The Benefits of Yoga for Running Enthusiasts + Free Video

Running is a popular form of cardiovascular fitness, and with good reason too. Running is an activity that is accessible to most, requires relatively little equipment, is cheap, and even sociable! I’m not a runner myself, but I get the appeal. But it must be known that no one complains to me more about back, hip and knee pain more than runners. If done properly, you can reap so many benefits from running but without proper form, footwear and, now this is where I come in, sufficient muscular support around vulnerable joints like the knees, lower back and hips you can quickly do more damage than good.

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Now then, where were we?

What happens to your joints when you run?

They are compressed as heck! The jamming motion of putting all your body weight on one foot then the other puts a huge amount of pressure on your joints. Let’s look at the knee specifically; the space where the base of the femur meets the tibia is protected by a thin covering of cartilage and synovial fluid only. That’s not a lot of cushioning for a a joint that you’re slamming into the ground time and again. The make up and problem is the same for the hips and, to a lesser extent, the lower back (which has a more cushioning between the bones - we’ll get into that further along).

Image x John Hopkins Medicine

Image x BodyParts3D/Anatomography

How to use yoga to protect your joints when running

The knees are the real culprits here; stable knees make for stable hips and a stable runner. The more stable your joints are the longer you’ll be able to run and be able to sustain your favourite form of fitness. We can’t increase the amount of cartilage or synovial fluid in the knee joint but we can build healthy muscles surrounding the joint to help support and protect the joint as a whole. Healthy muscles are strong and flexible so start with getting those lunges in, add some weight too, and check your knee stability when you move - your knee should face forward and not wobble out to the sides. Then make sure you’re stretching properly after your runs to get the blood flowing to back into your tense muscles and maintain (or improve) your joint mobility.

If you love running then here are two yoga videos you can do after your runs to stretch out

YOGA FOR RUNNERS

YOGA AFTER LEG DAY

How does running affect your lower back?

The joints between the vertebrae of the spine are, thankfully, a bit more ready for us to pound pavement. The discs between vertebrae are thicker and provide more cushioning. If your lower back is aching after your run it’s likely due to a lack of support from the knees, hips and core which leaves the poor old spine to take the brunt of your exercise.

Image x American Association of Neurological Surgeons

How to use yoga to protect the spine when running

CORE STRENGTH. I put that in capitals for a very good reason. The lower back is supported almost entirely by the core so a strong core leads to a strong lower back and reduced lower back pain. Yoga is all about developing deep core strength, so add a weekly or twice weekly power yoga practice into your schedule to build core strength to support your spine.

If you love running then here are two power yoga videos you can do to help you build more core strength

EVERY DAY POWER FLOW

POWER YOGA

The reason I recommend a collagen supplement to anyone over the age of 30 doing high impact exercises like running is because as we age our joints naturally start to wear down and our bodies produce increasingly less collagen to protect them. So it should come as no surprise at all that if your sole form of activity is running your joints will eventually start to suffer if you don’t care for them properly and proactively. You can consider yourself well and truly told off now ;)

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