More people than ever are seeing the benefits of taking up running. In the USA alone, more than 60 million people partake in fitness activities to improve overall health and wellness. Getting started is the hardest part, and you need to make it a habit if you want to succeed. Here are three pieces of advice to jumpstart you into action today.
Start off Small
What’s the first thought that pops into your head when you see your friends posting pictures of their various 10km, half marathon, and marathon achievements? If you’re someone who doesn’t jog at all, these may seem like impossible feats. It’s true that when you start out, these distances are unmanageable, and you shouldn’t attempt them. However, you’ll be surprised how quickly your fitness builds up and the longer distances become more tolerable.
The main thing to remember in the early days is to start off small. If you’ve never run before in your life, try going for a 1km jog first. After a week, you can up that to 2km, and so on. Tackling achievable goals is the way forward here, and you can get your body used to its new challenges steadily.
Stay Healthy in Other Areas of Life
Many people take up running because they feel that other aspects of their lives aren’t as healthy as they desire them to be. For instance, according to Vice, running can be used as a way to give up smoking. Studies have shown that by replacing the habit with exercise, smokers can increase their chances of stopping. It may not be that easy for some people, though, and in these cases, nicotine replacement options are the way forward. Swapping cigarettes for taxfree snus that can be purchased online could be the first stepping stone towards quitting.
If you’re trying to get into running, you may find that reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson will get you in the right mindset to succeed. The book is all about making small changes in your day-to-day life to put yourself on a track to fostering better long-term results. Simple things like swapping junk food for a healthy meal and getting an extra hour of sleep each night can have a major effect down the line. Developing habits like these will make running much easier as well.
Remember the Good Feelings
Joining a running social media platform like Strava can keep you motivated. You can record and share your activities, and comment on your friends’ workouts. But this alone may not be enough. When you run, you need to remember the great feeling you have afterwards, known as the runner’s high. Every day, before you start out, your mind will be coming up with a plethora of excuses about why you shouldn’t go. Shut that voice out, think about the good feelings, and lace-up those shoes.
Going running for the first time isn’t easy to do, but once you make it a habit you may find that you love it. Running doesn’t only make you feel good, it can also be a fantastic way to keep in shape and look healthy.
