How an obese, over weight man started running
12-30-08
I hate running! I can’t breathe when I run! Running hurts! Running is just too boring! Running is just too darn hard! I can’t run fast nor far enough to start running!
Do these thoughts sound familiar? They sure do to me. These thoughts and more filled my mind as a fat guy who was just starting to get more activity into his life. So many people believe these things. It took me some time, but I was able to conquer all of these pessimistic thoughts.
I just started out slow and put no pressure on myself to go fast or far. My first run was for about 20 minutes. During that 20 minutes, I walked every 4 minutes for 60 seconds. That seemed to make it more manageable. As time passed and my physical and mental fitness improved, I was able to go further although not much faster. Running became a wonderful outlet for me to relieve stress and figure out my thoughts. It was a creative time for me.
I learned that I did not have to run fast to lose fat. I did not have to huff and puff my way through my run. I learned that running was only as boring as I made it out to be. I could run with my wife, or go to a trail, or even go house shopping while running; all of which made running more fun and enjoyable. Adding goals like races or special runs with my wife created an optimistic momentum for my running. That momentum ended up carrying me 50 miles at the White River 50 Mile Trail Run. I finished. Not once during that race did any of those previously mentioned pessimistic thoughts prevail.
Running (any vigorous activity actually) can really help you lose weight, feel better, live longer, be more creative, and take control of negative thinking. When you run, you have to learn to persevere when you feel tired. When this happens, you start to believe that YOU CAN PERSEVERE.
If you want to start running, run/walking, jogging (whatever name you want to give it), take a look at these valuable resources. These resources will also help those who already run.
Get started running with Run4Change
Jeff Galloway Conditioning Program
Tags: activity, exercise, running, weight loss
