For a choice of exercise or sport they don't get much easier and cheaper than running. A total body workout is available just by putting some shoes on, heading out the door and finding a park or route to run in.

The act of running

Invented by humans some years ago for catching prey and escaping danger running is becoming popular again. People are re-discovering the feeling it gives. The confidence and determination during a run and the sense of achievement and euphoria afterwards.

Running is one of the best exercises for improving health and fitness. It involves nearly every major muscle group and greatly improves the cardiovascular (heart) system. For weight loss you'll burn around 130 calories every 10 minutes depending how fast you go.

To begin with...

For those who've been inactive for a long period a slow build up is essential, injuries can easily occur if too much is done too soon. A beginner would do better training by time spent running rather than distance covered. As the weeks go by and fitness improves, you gradually increase that time.

While running is suitable for most there are some who may not get much out of it. For people who are very overweight, running may not be a good first choice activity. There won't be much satisfaction from running for 10 or 20 seconds before having to stop. Cycling or swimming would be a better alternative so some strength and weight loss can be established.

Running resources

As you're running progresses you may want to keep a record of your achievements. This is where a running log becomes useful. There are websites that can store these online for you, just type in running log into your favourite search engine to find these. You enter the details of your run and it stores the information for you and this can be viewed as a graph and sometimes printed out.

Other resources include running schedules. These are routines you can follow that help you optimize the running that you do. Try this beginners running schedule for those who want to start slowly and gradually. For those who are more adventurous the web is awash with intermediate and advanced schedules to really challenge the experienced runner.

The dreaded marathon

The ultimate goal for many is the marathon and every major city has one (book early as they're often over subscribed). 26.2 long miles to stretch the human body to its limits. Most experts recommend at least a year of running experience before it's attempted. A run of 3 to 4 hours does need some preparation.

To get the most out of running, be sure to vary your routes, find some running partners and enter some races and you'll soon start feeling the runners high.

Written by Simon Gould author of many websites designed to help others with their fitness. Like this free fitness information website.