JOIN USRun people, run!
“I know running is good. I’ve read all about it. But it’s too wet and muggy now. I’ll wait for November and then start.” I know that’s what’s rushing through your mind as you read the headline — but starting to run is like starting a diet, or eating chocolate for that matter — you can do it any time of the year, and the best time to start that, like most things, is now.
This is a time when appetites are still a bit suppressed, and if we start exercising a bit more ( adding in a bit of running into our walking) the impact would be visible sooner rather than later. A few quick lines on the benefits of running, just to perhaps tilt the balance in favour of now, rather than later.
Running is great for burning calories, for weight management, cholesterol and BP and blood sugar management, and has also been found to reduce the incidence of cough, cold, flu, sinusitis, asthma and more. Running has not been found to be detrimental to the joints, and people of all ages can, and do run.
Great inspirations
“All this is fine but I have no time and I feel that it is bad for the knees, especially at my age” i s the next thought that crosses your mind. Anil Ambani, Barrack Obama, Bill Clinton, N Chandrasekaran and others are runners too. Running a conglomerate, a huge IT behemoth or a country, must be a time consuming task. How do these folks make the time? They have at various times stated that running is the only ‘my time’ that they get in their day, sometimes it is used as a time to focus on the issues of the day and to go over a plan for a critical meeting.
When I started running at 40, I would focus on the priorities for the day or a sticky meeting, and it did not eat into my work time — it actually helped me manage my time and meetings more efficiently. This is the time for you to invest in yourself — to feel better and look better.
In a long-term study conducted at Stanford University, researchers tracked nearly 1,000 runners and healthy non-runners for 21 years. It found that the runner’s knees were no more or less healthy than the non-runner’s knees. And it didn’t seem to matter how much the runners ran. The study also found that runners experienced less physical disability and had a 39 per cent lower mortality rate than non-runners.
Fauja Singh started running in his late 80’s and at 89, ran his first marathon (42.2 km), and now at 100, he still maintains a running regimen. His doctors claim that his knees are in the best shape too.
If you are thinking, “I am not an early morning person and my work hours are crazy.”, then think again. I started running in the evenings over a Chicago winter when posted there, as I was definitely not a morning person. But then I started finding that I could not sleep early as I was energised after those short runs in the evening. I tried sleeping a half hour earlier and getting up 45 minutes earlier and running a short while in the mornings. That was a fantastic change for me, as it kept me charged through the day and got me a good night’s sound sleep.
Running has been found to keep one’s body younger, feel fitter, with an improved memory.
No matter which part of the country and which part of the city you live in, you can make your start tomorrow, from your house. No need to look for the best park, or that elusive jogging track — just get out early morning tomorrow, and while the rest of the house is asleep, as would be most of the neighbourhood, go out and run and walk from your doorstep for 15 minutes.
For your start tomorrow:
*Resist the urge to turn over and put off the alarm — you owe this to yourself.
*Carry a small bottle of water with you.
*Run on the pavement or the side of the road facing incoming traffic.
*Run on the side roads where there is less traffic.
*If it’s raining or it’s wet, shorter steps reduce the chances of slipping.
*When you get out of breath — walk, when you feel like you are back to normal — run.
*Do a bit of gentle stretching when you finish — whatever you feel like.
At the end of the run, come back home, have a cup of tea, read the headlines and tell everyone at home about your run. Tell your friends and colleagues about your run. Even suggest to some neighbours to join you. Definitely do the same on the next day — this is critical. And then feel proud of the start you have made.
All you need is...
...A non-cotton, sports t-shirt and a pair of running shoes. Find a running group next to you or a park which is not too far from where you stay — so that you can go there a few times a week. Sleep another 15 minutes earlier and get up 15 minutes earlier. Make gradual changes — nothing sudden and nothing extreme.
Keep a diary for the first three months. Then look back and congratulate yourself on your achievement, as what you have been able to accomplish is what millions of others have not yet been able to start. But then perhaps, you will find yourself an evangelist and a role model for some, and spread the running bug.
Check out runningandliving.com/running_in_india.html for more tips on how to become a runner.
Look forward to running into you soon.