Planning To Jog For Weight Loss? Don'T Make These Mistakes

Jogging can be an effective exercise to turn to if you're keen on losing weight. Although you won't see overnight results, jogging several times a week — while also cutting down your intake of calories — can have the pounds melting away. Jogging is an ideal exercise for workout novices because of its simplicity, but that doesn't mean that you should be mindless about the process. Here are a handful of mistakes that new joggers may make — and some ways to avoid making them yourself.

Failing To Stretch

You can't fault the energetic spirit of someone who laces up his or her shoes and charges out the door for a run, but doing so isn't necessarily the best approach. Jogging without first devoting time to a stretching routine can increase your risk of straining a muscle or sustaining an otherwise preventable injury. Then, when you're injured, you won't be able to work out to lose weight. Before you pound the pavement, it's vitally important to dedicate some time to stretching all of your major muscle groups, given that jogging is a full-body exercise. Even some light walking before you pick up the pace to start jogging can be effective at warming your muscles up.

Leaping Too High

If you're energetic about jogging, you may inadvertently lift your feet too high as you stride. This is a concern because the higher you leap, the harder the impact that is created when your feet hit the ground. Using too high of a stride can cause heel and knee pain, which may quickly curtail your jogging efforts — and threaten your ability to lose weight. While everyone's stride is unique, concentrate on keeping your stride as low as is comfortable. Often, you'll find that you can lower your stride with relative ease, which will have long-term benefits.

Pushing Yourself Too Hard

It's admirable to want to jog an hour each day, and doing so can indeed contribute to weight loss. However, for the novice, setting this high standard can also be difficult to meet. A beginner shouldn't push himself or herself too hard. Instead of trying to jog for an hour, for example, think about working up to a specific goal. Interval training is an ideal way to build your strength and endurance. Try walking and jogging for five-minute intervals, moving back and forth between the two activities. Gradually, you can shorten the walking intervals until you're spending most of your workout jogging.

For more information, talk to a professional like Mid West Fat Loss.

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