My Exercise Mindset

August 2, 2016. Run for Fitness; Run for Fun; This is How It’s Done.

Walking improves your fitness. Running does even more. Running hard and long does the most, but that’s not very fun. I adjust my exercise to keep it pleasant. I like being outdoors, especially when I run in the woods. I enjoy the solitude, the physical movement, the mental clarity and reflection time. Choosing the right environment, distance, and pace make running more pleasant. I’ve also discovered attitude adjustments that help me enjoy running.

Some things work because they fit my personality. I enjoy solitude, but some people like to run with other people. I enjoy the sounds of nature, but a lot of people like to listen to music. The things that keep fun in my run can be helpful to people with different personalities, if they’re willing to tweak them to fit their style. So, here’s how I keep running fun. (By the way, if you prefer other activities, you can substitute almost any exercise in place of running in most of these strategies.)

• Just do it. I don’t question myself. I stay on a schedule and run regularly without thinking about whether I feel like running. I’m flexible in adjusting my run schedule when it helps me run, but not to avoid running.

• Say yes! When it’s time to run and my gut says, “No, not now—I don’t feel like it,” I tell myself it’ll be good; just get out there and do it. I try to have a positive attitude.

• Push a little. It feels good to get more fit. Pushing myself gives me that good feeling over time. The reward motivates me to keep it up.

• Keep track of time and distance. Seeing my performance improve feels good. Seeing it decrease motivates me to work harder. I’ve allowed some performance decline for my age though. (At 53, I’m still going strong, but not as fast as when I was 42.)

• Don’t push too hard. For a few years I really pushed myself hard and began to dread running. Push, but don’t make it miserable.

• Take a break. When I really don’t feel like pushing myself, I allow for an easy run. It’s not important to exhaust myself every run.

• Pick up the pace a little bit. Often when I feel sluggish and settle into a slow jog, I’ll speed it up for a quarter mile or so. Sometimes the faster pace actually feels good and I’ll keep it going longer. Other times it feels good to relax back into the slower pace. I enjoy whatever feels good, short of quitting.

• Run faster until it feels good. Sometimes it feels good to run from the start and I increase my pace until it feels really good. This is the addictive part of running that comes with fitness.

• Select your place and time. I try to run in settings that I enjoy, and I’ve developed a love for a wide range of settings. My favorite places are in the forest or on the beach. Sunrise is my favorite time in the summer. During winter I love running in the middle of a sunny afternoon, but I also enjoy running during a gentle, fluffy snowfall. I’ll still run in the woods with up to a foot of snow on the ground, but I have to run slower and shorter distances as the snow gets deeper. Up here in northern Michigan I eventually switch to the road when the snow gets too deep. During a long stretch of nasty weather, I will use a treadmill, but then I need a TV or energetic music to pass the time.

• Avoid injury. I have a T-shirt that says, “Pain is weakness leaving the body,” on the back. That’s not always true. Sometimes pain is a warning that the body is suffering debilitating damage. When my muscles ache from an intense workout, I usually smile and tell myself it’s a good pain, signaling that the muscles are growing stronger. When the pain comes from other tissue, such as joints or tendons, then I try to heed it as a warning sign. My body is saying something’s wrong and I need to make sure it can heal.

• Make it smooth. When I ran cross country in high school one of my teammates mentioned that a good stride doesn’t bounce. If you focus on the horizon and it appears to be bouncing up and down with respect to closer objects in your field of vision then your stride isn’t smooth. Thinking of the physics of running, that made sense to me. Bouncing means I’m wasting energy jumping up and down while I run, so I made smoothness a goal in my running, trying to eliminate that bounce. I’ve found it speeds my pace a little, but more importantly it reduces impact. I haven’t suffered from the joint injuries that plague older joggers because my smooth stride reduces the jolting impact. I’ve heard that barefoot running also helps smooth out your stride, reducing impact, but I haven’t tried that.

The key is keep working out, but adjust your attitude and circumstances to make it as pleasant as possible.