Running is without doubt one of the best exercises for weight loss – it burns lots of calories, increases your cardio fitness and can be a great way to relax your mind too!  Here are our top tips for getting into running safely as a total beginner.

The first thing to do is make sure you at least have a good pair of running trainers.  These don’t need to be expensive, but should be designed for running – this way they will have the right support for your feet which can help prevent injury.

Next, research a simple beginners running course online.  There are lots of variations of the Couch to 5k plan, which gradually builds up your fitness over a number of weeks.  A good one to try is provided by the NHS in England and comes with a helpful C25K podcast which you can listen to through your phone or mp3 player while you run!