Warm Up Drills for Running

Here are a few warm up exercises to get your body ready for running.

How to Stretch Properly

There's nothing worse than having to slow down your fitness routine because you suffer an injury. I've had a few people recently complaining of tightness and aching in their legs that ends up slowing them down.

A common reason for suffering minor injuries is not taking enough time to stretch as part of your regular fitness routine.

I know what you'll say - stretching is boring and it doesn't burn calories or body fat. Well, think about it this way instead.

1) If your workout is effective, your metabolism will be running fast for a good 30-60 minutes following your activity so if you stretch during this period, you'll be burning calories while you stretch.

2) If you pick up even a small injury that puts you out of action you definitely won't be burning many calories for a while. You only need a little bit of stretching in your routine but if you do it regularly you will be able to keep up your programme without interruption and make sure that your results keep on coming week after week after week.

Here are a couple of simple stretches to get you started. Try doing these right now to practice and at the end of your next workout.

For all stretches, move gently into position, hold the stretch for 10 seconds and then release gently. Think about where you feel a stretch and what you might need to adjust if you're not feeling it where the stretch is intended to work.

Calves
The lower legs can take a battering, particularly if you walk, run or use an incline a lot. Wearing heels also makes these muscles short and tight so avoid wearing them too often and do this stretch once you take them off.

Here's how to keep them loose.


Lean into a wall and extend one leg out behind you
Keep your toes facing forwards
Put most of your weight on the front leg and push the heel of the back leg into the ground
If you need to increase the stretch, step the back leg out a little further and repeat the move
Swap and repeat on the other leg

Hamstrings
The backs of the thighs spend a lot of the time in a shortened position as we sit down on them all day. Tight hamstrings can lead to lower back pain in the long term so make sure you stretch this area regularly.


Lie down face up with your knees bent and feet flat
Extend one leg above you
Grab the back of the thigh of the extended leg and then pull it towards you
Make sure you keep a slight bend at the knee
Note - the straighter the leg above you, the more you feel the stretch behind the knee, which can be painful. Bend the knee a little to keep the stretch right in the middle of the back of the thigh
Swap and repeat on the other leg

Back Pain? 3 Moves to Unlock your Back

I come across too many people suffering with painful backs from spending hours at their desk or traveling in cars, trains or planes. All that siting can cause your back to tighten up and can become really uncomfortable. Here are three moves guaranteed to keep your back flexible and prevent any long-term pain or injury and they only take a few minutes each day.

1) Cat Breath – Curving the Spine
Start with a flat back, inhale, as you exhale pull up pelvic floor muscle, navel to spine, lower head and tailbone and curve spine.
Added Benefits – this move strengthens and tones abdominal muscles and massages internal organs.




2) Cat Breath - Arching the Spine
Return to a flat back, inhale, as you exhale raise head and tailbone.
Added Benefits – this move strengthens spine and relaxes the neck and shoulders helping to combat stress



3) Hip Rolls
Arms out at shoulder level, knees bent with feet flat on floor. Inhale, then exhale while lowering your knees to the right and turning your head to the left. Return to the centre and repeat on other side.
Added Benefits – this move aids digestion and relieves tension in your neck

Hunchbacked at your computer? Try this.

When I saw my client Simon last week and he told me he was becoming increasingly worried that he was getting stuck in what he called 'the hunchback' position at his desk simply because he spent so much time working at his computer. He felt he never quite got properly straightened up, felt lethargic as a result of this and often suffered back pain.

As part of his programme I showed him a quick chest stretch that he could do throughout the day that would fix this.


Simply stand upright, wedge one arm against a wall or a doorframe and twist your body away in the opposite direction. Then repeat on the other side. The stretch opens up the chest and the front of the shoulders, both areas that get tight when we work at a desk or spend a lot of time driving.

When we met up again this week, Simon was full of praise for the stretch (well as much as you can be for a stretch!). He claimed that of all the exercises in his routine, this one makes the biggest difference. By practicing the stretch throughout the day he feels taller, energised, more focused and much more comfortable.

Try it for yourself and see how it feels.