We - the Frog Band - believe in holistic wellbeing, and moving your body is an essential part of your health. As the pandemic goes on, it might be harder and harder to keep yourself moving and active. However, somehow the endless Netflix and chill doesn’t make you feel so chilled anymore. You know you feel better after some activity or light sweating, and yet some days feel like you've seen too many lonely home workouts already. Maybe your gym has only limited spots available per day, or it has shut down completely. We feel you.
“We want to inspire you to be active and find movements that feel good.”
Before reading this article any further, we would like to make a small disclaimer. By staying active, we don't mean forcing ourselves to do something that does not feel good. We all know that this exceptional situation affects us in many different ways.
At the same time, we want to inspire you to be active, and more importantly, find movements that feel good. Last month, we shared a functional training workout, and this month's topic is running.
As we are not running experts, we asked our froggy friends from Vauhtisammakko to share their best practices on how to begin with running.
Three Tips for Sustainable Running Habits
1. Body and mind together
Many people start running because they want to modify their bodies. What if you also shaped your mind and way of thinking about yourself and the surrounding world?
If you want to achieve sustainable progress in running, it is good to think of your reasons to train. What does the training give to you and your mind? Running can become your superpower and mental asset if you train cleverly. On the other hand, running can eat you alive if you constantly train too hard. Wellbeing at work and free time and that you have more active years with your loved ones can be great motivators to train more.
2. Focus on light training & don't compare yourself to others
The world's best runners train approximately 80% of the time in lower heartbeat rates. This type of training feels good. You are not an exception. Progress in running means smart endurance training, and for most people, this means walking between running.
When you start running, commit to a sustainable change and improvement in your condition and quality of life. There's no shortcut to success, and taking shortcuts is you admitting failure upfront. It's going to be a long way to get there. Enjoy the road!
One idea is to switch the car to a bike or walk to work. This way, your progress can speed up, and you do something good for the environment as well. When you start to enjoy the training and the feeling afterward more and more, and you feel more energised, you are on the right path.
3. Eat enough and be smart
A baffling fact is that runners who eat diversely and huge amounts of carbohydrates have a better condition and a quicker recovery year after year.
In addition to rice, pasta, and bread, eat many different and colourful vegetables and fruit. A basic rule is to eat half a kilogram of vegetables and fruit daily. When you add more training to your schedule, remember to add carbs to your diet. This way, you will make sure you recover and keep improving.
Tips by the founder of Vauhtisammakko and Running Coach Mikko Liukka.
Now, before heading to the streets and trails, watch this informative video to get tips on how to improve your running technique.
If you are interested in becoming a better runner, Vauhtisammakko’s next remote running course (in Finnish) is starting on Thursday 01.04.2021.
Love,
