Run Free

Before trying to tackle anything else in your life, you should really try and tackle your body. Why is this? For the same reasons you have been hearing your whole life, moving your body is good for you! It makes you happy! And it makes your body happy. When your body is happy and strong, your mind starts to follow.

If you’ve had trouble with your fitness all your life, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. But why not be better tomorrow then you are today? Ditch the past failures because they aren’t real anymore, your mind is simply telling you they are with memories. 

 

Don’t let your mind rule you.

Not exercising has nothing to do with your body or soul; it has to do your mind and ego. It’s anxiety, its catastrophising of the future. For example, did you plan to get up this morning and move your body before work? But when you woke up you ultimately gave in to your mind, “it’s better if I sleep more”, “I’ll make up for it tomorrow”, “I cannot be bothered”. We all relate to this. The problem with being trapped in your mind is that it keeps you in a false sense of fear, and keeps you believing in a imagined past or future. If you are always listening to your mind, then you aren’t living in the now. Don’t you think that’s crazy, why live in your head and memories, or anxieties when you can actually be here and present this moment. The moment is the only thing you can control for the better of the worse.

Exercising is a great way to help alleviate your minds anxiety. Sure it isn’t going to happen overnight, but something wonderful and enlightening will start to happen when you give love to your body. You start to feel, instead of think. When you start to pay more attention to your body and how it feels, you start to be free of your head and all the thoughts creating that debilitating fear. You become empowered, for now you are telling your body what it can and can’t do, not your head. 

There is nothing more important in the first few steps for building happiness and self-confidence. Even if it’s hard to begin with, the rewards you will be reaping will not only help you to achieve your own full potential, but it will motivate others around you to achieve theirs as well! What is more rewarding than shining out your light to others? Nothing!

ANXIETY

The only thing keeping you from moving your body is your own head; your ego creates a false sense of fear, time, and pain around the thought of it. This is only so you can try to find some way deep down to justify why you are being lazy. Why do you think you went to this much trouble to do this unconsciously? Because unconsciously, you know, that this is what your body needs and wants, yet you are choosing to give no attention to it at all. 

BABY STEPS

You don’t have to become a marathon runner overnight. The goal here is to create a healthy habit. Research suggests it only takes a month to build a habit. Make sure you start slow if you feel you are going to be defeated by your anxiety, if you are taking it easy for a month it will be easier to maintain so you can form a healthy habit.

Why do you think runners do it?

Because the feeling is exhilarating, empowering, and nothing compares to the feeling of freedom it gives you.

I recently discovered running. My whole life it seemed unattainable. The most I could manage to achieve was one minute at a time! Every time I tried I would just get tired, angry, and annoyed, I’d tell myself I couldn’t do it, and never would, then I gave up.

But you can do it! And why not you? Why should other people be able to run and not you? The thought is insane! Don’t give it any fuel.

The key is to slowly but surely build up your strength and endurance so you are able to run for longer and faster. 

You can do it! If you are overweight – YOU can do this! Even if you are a smoker you can do this!

The website gives you a steady plan to slowly increase your fitness every week. To secure your fitness, and level-up easier the next week, you must complete at least 3 days on each level. Please don’t let the two days you already did be a waste! Aim for four if you can, but remember that running is, at first a little stressful on the body and knees, therefore, there must be adequate rest days, especially if you feel the burn!

Remember to affirm yourself! Always keep your healthy goals close to you, whether in a notebook, your head, or a lovely collage above your bed! I also find the deep and conscious state you get into when you are running is a great time to tell yourself you can do it, that you can do that other goal you have been planning too, and also that you are irresistible beautiful and important!

If you aren’t achieving the goal as fast as you want to, don’t be discouraged and throw in the towel. It is okay to take it at your own pace. If you are steadily improving every week, your mind will start to speak the language of success “I CAN DO IT!” and your confidence will rise in all aspects of your life. You will steadily start to see success in other areas of your life, I promise you this!

Make sure to stay hydrated and run on a light or empty stomach if you can.

Within three weeks I had started to feel the benefits of running, therefore the habit forming was easy and delightful.

Confidence

Clarity

Happiness

Less anxiety

Goal forming

Stronger

Faster

Social awareness

It’s a powerful and exhilarating feeling when you and your body start to work as one, and it easily achieves a feat you never imagined possible. When you begin to treat your body kindly, it will start to treat you more kindly.

I hope by the next time I post you are all treating your body with more kindness.

You are becoming more healthy and energetic every day. You are filling yourself with the energy of the universe and achieving vitality! Congratulations!

"After hundreds of days of running 50+ km, the monks begin a fast: nine days in a fixed meditation position (sitting full or half lotus, back straight) without water, food, or sleep. It is believed that by bringing the body so close to death, the monks will develop a greater appreciation and sensitivity to life, being able to “hear ashes fall form incense sticks, smell and identify foods from miles away and see the sun and moonlight seep into the interior of the temple."