front of your right foot. Flex your left foot so that your toe is lifted off of the ground. Now, while pulling your abdominal muscles in slightly, lean forward from your hips while keeping your chest lifted and back straight. Place the palms of your right hand on top of your right thigh for support. Hold this position for 30 seconds, the repeat the stretch on the opposite side with your right foot in front. Calf stretch Failing to stretch out your calves after walking can result in tightening of this muscle, leg cramps, shin splints, and even can increase the strain on your Achilles tendon. However, performing a calf stretch is easy to do and can help to prevent against numerous injuries. To perform the calf stretch, stand arms' length away from a wall, facing in toward the wall. Stand with your legs staggered so that your right leg is nearest to the wall. Lower yourself into a lunge position, where your right knee is slightly bent and your left leg is as straight as possible. Lean forward, pressing your palms into the wall while keeping your chest up and back straight. While leaning into the wall, press the heel of your left foot into the ground. You should feel a stretch in your left calf. Hold this for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite leg. Toe touch To help stretch your hamstrings and lower back to protect against strain and tight muscles, use gentle toe touches. To perform, stand upright with your abdominals pulled in and feet shoulder width apart. Bend forward at your waist, keeping your back straight. As you bend forward, allow your knees to bend slightly (soft knees). Lower your upper body toward the floor. Only bend as far as comfortable and work over time toward lowering yourself closer and closer to reaching your toes or the floor. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds, then slowly stand back up. Quad stretch Stretching your quadriceps muscles is important, as tight quads can increase pain in your knees and back as well as increase your risk for injury. To stretch this muscle, start by standing upright with your feet about hip width apart. Using a chair or a wall for balance, bend your left knee upward so that your left heel is lifted toward your backside. Using your right hand, hold onto your left foot and pull it gently closer to your backside. Use your left hand to maintain your balance against the chair or wall. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds, the repeat on the opposite side. Hip flexor stretch Repeated walking with little to no stretching can result in tight hip flexors. When these tighten, your body can be forced out of alignment, resulting in increased pain, especially in your back and hips. To perform this stretch, kneel down on the floor with your left knee bent and in front of you with your left foot flat on the floor. Keeping your abdominals pulled in and your chest up, place your hands on top of your left thigh for balance. Slowly pull your chest up while leaning slightly forward, keeping your shoulders back and down. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then repeat with the opposite leg. Leg twist Regular walking, especially when walking at an incline or at a fast pace, can lead to tight gluteus muscles. This stretch will help to decrease muscle tightness in this area and help to protect against lower back pain. Lay down on the floor with your back flat against the floor. Bend your left knee while keeping your left foot flat on the floor. Now, bring your right ankle up and rest it across the top of your left thigh. Once you are in this position, raise your left leg until your thigh is perpendicular to the floor. Using your hands, wrap them around your left thigh and lightly pull your leg back toward your chest to enhance the stretch. Hold this position for 30 seconds and then release. Repeat on the opposite leg. Butterfly Although often ignored, stretching the groin is essential in preventing groin pulls which can sideline your walking routine. The butterfly stretch is an effective way to stretch this area. To perform this stretch, sit down on the floor with your back straight and chest raised. Bend your legs to bring soles of your feet together. Allow your knees to lower to the sides as much as possible without discomfort. Keeping your chest up and back straight, slowly lower forward at your hips. As you lower toward your feet, grasp your hands around your feet to help pull yourself closer. You may also use your elbows to gently push your knees lower to the floor. Hold this position for 30 seconds then release. Repeat this exercise three times. Standing straddle stretch Tight hamstrings, lower back, and groin can all lead to increased pain, stiffness, and muscle strains. However, the standing straddle stretch helps to increase flexibility in all of these areas, keeping your body as healthy as possible. To perform this stretch, stand upright with your legs separated into a wide straddle (at least wider than shoulder width) and toes slightly turned out. Lower your body from your hips while keeping your back straight. Lower your upper body down towards your left toe with your knee slightly bent. Allow your upper body to lower only until you feel a slight stretch, and then hold this position for 30 seconds and then slowly stand up back. Repeat on the right side. Shoulder stretch You may think that only your lower body needs to be stretched after walking, but that’s not true. Your entire body is utilized when walking, including your arms and shoulders which help to propel your body forward as you walk, especially when walking at an incline. To stretch your shoulders, start by standing upright with feet shoulder width apart. Bring your left arm straight across your chest. Using your right hand or forearm, pull your left arm in tight to your chest. As you do this, make sure your shoulders stay down and do not pull your arm at the elbow joint. