Joining a marathon can be a great way to stay fit. But how do you exactly prepare for it?

FN was able to chat with fitness expert Coach Jim Saret, who gave us some tips on how to prepare our bodies for running. You might know him as the trainer in The Biggest Loser Philippines, but there's more to this former National Athlete. He has a Master's Degree in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training at Brigham Young University in the US, specializing in Athletic Performance Enhancement. While he was in the States, he was able to train with Elite Olympic Athletes, Professional Athletes (NBA, NFL, MLB, etc.), NCAA Division 1 Teams, and World Class Sports Science/Sports Medicine Specialists and Training Centers. At present, he is the co-founder of PeakForm, a recovery center that aims to keep our bodies in tip-top shape.

"It's called a recovery center, but we cater to a lot of things outside recovery. We do 'pre-hab,' which is injury prevention. What we do is we get your body fine-tuned and aligned properly before you actually do something," Coach Jim explains.

But why is this so important? "Everybody's body breaks down, whether you're an athlete or a housewife. The more your body's not ready for accidents, the more you're prone to them," Coach Jim reveals.

He adds that while joining marathons can be a good thing, it may also lead to injuries if the body isn't properly prepared for it. Are you planning to run your first 5k marathon? Scroll through the gallery below to check out Coach Jim's tips:

(Photo by Jennifer Chan)