Once again I've called upon a friend to guest post while I'm dealing with the death in my family. I have a hard time imagining any of you aren't familiar with MizFit, she is the pinnacle of fitness bloggers. I'm not referring to her huge following, her positions as a brand ambassador, or anything to do with the "business" side of blogging. Push all of that aside and what remains is someone who actually practices what she preaches. And beyond that, she is a cheerleader for all. I've had the pleasure of becoming fast friends with her since moving to Austin. Each time I am around her I am at the same time inspired and humbled. In short: I am blessed to have her as a friend.
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I have to admit I’d always been jealous of runners (points at the amazing running mama who owns this blog).
As a woman who pretty regularly got her cardio by way of machines (most recently I’d been in a recumbent bike rut. Same machine. Used for years. Plateau anyone?), the ease of yanking on a pair of shoes and taking off was quite alluring.
In my mind I aspired to be the woman who ran her own ‘hood with such regularity the neighbors wondered if she even owned a car.
I longed to be the business traveler who tossed sneakers in her carry-on and looked forward to long explorative jaunts running through new cities.
In reality, though, I was neither of these women. My neighbors were well aware I owned a vehicle, and I tended toward happily seizing a workout-vacation if the hotel in which I stayed didn’t have a gym.
Flash forward to New Years 2009 when I chatted with a client and (again) encouraged her to take the next 365 days and loosen her attachment to her self-definition. And it hit me.
Practice what I preach much?
It was on then that I finally took the first step--quite literally--on the long road to becoming a runner--a road I’m huffing and puffing down even as I encourage you to join me along the way.
Running has been a welcome change in my workout routine (mentally and physically) for a few specific reasons:
Running is free. In today’s economy this was a huge selling point to me. I was ready for a change and running meant I didn’t have to join a gym or purchase an expensive new piece of home workout equipment.
Running is the most time-efficient way to increase your cardiovascular fitness. While I liked the ability to multi-task my bike afforded me (I was notorious for returning emails, reading magazines & tweeting whilst doing my cardio) I am far happier working out for shorter periods of time (I’m also notorious for the fact that cardio isn’t my fave piece of the workout puzzle.). I’m adoring getting more bang for my workout buck.
Running is easy. OK now that I have your attention, I am, indeed, going to add that it’s only easy to facilitate (just step outside!) and easy to start (only sneakers needed!). The process of the run? I’m nowhere near deeming that piece easy…yet.
Running is social. This aspect has been one of my favorite parts of deeming myself a runner. Not only are there running groups, but there are also myriad online chat-boards, magazines, races, forums etc. This interaction and support is definitely a piece of motivation I missed out on as I recumbent biked alone in my house.
Running increases self-esteem. While exercise in general increases self-esteem because we both feel and look better, running has truly changed how I view myself. I feel more confident in all areas of my life because I am continually setting new goals (walk less than I did the previous workout session; sign up to run a 5K, etc.) and achieving them. In addition, I’ve found there’s something behind the runner’s high I’d heard about for so many years.
So there you have it. Look better. Feel better. Save time. Save money. Run!
(And yeah. If only it were as easy as all that. These days I’m still trying---sometimes successfully sometimes not---to find my love of the run. Like anything worth doing I’ve discovered it’s a lifelong process. )
MizFitOnline.com