Going for a half-hour or longer walk each day is one of the best ways to support your medical weight loss program. But what if walking gets boring, and feels less challenging over time? You might want to burn more calories in the same period of time. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to be one of those people who participates in charity running events. Whatever your reasoning, transitioning from walking to running might feel like a challenge. These steps can help.

Get the right shoes. Running can be hard on your ankle and hip joints. Trust us; it’s better to invest in the right running shoes before you get started. Visit an athletic shoe store and allow an associate to help you get fitted with just the right footwear. You’ll thank yourself later!

Start with short intervals. You probably won’t head out the door and run for thirty minutes straight. Instead, add intervals of running into your walking routine. Walk for thirty seconds, then jog for a minute, and repeat. Running in intervals will help your heart to get stronger so that it can handle the higher intensity of running over a longer period.

Watch your cadence. Focusing on the steps you take per minute can help you to run at the right pace, so that you don’t cause injuries to your joints. For most of us, the correct cadence falls between 160 and 180 steps per minute.

Set distance goals, not speed goals. For now, don’t focus on trying to win a gold medal at the Olympics. If your goal is to get healthier and support a medical weight loss program, simply focusing on distance will help you to burn plenty of calories and build cardiovascular endurance.

Choose the right tunes. Choosing fun, upbeat tunes will help your mind stay focused, and keep you feeling energized. Upload an energetic mix of songs to your smartphone, and enjoy!

And of course, for more tips on your medical weight loss program, call us to schedule an appointment. We should screen you for underlying conditions before you change your exercise regimen.