How to start running
You know the benefits of running, you've wanted to start running for a long time, but still can't? How do you make a habit of it and love running? People make the same mistakes when it comes to physical exercise: they start exercising without the right preparation. And it's not about physical readiness, but psychological and mental readiness. Without them, after a couple of classes, a week or a month, most people quit. So pay attention to the following tips and try to take them into account before you start running.
Stop telling yourself that you can't
It all starts with your thoughts. If you're constantly telling yourself how lazy you are to run and that you can't even run 5 kilometers, you will. Replace such thoughts, get rid of them. Tell yourself every day that you can run and that you love it.
Buy everything you need.
You don't want to start with the most expensive equipment. But be aware of the long-term nature of your plans. Without comfortable shoes, quitting is even easier than without the right attitude. Don't reduce your first experience to blisters, injuries, and damage.
Be prepared for discomfort
It may happen that you read a few inspiring articles or books about the benefits of sports and running, after which you make a firm decision to start. But the anticipation before and the feeling after are often at odds. So learn one thing in advance: it will not be very comfortable. True, not always.
Everything new usually causes discomfort. For example:
To start your business, you have to deal with discomfort: from financial risks to difficulties in communication with partners, suppliers, customers.
To learn new skills, you have to endure the discomfort of giving up your old life: to sit on social media less or watch soap operas.
To save money for a trip requires tolerating discomfort: not going to a restaurant, not buying a brand-name T-shirt.
Start small.
Forget about immediately running 5-10 kilometers with a result of at least 3rd grade. You don't need to work too hard, because your body hasn't adapted yet: your lungs, muscles and heart work too lazily. Run a couple of laps at the stadium, do stretching before and after, increase the load gradually.
Make a plan
When it comes to a complex task, you should always have a plan. You will need guidance and structure.
In a plan, you calculate every detail and try to stick to it. This can even include making money to buy good running shoes.
Calm Your Mind.
Your greatest enemy when you're sitting on the couch and need to go for a run is the quiet voice in your head. You can hear it talking:
Do you really want to do this? In this weather? Are you crazy?
You worked so hard today, you might as well skip the run.
You don't feel like it today, and when you don't feel like it, there's no reason to force yourself.
Running without a proper diet makes no sense. You need to normalize your diet first.
You need to find a way to ignore that voice. There are three things you can do.
First, look for ways to distract yourself:
- Plan your lunch when you get back from a run.
- Read a poem out loud.
- Think of a pleasant experience from the past.
Second, redefine what your voice says by reminding yourself of the many benefits of running. Here are a few of them:
- Running boosts your mood.
- Running reduces the risk of diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
- Running improves lung function.
- Running allows you to relax.
And third, you can look for ways to trick the voice in your head. Try this:
- When you hear a complaining voice in your head, tell yourself you're just going for a little run, nothing more.
- When you find yourself outside and start running, you'll realize as you run that it's now more pleasant to run than not to run.
Schedule your runs
You need to plan your jogs, make time in your schedule for them. They should become an integral part of your life. For example:
- Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: I run from 10:00 to 11:00.
- Thursday, Friday and Saturday: running from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m.
There is no need to leave running for "when the time comes". You know very well that it won't.
Reach your goals
Turning running into a game and a challenge is a great way to conserve motivation. For example:
- Run a mile in five minutes.
- Run 5 kilometers.
- Run 10 kilometers.
- Run for at least an hour.
Stop telling yourself that you can't
It all starts with your thoughts. If you're constantly telling yourself how lazy you are to run and that you can't even run 5 kilometers, you will. Replace such thoughts, get rid of them. Tell yourself every day that you can run and that you love it.
Buy everything you need.
You don't want to start with the most expensive equipment. But be aware of the long-term nature of your plans. Without comfortable shoes, quitting is even easier than without the right attitude. Don't reduce your first experience to blisters, injuries, and damage.
Be prepared for discomfort
It may happen that you read a few inspiring articles or books about the benefits of sports and running, after which you make a firm decision to start. But the anticipation before and the feeling after are often at odds. So learn one thing in advance: it will not be very comfortable. True, not always.
Everything new usually causes discomfort. For example:
To start your business, you have to deal with discomfort: from financial risks to difficulties in communication with partners, suppliers, customers.
To learn new skills, you have to endure the discomfort of giving up your old life: to sit on social media less or watch soap operas.
To save money for a trip requires tolerating discomfort: not going to a restaurant, not buying a brand-name T-shirt.
Start small.
Forget about immediately running 5-10 kilometers with a result of at least 3rd grade. You don't need to work too hard, because your body hasn't adapted yet: your lungs, muscles and heart work too lazily. Run a couple of laps at the stadium, do stretching before and after, increase the load gradually.
Make a plan
When it comes to a complex task, you should always have a plan. You will need guidance and structure.
In a plan, you calculate every detail and try to stick to it. This can even include making money to buy good running shoes.
Calm Your Mind.
Your greatest enemy when you're sitting on the couch and need to go for a run is the quiet voice in your head. You can hear it talking:
Do you really want to do this? In this weather? Are you crazy?
You worked so hard today, you might as well skip the run.
You don't feel like it today, and when you don't feel like it, there's no reason to force yourself.
Running without a proper diet makes no sense. You need to normalize your diet first.
You need to find a way to ignore that voice. There are three things you can do.
First, look for ways to distract yourself:
- Plan your lunch when you get back from a run.
- Read a poem out loud.
- Think of a pleasant experience from the past.
Second, redefine what your voice says by reminding yourself of the many benefits of running. Here are a few of them:
- Running boosts your mood.
- Running reduces the risk of diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
- Running improves lung function.
- Running allows you to relax.
And third, you can look for ways to trick the voice in your head. Try this:
- When you hear a complaining voice in your head, tell yourself you're just going for a little run, nothing more.
- When you find yourself outside and start running, you'll realize as you run that it's now more pleasant to run than not to run.
Schedule your runs
You need to plan your jogs, make time in your schedule for them. They should become an integral part of your life. For example:
- Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: I run from 10:00 to 11:00.
- Thursday, Friday and Saturday: running from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m.
There is no need to leave running for "when the time comes". You know very well that it won't.
Reach your goals
Turning running into a game and a challenge is a great way to conserve motivation. For example:
- Run a mile in five minutes.
- Run 5 kilometers.
- Run 10 kilometers.
- Run for at least an hour.