One surefire way to dampen your relationship with running before even starting is to go from 0 to 100.

So, instead of attempting a 10k sprint on your first day, it’s a good idea to build up your fitness and ease yourself into cardio with regular walks.

Try walking briskly for 10 minutes a day (that’s roughly 3mph, or as the NHS puts it, fast enough that you can still talk but not so fast that you can’t sing the words to a song). Meanwhile, to up your stamina you can alternate with longer walks of around an hour.

When you’re ready to start running, it’s still a good idea to break it up with some walking while your body is getting used to it.

Former Olympic runner Jeff Galloway recommends the run/walk/run interval method which is based on the principle that since your muscles are less likely to become fatigued you can actually enjoy the endorphins, and you’re more likely to stick to it.

Based on your fitness level, you should aim to run for either 10-30 seconds (if you’re a beginner), 1-5 minutes (if you’re intermediate) or 6-8 minutes (if you’re already very active) and then walk for either 1-2 minutes for beginners and intermediates, or 30 seconds to a minute for the very active.

Repeat the process for the duration of your run and you’ll be well on your way to developing a healthy running habit.

5 ways to actually fall in love with running