A runner’s risk of overuse injury increases if they run daily. Overuse injuries are caused by too much physical activity too quickly and without providing the body time to adapt to the new demands. Running with bad form and overloading certain muscles can also lead to injury.

If you’re concerned about an overuse injury:

• Wear suitable running shoes and replace them periodically.
• Step up your weekly mileage little by little.
• On the days you don’t run, alternate them with when you do something else, such as cycling or swimming.
• Stretching after a run is as vital as warming up.
• Run in perfect form.

If you suffer an injury while running, you should take a break from the sport and consult a physician about a treatment plan. Your recovery may be aided by RICE (relaxation, ice compression, elevation).

Is there anything else you should be doing to get in shape?

Runners may benefit from cross-training or training with an exercise other than running. The following are some of the possible advantages:

• the chance of damage is reduced
• activates a variety of muscles
• improves core strength and range of motion
• without sacrificing one’s ability to stay fit
• provides a wide range of options

It’s possible to reap the following benefits by cross-training once or twice a week with activities like cycling, swimming, yoga, or Pilates if running is your primary exercise mode. Strength training and weights, which are anaerobic exercises, should be included in your weekly program one to two times.

How to make running a habit

Supplies

Socks and a pair of running shoes are all you need to begin jogging every day. The second pair of footwear is always a good idea if your primary team is damaged by rain or sand.

Running shorts and T-shirts that are water- and sweat-resistant are also a need. Wear a luminous vest or light if you want to run at night or early in the morning.

Weekly schedule

Whatever your goals and current level of physical fitness are should dictate how often you run each week. Because of the increased danger of injury or burnout, it’s unnecessary to start out running every day if you’re a beginner. Instead, begin by running 20–30 minutes every other day. To get started, consider doing a couch-to-5K program.

Daily or weekly running can be challenging to fit in. Before your day gets too busy, try to get in a run first thing in the morning. Alternatively, take a jog during lunchtime. If you’re looking for encouragement and support, join a local running club. Keep your long runs for the weekends, when you have more time for exercise.

Your weekly training routine should be varied if you are an experienced runner who plans to run every day. You could, for example, run a long run at your ideal race pace once a week. Another day of sped-up work is an option. Short recuperation runs of one or two days’ duration are possible. The rest of the days can be dedicated to a hill workout, which involves running up and down an elevation repeatedly to improve leg strength. For an active recovery, you can also jog or run in a pool.

Running Changes Your Body and Brain

Starting your run, you may notice a change in your body’s breathing pattern and pulse rate as your heart works harder to deliver oxygenated blood to your muscles and brain.

Your body releases endorphins as you find your stride. In popular culture, these are the molecules responsible for the “runner’s high,” a brief but intensely euphoric condition that occurs due to strenuous physical activity. According to surveys, runner’s high is a rare phenomenon, with the vast majority of athletes never feeling it. Long-distance runners often report feeling exhausted or even sick at the end of a race, rather than ecstatic, says Linden.

It seems improbable that endorphins in the blood lead to a happy state or any change in mood at all, even though endorphins assist muscles in avoiding pain. The blood-brain barrier prevents endorphins from crossing it, according to research.

Endocannabinoids—biochemical compounds comparable to cannabis but are naturally created by the body—could be blamed for the post-run euphoria.

Linden argues that exercise raises the amounts of endocannabinoids in the blood. Endocannabinoids, unlike endorphins, can easily pass through the cellular barrier that separates the bloodstream from the brain, where they promote short-term psychoactive effects, including reduced anxiety and feelings of calm.

Exercise’s Long-Term Mental Health Benefits

Regular cardiovascular activity can help the brain grow new blood vessels, so the advantages don’t end when you finish your run. Neurogenesis creates new brain cells in specific brain locations, which may increase general brain performance and prevent cognitive decline.

According to Linden, “exercise has a dramatic antidepressive impact.” For this reason, the brain is unable to respond as strongly to physical and emotional stress.”

