With the coming and going of the holidays, a lot of things weigh on our mind. One of those things we tend to weigh on a scale, and that’s our bodies. Lately, one of the biggest growing trends, and one of the only things that has been little affected by the crashed economy, are health and exercise. And not without good reason. Health and exercise are a great trend that should never go out of style.
With that said, the past few months I have been getting a lot of questions from friends and family about exercise and running. Many of them either hadn’t worked out in a long time, or never really had gotten into it at all, and needed some guidance as to how to get back into the groove. How far, how fast, how much, ect., and what they can do to compliment it with other exercises.
If you know me, you know I am a big fan of running. I’ve been doing it about half my life, and lately I accomplished the completion of my first marathon and qualified for Boston. Running is a great way to lose weight, to become not only physically stronger, but mentally, and lets not forget about the endorphins, which I call “happy hormones”! Out of all the ways to get back into shape, it is my favorite because you can do it anywhere. It goes with you when you travel, you can easily fit it in your bag, and it doesn’t matter the time or the weather.
The first thing I have told everybody who wants to start running is that the key is motivation. If you aren’t motivated, you aren’t going anywhere. Motivation can come from anything- your friend who wakes your butt up and drags you to the gym, the new outfit in the closet, the old outfit in the closet, to sheer determination. For me, I force myself to be motivated by signing up for races. If you are paying $150 for a race, you put some effort into it. My biggest form of motivation is the abundance of clothes in my younger, size 4, sister’s closet that I would love to be able to “borrow”. But shhh, don’t tell her that.
The best way to start off is to have small goals. For people who don’t run a lot, I always say start off running 20 minutes 3 times a week. It’s not that long, about 6 songs on your IPod if you think about it. It gets your heart rate going and gets you out there. If you can’t run the whole time, walk for a little bit, and then run again, just stay out there for the whole 20 minutes. The next time you go out, try and cut the walking down just a little. Every two weeks, bump up the time you are out there 5 minutes and just keep going. Walk if you have to, but after awhile, try not to. It’s all about the baby steps. My first goal for marathon training: run ten miles without stopping, which I couldn’t do the first two attempts.
Having these little goals are really important. When we accomplish a goal, it makes us excited, no matter how small it is. It’s something new that we have done, it’s an accomplishment, and hey, those feel awesome. Then we want more, because that feeling is great! Accomplishing these little goals becomes motivation in itself, which like I said, is key. There are so many days, especially in the winter, where I slug around my apartment and don’t want to hit the pavement or go to the gym. I’ve worked all day, I’m tired, I would rather watch TV with an extra large Giordanno’s pizza on my lap and spend quality time napping with the cat. Almost every time though (Yes, almost. Please, even I have days where I succumb to House marathons on USA and a massive burrito.) I get my butt out there, and I can guarantee you every time I feel fantastic afterwards and am 150% glad I went. It’s all about getting into the routine, and then after awhile, it just becomes a (hopefully enjoyable) part of your day.
So, my advice in a nutshell: Start off slow. Something you can manage. Make small goals for yourself, and when you achieve them, make some more. Stay motivated, and try and make it a routine. If possible, get a work out buddy and pinky swear you’ll make each other go. I find that’s the most helpful when starting out, and it’s always a lot more fun.
Also, I highly recommend trainers at gyms. Even if it is just one session. They are FANTASTIC. You tell them your goals, and they show you what equipment to use and how to use it. With all the equipment around, it’s easy to feel completely confused and overwhelmed, which can lead to giving up. I have been there too, and trainers have a great tendency to clear the fog for you. Usually they are available if you just have a question about how to use a machine. I have been that dork several times at the front desk going “umm, so that thingy over there? What’s it do?” and after they are done laughing at me (just kidding!) they give me the what’s, why’s, and how’s of it all.
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