Thinking of getting fit as part of your New Year’s resolutions? A local runner advises that you start slow to reach your goals and targets.
Teboho Lemao, who is the chairperson of Centre City Titaniums Athletics Club based in Mangaung, said by deciding to start with your fitness journey, you have already taken the first step.
“Once you have made the decision you identify a person or a club that will support and hold you accountable for this decision. It is said that you need to commit to your goal for 21 days and it will become a habit. Commit to your goal for 90 days and it will become part of your lifestyle. It starts with taking that first step,” he expressed.
Lemao, who also is an avid road runner, said some of the benefits of road running include stress relief, and low costs to start while also fostering a good community spirit.
“The barriers of entry to the sport are quite low. You basically just need a pair of running shoes. You can use shorts or any t-shirts that you already have at your disposal… Running can be a great way to meet up and hang out (make friends), with the added benefit that you’ll keep each other motivated,” he said.
He further stated that with any type of training, you must train from the base of your current fitness level.
“For running it is advisable that you start slow and with short distances such as 3km. You can start with a combination of run and walk until you get to a fitness level whereby you do more running than walking. Don’t do too much too soon lest you’ll be overwhelmed.”
For Lemao a typical warm-up session should take between 5-10 minutes as the session is essentially to warm up your muscles prior to exercising.
Step-by-step warm-up routine by Lemao:
- Leg swings – back to front and sideways. Do at least 20 on each leg
- Jog and quad stretch (Jog in one place (static) for two or three seconds). Reach behind one leg and hold your foot for two or three seconds. You should feel a stretch in your quad muscle. Repeat and stretch with the other leg. Complete five to ten reps
- Static squads – for about 15 minutes
- Hip rotation- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Put your hands on your hips and move your hips from left to right in a circular motion. Repeat and move your hips in the opposite direction.
Interested locals can contact the Centre City Titaniums Athletics Club at cctac2021@gmail.com for more information if they would like to join the beginners’ training group that meets at Virgin Active, Showground, from Monday to Thursday at 4:45 am. “Our Saturday club long runs mostly start at Naval Hill at 4:45 am in summer and at 5:45 am in winter,” concluded Lemao.
Gypseenia Lion
