CARDIO WORKOUT: BEGINNER TREADMILL

If you're new to running, I'm a firm believer in easing into your relationship with running to give your body time to adjust to the physical demands — you don't want to get so sore that you never want to run again. Mixing walking and running is a great way to get your heart rate up while priming your body for distance and speed. Here's a 40-minute walking/running workout perfect for beginners, or for seasoned runners in the mood for a lighter workout.

Take a look at the workout when you read more.

For a printable version that you can take with you to the gym, click here. As always, if this workout is too hard or too easy, feel free to decrease or increase the speed. I would keep the incline set to 1.0 because this helps prevent shin splints, which can be a common problem for new runners. Try to do this workout three times in one week. The following week, after warming up for the first 10 minutes, run for three minutes and walk for three minutes, keeping the last two segments at two minutes each, then cool down with walking. Try it. You just might get hooked on running.