Whether you are a born runner or just an occasional jogger, physical activity will not only improve your body image, but also will balance your mind and help you live healthier. However, running injuries are quite common, even among professional runners who have no trouble preparing for marathons. No matter which side of the running track you pick, here are some ways to make sure you recover yourself easier and faster from injuries acquired during your running sessions:

Prevention

It is always best to prevent than to cure so, before we show you some helpful tips about recovering from running injuries, you may want to know a few important things to prevent these injuries:

• Don’t run on a full stomach or after a good meal. Stay around three hours before deciding to run, otherwise you will not allow the food to digest and give you energy for running, and your body will use the energy levels it already has, improving your chances of becoming injured.
• Stretch before and during running. Give your body time to adjust to your pace and help prevent slipping or injuries by stretching a little bit before running. Don’t go too harsh either because your feet muscles may get too stressed and help you fall easier during running. Begin your runs with a slow down jog for five minutes to allow your feet to easily pick up the pace.

Recovering from running injuries

• Sore muscles and small muscle stretches can easily be healed through hot bath after running. A hot bath with help the muscles relax and release tension easier and speedup the healing. Add sea salt or lavender or tea tree oil to not only calm down your muscles but also to help your legs get rid of bacteria and artificial wounds. Stretching your legs a little bit during the hot bath will also ail the recovery.
• Cross training as part of the healing process. The most important thing when recovering is to set your legs free from workout for at least one week. Allow the wounds to heal properly and don’t jump into the running track the next day you start to feel better. Keep your body in shape by adapting cross training and working other groups of muscles.
• Strength training. Focus on functional training with progressive loads as well as large muscle groups. One easy exercise to get the posterior chain humming is kettlebell swings (we like Vulcan Strength steel kettlebells best).

This way you will build your body strength and your feet will have no other option than to obey you and become stronger too. Cross training will also help you lose some weight which may be good for your feet. Feet which support too much body weight have a higher tendency of injuring during trainings or running.

• Ease back into running. As previously mentioned, it is highly important to allow your muscles to fully recover after an injury. Have a free pass for at least one week and before starting to run again, start with long walks and low intensity jogging. Long walks will put less pressure on your feet but will also work the muscle groups and help you recover faster from injuries.