Tips to avoid running injuries

We’ve all experienced the frustrations of running and suddenly feeling pain in our knees, ankles, shins … or just about any other part of our legs. Oftentimes, it’s these injuries that keep fitness fanatics from getting the most out of their workouts. Here are a few ways you can prevent those pesky injuries from happening and get you closer to the body of your dreams:

Joint-friendly treadmills
Going for a run outdoors may not be the best idea for your joints. Running on concrete streets can put more stress on your joints than home treadmills. In fact, The Huffington Post said that running on the treadmill may be better suited for individuals who have trouble with aches and pains in their feet as well. TRUE Fitness has a line of fitness treadmills that help runners reach their fitness goals in a comfortable and safe way. The TRUE M50 Treadmill provides a soft deck cushion which takes some of the impact off of each stride, giving the user the most natural motion possible. With this one-of-a-kind orthopedic belt, users will notice an increasingly comfortable workout with each stride.

Keep good form
When breaking a sweat on your cardio fitness machine, you may start to notice that the more fatigued you become, the more your form slips. Assure that you always maintain a steady heart rate on the PS300 Treadmill, which has a wireless heart rate monitoring system. This allows the runner to stay around your target heart rate. Simply enter your target at the beginning of the workout, the Heart Rate Control Cruise Control will take over and work to adjust your speed and incline throughout your workout to ensure you’ll maintain your goal heart rate.

Rest
Fitting in a period of rest in between workouts is just as important as the workout itself. Fitness Magazine suggested resting one to two days between runs. Injuries most often occur when bone or tissue is continually being used without time to rejuvenate. Create a schedule to follow to ensure you’ll have periods of rest between bouts of and exercise.

Strengthen your legs
According to Fitness Magazine, stronger leg muscles absorb more impact. Utilize the incline option on your treadmill at home to build up your muscles and to ward off potential injuries. Walking on a flat surface is great for your legs, but by amping up the incline, you’ll be getting much more out of your workout. According to The Nest, the incline works your quads, hamstrings and glutes. You could also consider doing some squats or other leg exercises in between cardio workouts.