Fitness or weight loss: your goal is as important as the actual race
When I see people out pounding the pavements on a balmy summer’s evening, I often ask myself the question – are they running for fitness, weight loss or just because they love the feeling. The ‘why’ of your choice of exercise is important to understand. And although any type of training is good for the body, there are some types of exercise that work better for different reasons and for different individuals.
To me, the most important thing to watch out for in any exercise is form. Is it something that can be changed? Of course it can, but for activities such as running our genetic makeup, years of being overly tight in certain areas, like hip flexors, or having weaker muscles in the lower back, core and glutes, can change running form. This will make it not only tougher on yourself but more taxing on weaker muscle groups while leaving the stronger ones to work even harder, possibly overdevelop and cause injury through tightness.
Not everyone is a naturally good runner. My advice would be to try lots of things, just because one type of exercise is not suitable for your body doesn’t mean others won’t be. Don’t become despondent if you have spent the summer trying something new and it doesn’t quite work for your body.
The other important aspect is your reasoning for doing a specific type of exercise. It is so important that we factor exercises into our daily lives. Finding what works for you, for what you want to achieve, is very important.