Improve your Body to Run Better

Running. It's painful, tedious, and exhausting. So, why do so many people do it? People run for many reasons. Most often, people run to stay in shape and to reach an ideal body weight. Studies show that a combination of diet and exercise is the most effective way to lose weight, as it triggers a loss of body fat and a proportional increase of lean tissue. Running, a rigorous cardiovascular exercise, allows a person to burn an average of 100 calories per each mile he or she runs. Other popular activities, such as biking and walking, only burn a fraction of those calories in the same amount of time.

Yet, most serious runners will say their addiction goes beyond the physical benefits they achieve from running. Runners say the intense exhilaration and euphoria that comes after a run is what motivates them most. Most runners become addicted to this intense high (aka The Runners High) and then start pushing for more.

Whether you're running for fitness, weight loss, stress relief, or competitively, it's important to continuously challenge yourself in order to increase your speed and stamina. One of the key elements that you need to work on in order to increase performance is your body itself.

Our body is like a complex machine. If you take care of it and maintain it in an appropriate fashion, it will deliver some exciting results. Multiple studies show that regular strength training can improve running economy. So how do you adopt your body to deliver maximum results? Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Good Nutrition: Eat right and you'll run well. It's that simple. Your body functions best, and you run better, when your diet includes the right kinds of foods in the right amounts at the right times. There are three substances that the body requires in large quantities in order to function properly. These three substances are: Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. These are called the primary nutrients. Carbohydrates are especially important for runners; muscles need the glycogen that comes from them in order to produce energy. Thus, Carbohydrates should supply about 60% of food intake among runners and intake of fat should not exceed 25%. Aside from carbohydrates, proteins can also supply energy and should comprise about 15% of calories in a runner's diet.

• Proper Hydration: Once the race starts, hydration becomes important, particularly if it is a warm day. Fluids are necessary in allowing blood to transfer glucose to muscles and in flushing out metabolic waste. Furthermore, insufficient fluids inhibit one's ability to sweat and runners need to sweat more. So maintain proper hydration levels when you are running. Drink during your long workouts in practice too. Not only will drinking fluids make your weekend long workouts more comfortable, but it also will teach you how to drink and how often to drink. Drinking while you run is not an instinctive technique; you need to practice to do it properly.

• Develop Your Strength: Some runners fail to do resistance exercises which is unfortunate since the stronger your muscles are, the easier it feels to run the same distance .You can tone and develop your muscles through weight training at the gym on alternate days or you can develop lower body muscles by incorporating hills into your running routine. If you run indoors, try changing the grade on the treadmill to around five to promote muscle tone. Run at an incline for several minutes two or three times during your workout to improve your running strength and stamina. Activities other than running can also help develop other muscle groups. Swimming, biking, rowing, yoga can contribute to a strong, healthy body.

• Stretch regularly: Stretch before and after any run or workout. It helps reduce the chance of injury, and keeps the body limber. Spend about 10 minutes before and after the run stretching your hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, ankles, glutes, back and shoulders. Hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Stretching increases flexibility, reduces risk of injuries, and improves form and fitness.

• Challenge Yourself Regularly: If you don't challenge yourself, it will be difficult to improve your running. Pick one day each week to perform a more intense running for short periods during portions of your workout. Running hills one day a week will help you to develop speed, strength, and endurance.

Don't give up! There are a lot of aches and pains in the beginning and it will feel like your body is pleading with you to pick a new hobby! Be persistent and running will become a healthy new habit that makes you look and feel great.