Most experts advise people who wish to improve or maintain their cardiovascular health to make running a habit. This is because running helps relieve stress and burn fats on the process. It also makes thinking clearly easier as it is a perfect activity to relax one’s mind, especially when done on a regular basis.
Here are 12 ways to maximize the benefits of your daily run:
1. HILLS
Running uphill slows your pace but never slows your heart rate. Aside from that, it may also be the perfect change of scenery when added to your running map that has become a bore.
2. SPRINTS
If you wish to burn extra calories, an additional 30-second sprint to your regular-paced run every few minutes should do the trick. Just make sure you allow yourself to recover during enough time before doing another one so your leg muscles won’t give out.
3. INCREASED PACE
Trying to increase your pace from what your body is used to can take a while to accomplish. But, hey, it’s worth it since you also burn more calories in the process.
4. LONGER-DISTANCE RUNS
It goes to show that the longer the distance you cover when running, the higher the calories you burn. Try adding half a mile or so to your regular three miles every day and you might just be thankful for this added distance that helped you reach your target weight.
5. ADD VARIETY
This cardio exercise actually doesn’t require you to constrain yourself from just running. You can also do walking lunges, push-ups on the curb or a bit of forward squat jumps. Aside from working more parts of your body and breaking the monotony of your run, this would also burn more calories in the process.
6. PUSHING/PULLING WEIGHTS
Pushing or pulling heavy objects such as a jogger wagon or stroller would help burn more calories during your run. Even if it may slow your pace, it would definitely never slow your heart rate.
7. WEAR WEIGHTS
Wearable weights are perfect additions to your daily run as it makes the activity more challenging while letting the body burn more fats. If you’re not used to doing this, you should begin from a light weighted vest or ankle weights first, then gradually increase.
8. LIFT THEN RUN
When you do lifting exercises before your go on your regular run, you tend to burn more fats and calories, thus maximizing the effect of the exercise. A short 20 to 30-minute weight-lifting should do the trick.
9. OBSTACLE COURSE
Creating your very own obstacle course is easy as pie. Every little thing in your neighborhood—a leaf pile, fallen branches and even puddles—can help add thrill and calorie-burning factor to your average daily run.
10. RUN LESS
Here’s the catch: run less but increase the intensity of your runs. For example, you can decrease your typical forty five-minute run at a seven minutes per mile pace into a thirty-minute run at six or five minutes per mile. After doing this for quite some time, you may notice a change in your speed and endurance.
11. GO FOR A RUN ON SAND
Running on a sandy location is actually harder than on the well-paved highway. But, doing this also increases your run’s calorie-burning factor once you successfully get through it. According to studies, running on sand burns up 30 percent more calories and fats.
12. REGISTER FOR A RACE
Doing this allows you to have a goal to be faster by establishing your own training for a 5k, 10k, or half marathon.
