Health and Fitness

Running is one of the popular workouts for beginners because most anyone can participate in the activity, but just because you learned to run at a young age that doesn't mean that you should jump into a routine without a game plan. If you do, you run the risk of injury. So before you set out on a trail, follow these 7 steps.

Stay motivated by signing up for a race. Many people start off with good intentions and then fall off the health wagon within a couple of weeks. When you register and solicit donations for a 5K charity race you'll most likely reach your goal because you made a commitment to a nonprofit who can really use the monetary contribution.

Warm up before going into a full run. Lightly jog or walk for 3-5 minutes. That's just enough time to prepare your muscles for your run.

Stretch after your workout. Stretching reduces muscle soreness, and in doing so, prepares you for the next day's run. In addition, stretching improves muscular coordination and increases blood circulation.

Change your breathing pattern to eliminate side cramps. Let's say you get a cramp on the right hand side of the body. When you breathe out make sure your left leg hits the ground when you breathe out. And if your cramp is on the left hand side, make sure your right leg hits the ground when you breathe out. In addition, you can also grunt your way out of a side cramps.

Run in the morning or in evening. Due to the heat, midday weather can make running difficult. For that reason, running in the morning or in the evening is best.

Protect your skin. In the winter and summertime, apply sunscreen to ensure your face doesn't get cracked from the cold or heat.

Rest. Running takes a toll on your body. Take one or two days out of the week to revitalize your muscles. A sample workout is as follows: run Monday through Wednesday, rest Thursday, run Friday and Saturday, and rest on Sunday.

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Elle Matthews is a freelance writer who promotes several websites. She enjoys writing about relationships, effective workout routines (TheWorkoutRoutines.com) and organic baby food (OrganicBabyFoodRecommendations.com).