Benefits of Cross Training

I remember an old co-worker telling me that I should try to run everyday when I started out running, even if its one mile.  The bad part was that, I took this person's advice.  The sad part was that she never ran.  She informed me that she knew someone that ran marathons, and they bestowed her that advice.  To be honest I was burned out from running in a very short amount of time.  In reality you are only suppose to run 3 to 4 times a week.  On those other days, you are suppose to cross-train.  Today was one of those cross-training days!  The bicycle was the lucky choice for today's workout.   While I was on the bike at the gym, I looked up the benefits of cross training, below are a few that I found.

• Prevents Injuries:  On your off days of running, you can substitute with low impact workouts.  This lets your muscles recover from the strain resulted from running.  
• Keeps you Motivated:  You are not the doing the same old thing day after day.  Throwing a new cross train tactic in the mix, keeps your workouts fresh.  You want tYou o be excited to workout, instead of thinking of it as a chore.  If you run consistently every day, it will eventually get boring. 
• Enjoy Other Sports:  You get to explore your options in other sports.  Hey you might be really good at another sport, and enjoy it.

Those are just a few of the benefits of cross training.  There are a vast amount of benefits that comes with this.  Also, there are many options you can choose from when you want a resting day from running such as yoga, strength training, pilates, walking, stair climber, elliptical, and etc.