For many people, their new year’s resolution will be ‘to get fit’ and for many of those it will be ‘start running’. It’s easy to see why. It’s a great way of improving cardiovascular fitness relatively cheap and can boost general well-being.  So it’s a shame that many new and even experienced runners run the risk of injury, putting them out of action for what could be weeks. Not only painful but disheartening to the point where it might mean the end of your new year’s resolution!

One major contributor to injury is poor running form.  In other words the way in which you run.  Watch elite runners and they all have a similar fluid style.  Look at less experienced runners and you’ll notice a wide range of poor form, from landing heavily on the heels, shoulders hunched, chest dropped, head pulled back, stiff arms and legs producing a running style that is distinctly less fluid. While in the short term you might get away with it, in the long run, poor form is likely to lead to injury.

The application of the Alexander Technique is a great way to reduce these problems. By becoming aware of our postural habits it becomes easier to ‘let go’ of the excess muscular tension which affects our running form.
Here are some of the benefits:

• Freeing up the muscles in your neck allows the head to be balanced on the spine and the shoulders to relax.
• More movement allowed in the spine lets the ribcage move as you breath allowing more air into your lungs.
• Increased articulation of the joints in the legs and arms leads to a more efficient gait and lets the feet meet the ground more naturally.

Running with the Alexander Technique means we can pay attention to the way in which we run making it an enjoyable activity rather than mindlessly grinding out the miles – not to mention your joints!

For more information, or to book a session then get in touch.