By: Ginny Lewis – Orangetheory Fitness NTX Regional Fitness Manager
Credentials: AFAA Group Exercise and PT Certified
- Shoes – having a great pair of running shoes is essential! Get your gait analysis and shoe fitting at a local running store.
- Sunglasses – having a pair of good, polarized sunglasses will help prevent squinting and misplaced energy. Although running sunglasses are awesome, some can be costly. Goodr, for example, are glasses that are polarized, comfortable, stylish, functional, and affordable.
- Sunblock – never underestimate the power of the sun, even on overcast days. Protect your skin from harmful, damaging UV rays.
- Music – having good tunes is definitely motivating and energizing. If you are using an app like Peloton, for example, you can preview the instructor’s playlist. Be sure to have music volume at a safe level where you can also be in tune to your surroundings and traffic.
- Apparel – wear breathable clothing and if it’s cold, layer. If running at night or early morning, having reflective gear is important for safety purposes. Running socks are also key to preventing blisters and keeping you comfortable.
- Timing Device (watch, phone, etc) – great to have if you are going for a specific time (for example, if going for a 30 min walk/run, use your watch to know when to turn around at the half way point). In addition, if you want to walk/run any intervals during your workout, having a stopwatch feature on your watch is a bonus.
- Map My Run – this is a great tool to pre-plan your workout if going for distance. This is also a great tracker of your routes and progress. (mapmyrun.com)
- Running Belt – can’t say enough amazing things about the Flip Belt. It’s comfortable, holds a phone, house keys, doggy bags, etc. They even make Flip Belt shorts!
- HR Monitor – the results from having a HR monitor are so motivating and informative. Our OTbeat products can track your out of studio workouts and are awesome for tracking results and progress.
- Accountability Partner (Buddy) – while we are in this period of social distancing, you could recruit members of your family to join you! Those of you who have dogs could kill two birds with one stone having your dog join you for their exercises as well!