I started running four years back in college beacuse i had nothing much to do in the evenings. I wasn’t much into sports and i hated sitting idle on evenings spending time on the internet. So i decided to give running a shot. I got myself a new pair of running shoes and a shuffle ipod. I was a little fat back then and felt embarrased at times when others made comments about me. So that was an additional inspiration. One fine day i put on an old t shirt , turned on my ipod and hit the campus roads. I din’t call anyone to run along with me, i dint crib about the heat and i never thought of it as an exercise. I set myself a target of covering 6 kms that evening which included a 2km run and a 4 km walk since it was my first time.remember you are the best judge of your stamina. And by stamina i mean both your physical stamina and your mental stamina. How much you can take at a time? ask yourself this question before you start running and do not run under any sort of stress because in doing so you waste your minds energy. Think about pleasant things while you run or dont think at all. just let your thoughts fly away in the air. Something that’s more important then your fitness is your happiness so enjoy every moment of it.
To make the experience even better sit down for some time with your eyes closed after you have completed a run. Try to calm that mind of your’s and clear out any unwanted thoughts or trivialities. What’s important here is spending 5 minutes of quality time with yourself everyday and the best time to do that is after an exercise routine or a run because after a physical work out your body tries to recharge itself or gain energy and that is the time when you should try to loose the negative energy in your body. This is what i call the spiritual side. of running. This is exactly what makes me get up every evening and go out for a run even if i don’t feel like it. The "JOGGERS HIGH" is something that i am addicted to.
Once you have started running regularly watch out for any sort of pain in your knees or ankles. You can keep going if it’s minor but if you really feel it while running take a break for a day or two. Remember enjoying the run is more important than the run itself so do not over stress your body.That will do more harm than good and try not to run too much on hard surfaces.Do not eat for atleast an hour before a run and its very important to have a good amount of fluids after you complete a run. Something that you must keep in mind is that it is very essential to have a goal in your mind before you even start running. It gives you a purpose and makes things more exciting and please do not time yourself everytime you hit the road. You are not running a race, you are running for pleasure and well being.
And if you smoke no other treatment or diet will help you quit more than running. It simply gives you that sense of freshness which motivates you to keep a clean body and hence NOT SMOKE! and yes if you are a regular smoker it shows you how weak you are internally and makes you realize that those cigerettes are doing no good. I am writing this from personal experience. So what are you thinking about? pick up those shoes,get some good music and hit that track. Enjoy the oldest human sport, RUNNING.
