The Correct Running Posture

The most commonly used cardio exercise by people is running. Running not only helps in burning calories but it also improves your heart and lungs' health. The only problem with it is you are more prone to external and internal injuries. Bad running posture is usually a reason for most injuries. Why is a good running posture important?

You get a good cardio exercise when you have a good posture when running. A cardio exercise's key benefit is helping your heart and lungs. You can actually get both organs damaged is you have a bad running posture. Proper body alignment is very important when you run. When your body is properly aligned, the body's energy travels more freely and your muscles are in the right position to lengthen and shorten. The body is also working efficiently because the muscles are not using too much energy making you run faster, easier. You can also avoid getting any injuries on your hip and knee joints with proper alignment.

Make sure that you place your shoulders back when you are running so your chest cavity has room to take in as much oxygen needed. When you are slumped forward, it makes it harder to breathe. Do not lean back too far as it's harder to breathe that way too. Try leaning forward slightly from your waist. This helps keep your body relaxes. And because your body is relaxed, you increase your speed and you run with less effort. Avoid leaning too far forward though since this puts your mass to center in the front of your hip area. This makes you place a foot in front of your body too much, putting more stress on the front of the legs. The position of your head is another thing that you have to check when you are running. Avoid looking down a lot or leaning your head forward since these are considered abnormal head positions. This affects your upperback and shoulder muscles too other than just the back of your neck. The worst thing that this can cause is neck arthritis.

The simplest way to get a good posture when you run is to check your posture when you are standing. You can start by walking a couple of steps in place then stop and keep your shoulders and feet aligned. With the aid of a mirror, try and find a line that is formed by he middle of the ear, shoulder, hip and ankles from bottom to top. You can also check yourself by standing against a wall. This can help you find that line as well as checking if your head is in the right posture. Your head is not in the proper alignment if it's hitting the wall or if you have to exert effort in pulling your head back. You can pretend that a string is pulling your head up to fix this. That keeps you in the proper position from head to toe.

You have to remind yourself to take the correct stance because our muscles and ligaments have memory and will keep any posture we are used to. When you have a better posture when you are running, you get better results when you workout.

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