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other arm. Neck relaxer Don't overlook your neck when it comes to stretching. Although it's very important to only gently stretch this area, making sure to maintain flexibility in your neck is vital to a healthy spine and body. To gently stretch your neck, slowly turn and look over your right shoulder and hold for 15 seconds. The repeat on the left side. As you perform this stretch, make sure you don’t tilt your neck backwards or hyperextend. Also, avoid using your hands to assist in this stretch. Only turn your neck as far as it will comfortably go on its own.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The more physically active you are, the more calories you burn each day. And the more calories you burn, the quicker and easier it is to lose weight and keep it off. Whether you increase your physical activity by increasing the amount of steps you take each day or you follow a structured walking program, there are ways you can adjust your walking strategies to increase your overall calorie burn. Knowing how to maximize your walking workout will help you to not only achieve your weight loss goals quickly and easily, but will also make sure that you keep the weight off for good. When you begin an exercise program, it’s vital that you adjust your program over time to prevent your body from becoming too accustomed to your workout. If this happens, your body doesn’t need to work as hard to help you complete your exercise routine, and therefore, you burn less calories. However, mixing up your walking workout helps to prevent this for maximum results. To vary your workout, try adding an incline to your walk. Whether you walk uphill, up stairs, or increase the incline on the treadmill, the higher the incline and the longer you walk on an incline, the more fat and calories you will burn. In addition, walking on an incline helps to tone and tighten addition muscle groups, especially the calves and glutes, helping you to not only lose pounds, but inches as well. Speed is another way to vary your workout and increase your results. This adjustment can be made in a number of ways. You can increase the speed on your entire walk, aiming to cover the same distance in a shorter period of time. Or, you can incorporate speed walking in intervals, where you walk at one speed for a period of time, and then walk at a much faster speed for a short period of time, and repeat this pattern for the duration of your walk. Varying your speed and your incline level can help to boost fitness, challenge additional muscle groups, and have you reaching your weight loss goals faster than you thought possible!

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you are aiming to lose weight, increasing your physical activity level through walking can get you there. However, if you are looking to maximize your weight loss progress and achieve your weight loss goals faster than you thought possible, fueling your body correctly is key. By increasing the amount you walk daily, whether through increasing your daily steps or by walking for a set length of time or distance, you will increase the amount of calories you burn each day. However, making just one poor meal or snack choice can lead to you eating these calories back, and more, which can sabotage your weight loss efforts. Focusing your diet on eating foods rich in volume but low in calories is one of the best ways to ensure quick weight loss results without feeling excessively hungry or deprived. One way in which to do this is to fill your plate half way with vegetables at each meal. Vegetables are packed full of nutrients and fiber, but contain very few calories. When you increase your intake of vegetables, you naturally eat smaller portions of other foods, helping to reduce your calorie intake and therefore promote weight loss. Another way to help promote a faster and more effective weight loss is to fill your diet with nutrients shown to help promote fat loss. This includes eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, and whole grains. Foods such as 100% whole grain bread, avocado, pistachios, almonds, fish, and olive oil are terrific options to include as part of your regular meal plan to help shed inches around your waistline as well as body weight. By paying attention to what you eat along with exercise you can achieve and maintain your goal weight once and for all!

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you have tried time and time again to lose weight, but have not been successful, maybe the reason is that you are trying too hard. That's right — weight loss doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, it can be as easy as just putting one foot in front of the other and walking those pounds and inches away. No matter your age, your fitness level, or your medical history, almost anyone can walk off the weight if they know how to do it. Most likely, walking is something you do every day already. You know how to do it, you already have locations you do it in, so all you need to do now is walk a little bit more or adjust your walking techniques and you will start to see the weight loss results almost instantly. If you have never exercised before, or you have a condition that prevents you from safely taking part in structured exercise, you can still walk off the weight. To get started, just invest in a basic pedometer, a tool that counts your steps. Wear it for three days to see, on average, how many steps you walk each day. Call this your baseline number of steps. Once you know your daily step baseline, all you have to do is take a few extra steps each day. Aim to walk just an extra 500 steps each day for seven days. Once you can do this easily, add on an extra 500 steps. Slowly build your step count over time, with your long-term goal to walk 10,000 steps or more each day. Every 2,000 steps you walk is equal to about one mile of walking, or about 100 calories burned. Walk an extra 2,000 steps per day over your baseline, and you're on target to lose almost one pound per month. Those little steps can add up to big results!