Huddersfield lost the other day. It was looking like such a good win and then in the last five minutes it all seemed to fall apart. That griddled me a little i guess. But i did get the time off to go see the grand final in manchester, which put me on a high. But then England lost to Wales... but then Scotland beat the USA... its been an emotional roller coaster. Has nothing to do with this blog post, there's no point to writing it... but there it is. anyways...
Lets talk Cardio! For anyone starting out on the road to fitness, no matter what you want the end result to be, cardio will be the first step in any case. And for good reason. Having good cardio is the most important thing before any fitness venture, without it you will most likely not carry the stamina to do anything to effect, and will most likely lack the metabolism needed to keep fat off and muscle on. If, like me, you have an Endomorphic body type, i.e. you find it hard to lose weight, but easy to bulk or gain fat, due to a slower than average metabolism then cardio is the most important word you must learn, and before you even think of picking up a dumbell or chest press, you've got to get that cardio up. It speeds up your metabolism, and it gets you burning that body fat. Now when i say cardio, i do not mean getting on a tread mill and putting one foot infront of the other quickly. Im not telling you to stay away from treadmills. Say you go running three to four times a week, take it away from the treadmill atleast twice.
The reasons i preffer road/off road rather than treadmill are;
It offers variable routes, which keep everything interesting, and stop you getting stuck in a routine or getting bored. Also, the outside offers much nicer scenery than the inside of a gym... most of the time...
Variable routs also offer variable surface conditions. Whether you go for roads (which have much more predictable surface conditions) or off road (which offers much more unpredictable surface conditions, therefore challenging your ballence, and improving coordination, muscle strength and joint strength). Remember, the softer the surface, the harder the run.
But the main reason I preffer outdoor runs? I personally find it liberating. Leave the phone at home, put the headphones in and shut the world out. In this day and age, with all the technology we have at our fingertips, its nice to unplug from the world and embrase the solitude.
That being said, treadmills area good place to start. On a treadmill you can control your pace and your speed, you can monitor your heart rate, and if its too easy you can increase the incline.
the best thing about treadmills? you can watch TV, catch up on the netflix or abit of corrie. Its also softer on your joints, making it more favourable post injury, and (unless youve bought your own treadmill) youre in a gym, giving you access to a whole array of other equipment.
I guess its all down to your own preferance i suppose, do whatever gets you going! but make sure you stick at it
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