Running tips for beginners from a woman who has run every day for 900 days

• TikTokker Savannah Sachdev has run every day for over 900 days.
• She chooses to run as a form of self-care and therapy.

Savannah Sachdev started running daily over 900 days ago and has no plans to stop.

The full-time TikToker, 29, who lives in London, took up running during a COVID lockdown when the gym, her usual antidote for anxiety and stress, wasn't an option.

Since then, she has run at least one mile every day, even when on holiday or the day after she completed a marathon. Sachdev told Business Insider that for her, "running is a form of therapy," which helps her destress and be more confident.

But Sachdev, who has been working out for years, wouldn't recommend most people copy her streak. Business Insider previously reported that experts don't recommend the average person run every day. Running three to five days a week is a safe amount, and will prevent overuse injuries that can come from running daily.

"What I'm doing is very specific to my capability and my lifestyle. Most people don't have as much time as I do, maybe they have more on their plate, and they probably aren't starting at the same fitness level as I did. So a run streak doesn't have to mean every day. You can commit to yourself two or three times a week for 10 minutes, and that counts," she said.

Sachdev shared her tips for beginners starting a new exercise "streak" with BI.

Start out by running for a few minutes a day

Sachdev started with quite a high level of fitness — she said she prioritized going to the gym two or three times a week — but started out slowly on her running journey.

"When I started I would go for minutes, not distances," she said. She started by doing three minutes a day, then four minutes a day the next week, then five, and so on.

She said it was about "being really consistent with it" rather than pushing herself to distance or speed goals as fast as possible.

"If you do anything consistently for 10 minutes a day, your talent and the benefits will creep up on you. You don't have to be smashing exercise out for two or three hours a day," she said. "It took me ages to get to 5k, but by doing 10 minutes a day, my fitness has really maintained itself."

See the run as self care

"It's never that difficult to prioritize myself for 10 minutes a day," Sachdev said. She said that getting herself out and on a run hasn't ever been hard, because she sees it as a privilege that she has that time and opportunity.

She frames it as a choice: "When I'm just at home, it's a choice between scrolling on my phone for 10 minutes or getting outside for 10 minutes."

She decided to make the choice to run for 10 minutes as a commitment to herself and her health, and because she also sees running as a way to protect her time, since it can be an excuse to say no to things she didn't want to do anyway.

Go slowly

Sachdev said she didn't push herself to run too fast, and that the right pace is one at which you can still talk.

She said a video she saw of a man bouncing a tennis ball on a jog was a good illustration of how fast to run.

"He was jogging while bouncing and catching the ball, jogging and catching — literally shuffling forward. That's how slow you should be running at the beginning," she said.

Don't consume fitness content

Despite being a fitness influencer, Sachdev doesn't consume fitness content on social media herself, apart from that of a few friends.

She said that it isn't useful for beginners to compare themselves to influencers who have been going to the gym for years, because it sets unrealistic expectations.

Instead, Sachdev's only point of comparison is herself. "You might be starting from a point where you're not that great. But look at the number of days that you continue to go, look at the hard work and the dedication you've put in, and use that as motivation instead of comparing yourself to others who are at a different point in their journeys," she said.