It’s easy to injure yourself when you start running. One of the more common injuries comes from working too hard, and health blog Greatist suggests the best way to keep that from happening is to make mileage gains gradually.
Picture: lululemon athletica/Flickr
We all know that the best way to avoid injuries in any activity is to slowly increase your workout over time, but by just how much isn’t always as obvious. For running, Greatist recommends a 10 per cent gain:
To reduce wear and tear, never up mileage by more than 10 per cent each week. A sudden increase in distance can put too much pressure on the joints, bones, and muscles. If training for a distance event, gradually add miles so the body has time to adjust to the extra workload. Plus, pencil in plenty of days for rest and low-impact workouts.
It’s a pretty simple idea, but one that’s important to keep in mind. If you need some help tracking exactly how far 10 per cent is, any of these smartphone running apps should do the trick.
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