Fitness

One of the best exercises for weight loss is running, as it burns a ton of calories, is a inexpensive exercise and it will get you into serious shape.
When starting a running program, you should remember to enter it really slowly to avoid any unnecessary injuries as well as this is the best method to increase your running performance as it will give your body the right amount of time to recover.
   
One of the most important things to do before starting to run is to buy a proper pair of running shoes, make sure to visit a professional running store and get a personalized fitting as this will help protect your knees form the impact they are going to take from the road. A general rule of thumb when looking at buying a new pair of shoes, is that they are generally good for 500km of running, after 500km it is advisable to replace the pair.

When you go out for your first weight loss run, try running at a slow pace with a few short sprints in between, your goal should be to run for 20 minutes straight as a slower pace. Once you have completed 10 runs at this pace and time, you should up the pace a bit and aim for 25 minutes total, this should continue until you are running at a medium pace for 45 minutes total. This may take time, even up to 1 year, but you will lose weight fast by training like this.

A great fact about running for exercise is that you can run anywhere – run outside, in the gym on the treadmill, run on the beach, you can run anywhere and it is also a great method of exercise. Make sure to always make sure you are running with good technique as this will increase your speed, decrease your injuries and make sure that you can run long term.

When you first start your running program you will notice that you will drop a lot of weight quickly but after a while you may not see the weight loss numbers you want, this is due to the fact that your body will be adding muscle (especially to your legs) as it will be getting stronger from the constant healthy exercise it is getting.

After a while you will notice that it will become easier and easier every time you go out for a run, when you experience this, try picking up the pace and run faster. This will really increase your overall heart rate and burn many more calories. Make sure not to pick up the speed until you have been running for a minimum of 6 weeks as it takes time for your joints, tendons and ligaments to get strong enough to handle the impact from a hard run.

When you have finished each run, you will need to take 10 minutes to properly stretch, as this will help you recover from a run and avoid injuries. After a good runners stretch, make sure you eat a healthy post workout meal containing a mix of carbs and protein, and most importantly focus on hydrating your body as you have lost a lot of fluids during your exercise. A great post workout meal is a whole wheat turkey sandwich and a banana, its simple, cheap and full of the proper nutrition to aid you in your recovery.

Running is an amazing way to get in shape, just make sure that when you decide to start running for exercise that you are following a proper runners diet plan and getting the appropriate amounts of sleep.