1 Limber up
‘Static stretching doesn’t work by itself,’ says mobility expert Dr Kelly Starrett, author of Becoming a Supple Leopard. ‘It doesn’t address your motor skills or your ability to get into good positions.’ Here’s your new warm-up.
Couch stretch
Put your shin against the front of a sofa, knee on the floor, and plant your other foot. Drive your hips towards the floor and hold for 30 seconds each side. This helps with hip and knee mobility.
Calf smash
Sit on the floor with something cylindrical – a foam roller is ideal – under your calves. Raise yourself on your hands and roll back and forth ten times. This reduces the stress on your Achilles tendon, your knee and your foot’s plantar fascia.
2 Food dash
Fuel your run (and the rest of your day) properly by eating the right breakfast. Glenn Higgins (glennhigginsfitness.com) suggests blending a frozen banana, 2tbsp peanut butter, 240ml almond milk, 120ml water, chia seeds, oats, 1tsp Greek yogurt and a few ice cubes. ‘Add a scoop of your favourite chocolate or vanilla whey protein for an extra muscle-building boost,’ says Higgins. Don’t drink it the second before you head out of the door though – you’ll need at least 30 minutes to digest it, so prepare it as soon as you get up.
Want more options? Try this pre-workout trail mix shake
3 Pack your bags
Don’t want to turn up to work looking as if you’ve never heard of the concept of ironing? Pick up a Suit25 bag from Slicks (slicks.com). This 25-litre backpack has a system for transporting your suit into work with minimal wrinkles. For a pack designed to keep a laptop safe along with everything else you need, there’s the 32-litre Giga Office (deuter.com).
4 Map it out
Now that you’re free from the shackles of the bus route, you can mix up your journey into work. Download My Tracks from the Google Play Store, which uses your phone’s GPS to record your speed, distance and elevation when you run (or cycle). You can use the app to find different routes or, if you find a route you like, shave seconds off your time.
Our list of the best health and fitness apps
5 Pick up speed
A slow jog each morning isn’t enough to get the heart going. Add sprint intervals to turn your commute into a workout. ‘Sprint for 20 seconds, then drop off to a slow jog for 40 seconds to get your breath back,’ says Higgins. ‘Repeat this ten to 15 times. This powerful sprint interval session is ideal for a commute as it’s not overly complicated and suits any terrain.’
6 Beat the traffic
Don’t stand twiddling your thumbs when you get stopped at a pedestrian crossing – but don’t make a mad dash through the traffic either. Instead, take advantage of wearing a backpack and perform this circuit from Higgins each time you stop.
Jump squat: Reps 20
Squat, holding the backpack in front of you. Jump off the ground and then land back in the squat.
Lat stretch: Time 15sec
Hold on to the traffic light pole, feeling the stretch in your lats.
Upright row: Reps 15
Perform an upright row holding the handle.
Lunge rotation: Reps 20
Lunge forwards, holding your backpack out in front of you with both hands, arms parallel to the floor. Rotate to the same side as your forward leg. Alternate sides.
7 Take a running jump
Fences and walls needn't mean a lengthy detour. The step vault, a common parkour move, combines safety and speed to let you clear waist-high obstacles with control. Approach the obstacle and put one hand on it, putting your weight through your shoulder and down your arm. Lift your opposite leg (the outer one) to place the ball of your foot on the obstacle. You should momentarily be balanced on the obstacle between one hand and the opposite leg, with both the palm and foot as flat as possible. Now just step through and continue running. ‘You land precisely on the other side while still gripping the obstacle,’ says ultrarunner and parkour fan Christopher McDougall, author of Born To Run. ‘So you land under control and can decide your next move.’
