How to Start Running?

Health and fitness experts advocate running as an excellent exercise program. Running will improve overall health and fitness and help control weight. It's famous for its dramatic benefits to cardiovascular health, but it doesn't stop there. Running causes your body to produce a powerful anti-aging element known as the Human Growth Hormone. It will also improve your bone health, making your bones stronger and able to handle more stress, helping to prevent bone-related diseases later in life.

Running is a very simple and most common exercise which is done by almost each and everyone. Though superficially it can look as a simple process but in reality it is a complicated one and it requires proper knowledge and gears without which a person can suffer severe injuries. A lot of times new runners start out their running "career" blindly. With all the information available, it can be difficult to know what is most important in running for beginners. Running is a fun, natural, healthy activity but it does take some knowledge and forethought to run without getting injured. Here's what you need to have in check before you get too far into your running career:

1. Set goals
   Set yourself easily achievable goals, daily and weekly. Each week, increase the amount of time you run and decrease the amount of time you walk. When you start out, you should be focused on time not intensity. Once you can run continuously for 30 minutes or so, you can start going faster.
2. Invest in a proper gear
   You don't have to buy the top of the range shoe, which could set you back several hundred rupees. However, it's important to ensure that your shoes will provide sufficient cushioning to protect your back and lower limbs from injury. The clothes are as important as the shoes. They should be light and sweat absorbing. Also, try to purchase a good sipper for your hydration needs.
3. Warm up and Stretching
   Always do a 5-15 minute warm-up walk before breaking into a run, followed by a warm-down stroll. Stretching routines are also great thing to follow. Both Warm Up and Stretching are vital for running.
4. Focus on breathing
   Use your breathing as your guide when running. You should be able to carry on a conversation while running and your breathing shouldn't be heavy. If you are running out of breath then slow down or walk.
5. Be regular
   Developing a reasonable schedule and sticking to it is vitally important for a new runner. You won't really benefit if you are irregular. However, don't run if you're unwell or if you are facing any kind of pain, as this might increase the time you'll take to recover.
6. Start Slow
   Don't run two days in a row for the first two months.  Give your muscles and tendons a chance to adapt to running.
7. Increase gradually
   Avoid drastic increases in time on your feet because that invites injury. If you ran a total of thirty minutes last week, don't increase this by more than ten minutes the following week. Be patient!
8. Find a Partner
   One of the best ways to get started with running is to find a partner to run with. If he/she experienced, all the better, because he/she will have plenty of knowledge to share with you. Your running partner can provide you with moral support, some friendly competition, and most importantly, a reason to get out and run.
9. Schedule Rest days.
   Rest is a very important component of training. Even the most serious runners should not run more than six days per week. The rest days help your body recover from running.
10. Don't compete
    It's nice to be competitive, but not if the pressures are going to impact on your health and general life style. Avoid getting into the trap of entering a race with your co-runners, come what may, because this is the surest way of getting injured.

Running is a fantastic way to boost your health, appearance and energy in one simple exercise. Just make sure you ease yourself into it, and don't overdo it. Stick with it, and you'll reap the rewards of an exercise that burns more calories than almost any other exercise available and is completely free.