Run run run away!
No, I'm not talking about running away from your problems,
your life, your fears or challenges...
just running. =)
Feeling your feet fly across the ground beneath you,
feeling the cool or warm breeze in your face,
the power and strength of your own body moving you forward,
blasting some good tunes in your ears or sometimes turning it down so you can
hear the sounds of the world around you (or the car that's about to run
into you because they're not paying attention).
For me, a good run ALWAYS makes me feel better.
Life can get out of control and uncertain, but
when you put your mind and will-power into running a certain distance,
you're in complete control of yourself and you feel powerful
and self-assured and confident!
And, who wouldn't want to feel that way?!
I understand that sometimes "just" jogging isn't enough.
Ya, if you're trying to beef up, lose a
reasonable amount of weight, or work on certain "problem" areas,
you obviously would need to incorporate weight lifting,
diet changes, etc...but if you are consistent and goal-oriented about
your runs and keep pushing yourself, I believe it can do the trick for ya!
So, I made a little list of how
running can benefit you, alot of them are common
sense for most of us,
but some may surprise you:
- Makes you healthier in general: increases your lung function, raise levels of good cholesterol, boosts your immune system, reduces your chances of getting blood clots.
- Strengthens your ticker: all that blood pumping when you're gettin' your jog on helps your arteries keep their elasticity and keeps your heart in good working order!
- Burns calories (duh!): the heavier you are, the more calories you'll burn when you run; but that just means that as you lose weight, you push yourself to go farther, faster, harder...you get it.
- Ego-booster: when you're setting goals about how far or often you run, and you accomplish those, you feel soooo darn good that you can't keep from giving yourself a little pat on the back....or 2 or 3.
- Relieve stress, depression, all those bad vibes: if I'm having a bad or stressful day, just going on even a short jaunt will make the world of a difference in my mind set. Running forces your body to exert that energy on pushing yourself forward, making your body go go go; so those hormones that are causing you to feel down, angry, sad, annoyed, etc. are being put to use for your good, and they kinda forget why they were making you feel bad to start with!
- Running will help you sleep better, be less likely to get headaches, strengthen your body, give you more energy, help you focus, and just seems to make you a more positive, upbeat person in general!
So, grab your kicks and hit the road!
Check out this site and this one too for more info.
Until next time, keep dreaming. xoxo
