How to Jog Properly

Jogging requires the proper shoes, a program tailored just for you and the right form. Find a shoe store where a professional can help you get the right fit. Build a program that matches your fitness level and lifestyle. Jogging properly spares you injury and gets the most for your workout.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Jog with your shoulders back. Keep your arms and hands relaxed with elbows bent at your waist and hands loosely cupped. Allow your arms to swing naturally with the rhythm of your body.
2. Keep your feet and knees facing forward rather than out to the sides. Use the heel-to-toe technique: land on the heel, roll forward to the ball of the foot and push off from the toes.
3. Breathe through your mouth and nose in a relaxed fashion. Keep your body loose and fluid. As you jog more, your style develops and naturally flows.
4. Take care on hills. Keep your body at the same angle on a hill as you do on a flat surface. Jogging uphill shortens your stride, so concentrate on your arm swing to power you up.
5. Jog on soft surfaces like grass or dirt. The impact is gentler on legs and joints. Change your routes, too. Alternate stress and impact by avoiding the same course or same direction on a track all the time. Vary your terrain.
6. Warm up before and cool down after. Walk a few hundred yards before and after you jog.

Tips & Warnings

• Be mindful of your stride. Don't overstride or understride. If you do, you'll feel awkward and increase the chance of injury.
• Don't lean backward when going downhill.