Everyone knows that working out is good for you. Cardio exercises like running have been shown to improve heart health, lower the chance of cancer, boost the immune system, help people sleep better and feel better, and lead to a longer, healthy life overall.
The problem is that it’s hard for many of us to keep up with regular exercise when running 30 seconds to the bus stop makes your heart feel like a bass drum in your throat.
In their new book, which came out on September 25 and was written by sport scientists Noel Brick and Stuart Holliday, Noel Brick and Stuart Holliday explain how to train your brain to enjoy running more.
Brick, who teaches sport and exercise psychology at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, told Newsweek that the first thing to do is to figure out “why” you run. “We know that people who run because it means something to them are more likely to keep running for a long time and get through tough times when running can feel hard, unpleasant, and not very fun.”
Different people will be driven by different things. Some people run to improve their health or lose weight. Others do it to meet new people, and still others train to run for charity. “No matter what the reason is, having a meaningful reason helps us get through hard times and keep running in the long run,” Brick said.
The next step is to make goals that you can reach and keep track of your progress. “Feeling better, noticing new accomplishments, or knowing we’re getting better can also help us keep going when things are hard,” Brick said. “It’s important to keep going that we notice these changes and think about our successes, no matter how small they are.”
These thoughts can also make us more confident in our own skills, which is what psychologists call “self-efficacy.”
“Our best sources of self-efficacy are things we’ve done or learned in the past,” said Brick. “So, when we feel like we’re getting better, like when we run for a full minute without stopping for the first time or when we finish our first [10 miles], it gives us a big boost in self-efficacy that helps us keep running.”
But how we choose these goals changes based on how much knowledge we have. Brick said, “We suggest that people who are just starting out set open goals instead of specific goals.” “Specific performance goals, like 10,000 steps, give you a clear target. Open goals, on the other hand, are more educational and focus on things like “seeing how far I can go” or “seeing how fast I can run.”The study shows that newbies can do just as well when they set an open goal instead of a defined one. But, even though they involve the same amount of work, open goals are seen as more fun and less stressful.
Another mistake that many new runners make has to do with how fast they run. “Most of the time, we start out way too fast, which makes us tired faster and makes the whole thing pretty unpleasant,” Brick said. “It takes time to learn what our boundaries are and how to pace a run. So my best advice is to take it easy at the start, even if that means running and walking.
Even running for a short time has been shown to be good for your mental and physical health. “Running or walking for as little as 10 minutes a day can make a big difference in your health,” said Brick. “It can improve your mood, lower your risk of anxiety and depression, improve your brain health and cognitive functions like memory and attention, and lower your risk of dying from any cause.” “So, you don’t have to run far or for a long time each week to get these health benefits. Going slowly and moderately hard for as little as 10 minutes a day is good for your health.
Lastly, it can help to find something else to do. Brick said, “Music can be very helpful as a distraction while working out, and it can also improve our running experience.” “Music can make exercise more fun, keep us from getting bored, and make us work harder. This means that we can work out longer or with more energy when we listen to music.” Music can make you feel like you’re not working as hard, which makes running feel easier and less taxing.The most important things to look for in music are the beat (the best songs have a bpm between 125 and 140) and the theme.
Of course, you can’t always listen to music, or you might want to be more aware of what’s going on around you. In these situations, it may be better to find other ways to keep yourself busy. “These include talking to a running partner, running in nature and looking at the scenery, or just letting your mind wander,” said Brick. “Distractions like these also help make running feel easier, nicer, and more fun. Running in natural areas is also linked to mood and mental health benefits that go beyond what you get from running alone.
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