Running through the ages

Running is a passion or hobby enjoyed by many Americans and it can also reap many health benefits as well. Running can instill good habits, as well as enhance athletic ability, and improve your cardiovascular health. Many runners enjoy setting personal records and pushing their limits to reach their goals. Running can however, be heard on your bones and may even begin to cause you joint pain overtime. This is why many runners ask themselves should i stop or decrease my running as I age? Many experts suggests that it perfectly safe for senior to continue or take up running, meaning you don’t have to give up your passion completely. However, there are certainly certain measures you can take to ensure you continue to run safely as you age.Listening to your body is instrumental to keeping your muscles healthy and avoiding unnecessary injury.

Stretching is essential

Hopefully, you have already incorporated stretching both before and after your run as part of your daily running routine. Stretching can help improve mobility of the body as well as help reduce soreness and injury. If you are already stretching regularly be sure to keep it up and maybe even up your stretch time. If you have not been stretching you should definitely add this to your routine. You should also be sure to incorporate adequate rest days from running. Rest days are important to let the body rest and your muscles recharge this can help prevent overexertion of your muscles. If you still wish to continue cardio on your rest days try alternative methods such as walking or cycling. You should also be sure to get plenty of sleep each night as sleep will become more important for your body as you age.

Slow and steady

Another less obvious but related topic would be to focus on your diet. You should ensure that you are consuming adequate carbs and fibers to fuel your body throughout your runs. You should also consider reducing inflammatory foods such as red meat and dairy. Lastly you can certainly set new record for yourself in this new stage of life and as a senior runner however it is important to listen to your changing body and respect your limits. You should train gradually and focus on the movement itself rather than pushing past your limits daily. Running is a perfectly maintainable form of exercise as you age as long as you take care of your body. You may even consider running at a slower and more steady pace versus and all out faster pace.

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