Want to look better, feel healthier, improve your self-confidence, boost your energy level and protect your heart? It is not a tough task and you don?t have to be an athlete to run. All you need is a pair of running shoes!
If enthusiasts and their claims to what a regular running regimen does to health are to be believed, it is an exercise as good as any other. ?Running can boost your self confidence immensely and that?s precisely what you need to unleash your potential,? says Rahul S Verghese, a management consultant and founder of a running website (www.runningandliving.com).
Both running and walking, Verghese says, are great exercises that can be included into any routine, irrespective of age or fitness level, or even space.
Verghese switched gears after a 25 year stint in marketing, to start a venture focused on enabling brands, organisations and individuals realise their dreams via running. He has run 25 full marathons around the globe and dreams of a day when 200 million Indians would start running!
Verghese may still be far from realising his dream. But if the response to the fourth edition of the Delhi Half Marathon, being held today, is any indication, running as an exercise alternative is really catching up. The event, which covers a distance of over 21-km, offers $210,000 in total prize money ? $25,000 each to the winner in the men?s and women?s category.
?Running is a part of my exercise schedule. It keeps me fit, helps me build my stamina and also my physique. I love running,? says Vivek Gambhir, Director-Finance, Royal Bank of Scotland India Development Centre. But Gambhir is participating in the marathon for a cause ? to support Udayan Care, a charity So is Ajay Bijli, Chairman and MD, PVR Cinemas. ?This time I am running for PVR Nest,? says Bijli who otherwise runs to ?keep himself fit.?
Fitness experts say that running is good for blood circulation too. It not only burns calories but also helps in keeping the cholesterol level low. ?You should walk at least four kms everyday, four times a week for optimum fitness,? says Dr Ashok Omar, Director of Heart Command Center and Emergencies, Fortis healthcare, Noida.
Running is an excellent way to meet the daily requirement of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity recommended by the World Health Organisation Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health.
According to Dr BS Murthy, Consultant at Fortis group of Hospitals Delhi running improves mobility of joints, breathing circulation and increases blood flow. ?It overhauls the body completely,? he adds.
So where do you start? First, buy a basic pair of running shoes. Such shoes give a cushion to the heels. Next in your shopping list should be a non-cotton T-shirt, shorts and undergarments as they help dry sweat faster. Lastly, go for a water bottle belt. Other fashionable accessories could include an iPod, a stopwatch and a pair of fashionable sunglasses.
?One can start with a slow walk, followed by a brisk walk and then running,? says Rahul. He adds that we should run for at least run half an hour three-four days in a week.
?We run not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves. The more restricted our society and work becomes, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom.
No one can say, ?You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.? The human spirit is indomitable,? said Roger Bannister, former athlete best known as the first man to run the mile in less than four minutes.
So, go grab your pair of running shoes and yes, your attitude too.