It’s important to look after your health at any stage in life, but it’s particularly necessary when you get older. As you age, it becomes harder for your body to regulate weight and repair itself. That’s why many senior citizens are more susceptible to physical ailments and various health conditions.
Regular exercise can help to strengthen your body and ensure a good level of overall fitness that will allow you to stave off disease and maintain a high standard of living. It’s important to find activities you enjoy doing, as this will help you stay motivated while also boosting your happiness and mental health. So if you can’t stand going to the gym and pumping weights, it’s easy enough to find a more pleasurable form of exercise.
Running is one of the best ways to take control of your health. It is a great cardiovascular exercise that is perfect for losing weight, strengthening your heart, and alleviating stress and depression. It allows you to easily track your progression, while requiring no specialist equipment other than a basic pair of trainers.
But as with any exercise, it’s important to ensure you follow best practice in order to avoid any potentially negative impacts. Overdoing it or running with bad form could actually do more harm than good to your body. To help you get the maximum benefit from your running, here are a few tips to set you on the right path.
Take it slow
Don’t start running long distances right away. Start slow and build up your endurance gradually. Your body will thank you in the long term. Avoid overriding it, so make sure you know your body’s limits and take plenty of time to rest and recover after a running session.
Stretch
Stretching after a run is incredibly important for injury prevention and recovery. Spend a few minutes post-exercise to stretch out the major muscle groups and you’ll notice the difference. Stretching too much before running can actually reduce performance and increase the risk of injury, so warm up with some dynamic movements instead.
Stay safe
Although running is a safe sport, there is no guarantee that you won’t have a fall or a health scare out on the road. If you’re worried for your safety, you can take precautions by carrying your phone with you and letting someone know where you are and when you’ll be back. You can also buy a GPS tracker for the elderly that will allow you to alert emergency services if you get into trouble.
Reduce the impact
Running on pavement for long periods can put a lot of impact on your joints. But there are ways to enjoy running without having to worry about your knees. Trail running is a lot lower impact, as you are generally moving on soft ground such as grass or packed dirt. Because the ground is often uneven, you are using different muscles and joints for each step, avoiding constant, repetitive impact on individual parts of the body.