Even more remarkable is that the hippocampus, the area of the brain connected with memory and learning, grows larger in the brains of regular exercisers. These are only a few examples:

Working memory and concentration have been boosted.

• Switching between tasks is easier.
• In a better mood
• Is running every day beneficial?

Running daily may provide health benefits. Running for 5 to 10 minutes per day at a moderate speed (6.0 miles per hour) has been shown to provide the following health benefits:

• mortality from heart attack and stroke is lowered
• risk reduction in the cardiovascular system
• a reduced chance of cancer development
• reduces the chance that you’ll get Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease

A group of Dutch experts advocates running 2.5 hours a week, or Daily jogging for 30 minutes, five days a week, is recommended.

Running may also help you sleep better and have a better attitude. Researchers followed healthy adolescents in one study as they ran for 30 minutes each morning at a moderate intensity pace for three weeks. Runners scored higher on daytime sleep, mood, and concentration tests than non-runners in the control group.

Thirty minutes of various daily activities, such as walking, cycling, swimming, or yoga, may provide similar advantages.

Running shoes, despite the lack of conclusive evidence to the contrary, are my recommendation since they offer support in the midsole and cushioning and reinforcement in the heel. Wearing running shoes is a good idea because you’ll be striking the ground with two to three times your body weight as you run.

If you have a wide or narrow foot, you’ll need a wide or narrow shoe. Determine your foot strike as the first step. A foot strike is a way your foot hits the ground. Heel strike (the bottom of your foot lands first), followed by the mid-foot strike and flattening of the arch to absorb impact (extremely crucial), and finally, the forefoot strike (the front of your foot) and push off to the next stride. When walking with a smooth gait pattern and a flattening of the arch, the impact on the foot is lessened, and as a result, stress on joints up to and even including the hip is reduced. A foot strike can be classified into three categories:

Pronation of the foot. It is called pronation when your arch flattens during a foot strike, causing your foot to invert or roll inward. It is possible to get stress fractures and shin splints in your lower extremities if you pronate excessively. Wear on the inner borders of your shoes is a sign that they need to be replaced. You’re undoubtedly a pronator.

Strictly heel-to-toe. The term “supination” refers to arches that don’t flatten out. Your arch will not flatten, and your foot will not roll in at all if this is the case. This results in a lack of shock absorption when you step on the ground. Ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, and iliotibial band syndrome can result from excessive supination. If the outer edges of your shoes begin to fray, you may be a supinator.

A “neutral” foot strike is when the arch is flattened to a reasonable degree but not excessively. This gives you a great push-off since it absorbs many shocks and has a lot of energy.

Do I have a right or left foot strike?

You can identify if you pronate or supinate by looking at the wear patterns on your shoes, especially the heel. If the sole of your shoe begins to crumble, you most likely supinate, but if the sole begins to crumble from the inside, you most likely pronate.

You can also have your doctor or podiatrist examine your gait and foot strike or ask a salesperson at a reputable shoe store to do so. You can also perform the wet test at your convenience:

• Once you wet your foot and tread on a sheet of paper or another surface, your footprint will be visible.
• Standing properly while applying light pressure to the front of your foot is the proper technique.
• If the majority of your foot strikes the floor, you’re a pronator.
• The term “supinator” refers to someone who walks with their foot barely touching the ground.
• It is considered neutral if the footprint is somewhere in the middle of pronation and supination.
• What kind of gear should you put on when you’re out running?

Shorts for exercise

Shorts don’t have to be difficult to read. The fabric is the most significant aspect. To keep you dry, choose a fabric that wicks moisture away from the body quickly. To prevent them from slipping down your legs while you’re running, many shorts feature pockets and drawstrings.

Leggings

When it’s cold outside, you’ll want to wear leggings. Tights made of polyester (spandex or Lycra) fit snugly, whereas those made of polypropylene and other textiles fit looser and gentler and feel almost as soft as cotton. Make your pick based on your comfort. It is possible to stay dry and toasty with any of these textiles.