It takes an important reason and a certain amount of desire, to make positive changes to your diet and the amount of exercise you take. Just hoping to get slimmer or fitter is simply not enough. You need to stay committed to your exercise goals and stay motivated enough to keep taking positive action.
Running can be very rewarding for your weight and overall health and mental well-being, but at times it can be a lonely business and it can be a struggle to keep running. Staying motivated in the long term is the only way to bring about permanent changes to your lifestyle and keep your running habit on track.
Lets look at how to stay motivated when running, here are a few strategies: –
1. Run In The Mornings
Starting to miss your regular running sessions will make it a lot more likely that you will eventually quit all together. Once you get out of the regular habit of running, it will be harder to motivate yourself to get off your comfy sofa and go for a run. One of the main reasons we skip runs is because we are short on time, we lead hectic lives with work and family commitments and generally feel too tired to run after work. So why not try running early in the morning (set your alarm a bit earlier) while you are fresh and before other commitments take over your time? Get in the habit of laying your running gear out the night before and just go for it once the alarm clock sounds.
2. Enter A Running Event
Having a fun run or marathon to look forward to can really focus your mind and motivate you to train hard and regularly. Try and find a regular race that you really enjoy and make it a goal to enter it each year. You can aim to beat your time from the previous year. This event should help to keep you motivated and running on a regular basis.
3. Ignore The Weather
Don’t use the weather as an excuse to stop running, it can be tempting to cut back or even stop altogether once the harsh winter months kick in. Once you allow yourself to get out of the habit of running, it can be hard to get back into it. If you dress sensibly, then you can remain protected from the elements while you run. Dress in layers so that you can take them off if you become hot (cotton t-shirt, sweatshirt and waterproof jacket) and don’t forget the hat and gloves. If you really can’t get to grips with the extreme weather, then why not invest in a treadmill or run at the gym?
4. Cut Yourself Some Slack
Sometimes you will have to miss some running sessions, this could be due to health problems, injuries, work or family commitments or for some other reason. Try not to be too hard on yourself and recognise that there ll be times when circumstances are beyond your control, and running has to take a back seat. Do not use it as a reason to quit, just try and start running as soon as you can.
5. Remember Your Reason
If you are struggling to keep running, try to remember the reasons why you started in the first place. was it to improve your health, lose weight, relieve stress or simply get in shape? Use your reasons to motivate yourself to keep running.
Whatever strategy you deploy in order to motivate yourself to keep running, find something that works for you. Good luck and keep on running.
