Run, Forrest, Run

Running, or jogging really, has been the biggest part of many folks achieving the fitness results that they want. You can burn about two or three times as calories while jogging then you can on most of the cardio machines at the gym. Not to say that those machines don't serve a purpose for warming up and burning some calories in a low-impact way. But if you want to see results, considering jogging at least twice a week.

It doesn't take much to start - just jog at a light pace around a park near your home or your neighborhood and see how far you can go your first time. Now you've established a baseline. After jogging for around ten minutes you probably feel great and are thinking, "hey this isn't so bad afterall". It only gets better from here.



The next time that you jog, try to go a little bit further and think more about your form. The more efficient you are with your technique the better you'll feel and more fit you'll become. Remember you want to jog at a sustainable pace. This isn't Chariots of Fire or even your junior high track meet.

While running think about landing on the front of your foot (also called the "fore-foot" or "balls of your feet"). It feels a little weird at first because we're all used to walking heal-toe. But landing on the front of your foot will protect your ankle, shin, and knee joints and reduce the chance of injury. This is also the natural running motion that we inherited from our hunter and gatherer ancestors.

Barefoot running is becoming the rage these days with folks literally running barefoot or at least wearing shoes that look like feet. While this may be a bit extreme, this technique does have it's merits. First, it forces joggers to land on the front of their foot. Second, it's almost impossible to strike the running surface with a full extended leg. This is critical to avoid injury - you want to land on the front of your foot with your legs slightly flexed and ready to quickly push off.

After you jog for a few times, consider signing up for a 5K or 10K to give yourself a goal to train for that will encourage you to stretch yourself without overdoing it.

Remember - jogging is meant to be a fun way to burn fat, enjoy your local surroundings, relieve stress, and soak in the massive adrenaline rush that we've inherited through our evolution as human beings.