Livestrong discusses the benefits of running and includes guidance on how to build endurance from Jason Machowsky, RD, CSSD, ACSM-CEP, CSCS, exercise physiologist at HSS.

According to Machowsky, “If you've never run before, begin with running intervals of 30 to 60 seconds followed by 30 to 60 seconds of walking for a total of 10 minutes.”

He added, “Your body generally remembers things best with what you dealt it in the past month, so if you haven't done something within the past month, you can't necessarily just pick up exactly where you left off.”

Machowsky continued, “I'm a really big advocate of a walk-jog or a walk-run combination where you're not even necessarily trying to string together a whole mile off the bat because you just don't know [what] your body is able to do, because you may not have done it for a long time.”

For seasoned runners, Machowsky explained, “You just have to be mindful of what your volume is on a weekly basis and what percentage of that volume is going to higher- intensity work and complementary cross-training work to keep your body strong in other ways to support your running.”

He added, “I think you've got to just keep everything in context in regards to your body and how your body is responding and what's the right blend — and not necessarily saying, 'I must run six days a week to be a good runner.’”

Read the full article at Livestrong.com.