When you're starting your run you don't want to start at full speed.
You do want to allow your body to adapt gradually as you move into it.
Sometimes as you're starting a running program you might want to start walking or even a
slight jog.
Just to let your body, again, let your muscles warm up, let your heart rate get up to speed
a little bit before you really start to go full speed.
And if you're going to do a little bit of stretching we don't recommend you do static
stretching.
Static stretching is when you hold the stretch.
We don't recommend that you do that because when you do static stretching you hold it
for a long period of time you can actually deactivate the muscle.
That's counterproductive to what we want to do when we get into our run.
What we suggest is dynamic stretching is almost an active stretch to get you started.
So I'm going to show you a short dynamic stretch for your hamstring and your calf.
So what you can do just lean here on your right leg.
Point your left leg forward pointing down on your heel and bending across at the waist.
Lean forward just a little bit.
And you start to feel the stretch in your calf and your hamstring.
Again, don't hold it too long, just lean forward a little bit, hold it for a couple seconds
and let it go.
And this allows some blood to get to your muscles, warm up your muscles a little bit
so you can get started.
It's good to stretch a little bit before your run because again it's part of the warm up.
It lets your body adapt to the activity that you're about to be doing.
And it actually tells your brain to get ready and say this is what my body is about to be
doing.
This is what I need you to do.
Just be sure to include the warmup as part of your run so you have a more enjoyable experience.