My First Run: 7 Ways To No More Excuses

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To run, or not to run?  That is the question.

I will attest, the hardest part of getting started, is getting started.  I’m not talking about that, once you get started inertia just somehow disappears.  I’m talking about the everyday grind of getting out of bed, lacing up your running shoes, and running one foot in front of the other.  The one foot in front of the other is probably the easiest part of the entire process, because once you have plugged in, it is easier to stay plugged in

On the other hand, it is also easy to make excuses, because running can make for a strange bedfellow.  So to combat those feelings that provoke excuses, and learning to love to run.  You must first come up with a iron clad plan that eliminates the opportunity to justify your reason,  to not lace up.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” – Benjamin Franklin

Below you will find 7 ways to eliminate excuses

7.  Slow motion is better then no motion.  Be willing to be a beginner.  While the ego wants to run it’s first marathon, the chances of you just starting, and being ready for a marathon are probably slim and zero.  So put your pinky toe in the shallow end, and be willing to start where you are.  If the only thing you can offer to your goal is a short walk, then accept where you are currently, while bringing your best to the table.  Knowing your better will get better, with consistency create a new best.

6.  It being the year of the phone, why not utilize technology to help you accomplish your goals.  There is a smorgasbords of phone applications that will guide you to your destination.  But the single greatest tool on your phone is your calendar.  I personally put 6 reminders, just to convince myself not to forget.  Beyond the normal, you also have applications that will allow you to connect with your friends in real life, and on social media, while tracking your progress, and competing with theirs.  Fitbit is my favorite.  I personally don’t connect with my friends, because I don’t want to run, because I’m trying to beat someone else, I just want to run for the pure enjoyment.

5.  As crazy, and against the grain as this sounds, eliminate rest days.  I can’t speak for other people, but I know I have started and stopped my progress maybe a little over a million times.  It wasn’t until I decided to make every morning the same that I started to take myself seriously when it came to running.  This is not a license to overdue anything.  It is better to have had 5 short runs in a week, then one long run that absolutely killed your spirit to lace up.

4.  Know what triggers your excuses.  If you know that when you get home from work, you are more likely to cut on the TV, grab a beer and relax, then to hit the pavement.  Don’t go home!  When you are getting your work clothes ready the night before, get your workout clothes ready as well.  If you’re a morning person, put your workout clothes next to your bed, so you can see the cue that reminds you to get busy.  In the words of Malcolm X, “By any means necessary.”

3.  When we first begin, we have to be okay with the process, and understand the process does exist.  Typically it take between 4 and 12 weeks to make a new habit depending on who you get your information from.  But, the reality of it is, we are all different.  What might take someone 2 weeks to do, might take you a year, but if you are serious about becoming a runner, be willing to go through “it” to accomplish your goal.  When I say through it, I mean the days you don’t feel like running, the ache that challenges your will, the distractions that are uttering your name.  The only way to it, is to go through it, but when you arrive, it is a glorious feeling.

2.  Get some sleep.  Lack of sleep deflates dedication and motivation.  It is not fair to the body to have to consistently push through a workout, when what it really needs is sleep.  So long story short, treat sleep as a daily assignment.  Everything that you need to have done, must be completed by your assigned sleep time.

 1.  As we prepare to embark on our new path as a runner, nutrition become even more important for our transition.    Without the proper food to fuel our body, muscles breaks done, soreness doesn’t leave, and it is hard for the body to recover for the next  set of challenges.  Your body will start cursing at you in the form of injury and fatigue, so to avoid an argument that is impossible to win, learn to eat healthy for the results you are looking for.

With all of our intellect, it would be very hard for us to learn seven new habits at the same time, so instead of overwhelming ourselves, lets be conscious of that, and take one bite at a time.

Do you have any pointers or tips?    Do you have a story to share about your fitness experience, want to answer the fitness question of the week, or just want to encourage other?  Please go to OMFIT, we want to hear from real people, and share real stories.

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