Thursday, March 18, 2010

blog 63: cardio tips and tricks

Today’s beautiful weather encouraged me to take a jog outside. Watching other joggers and being mindful of my own form inspired me to write today’s post.

I have a few tips for running outside:

1. Watch your form. (Keep your chest lifted when running and USE YOUR UPPER BODY*)

2. Keep your load light. (If your key chain has 500 keys, only bring what you need for re-entrance at home)

3. Breath in through the nose out through the mouth. (This is what I do because it feels natural to me, but there are many breathing techniques out there.)

4. If listening to your iPod, have a pre-designed playlist so that you don't have to stop and switch tracks mid-run.

5. Keep your music fresh and new by downloading new mixes or artists. (Check out my free suggestions in the music label on my blog.)



*I'm going to expand on tip #1: USE YOUR UPPER BODY

When you pump your arms and extend your fingertips, the lower half of your body works both harder and faster. I always see people with relaxed hands or clenched fists, but if you engage your entire body, you will increase your speed exponentially. TRY IT!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

With the perfect weather we're having here in Tucson, AZ, this post motivated me to start running again. I feel like it's hard to find time but once you get into the routine it become even more enjoyable. I always keep my arms at a 90% angle but my fingers are always pretty loose. I'm going to try extending my fingers more because I would love my runs to be more upper body and core engaging rather than just a leg work out. Thanks Libs!

PS: I'm jealous, Central Park must be starting to get pretty gorgeous!