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5 Top Healthy Habits of a Highly Motivated Runner

Wow has it gotten cold in the UK, eh!? I’m still out running though and enjoying it. No such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices 😉 Today I have a great article on some good tips for being a motivated runner. Enjoy!

Cheerful sportswoman running along hill in summer
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If you are a runner looking to accomplish your goals and even go ahead to beat a personal record, then you must cultivate a few habits of successful runners.

All runners are always looking for ways to improve their running, no matter their level of expertise. This is why you will find most of them pushing themselves to the limit to avoid the risk of stalling. 

One of the many ways to maintain and accomplish your running goals is by adopting healthy habits. Below are some of the healthy habits shared by effective and motivated runners to help you build your running lifestyle. 

  1. Plan ahead

Are there times where you are left wondering what’s for lunch at the last minute, then you end up eating high-calorie foods that are bad for your health? That too applies to running.

Ensure that you schedule your runs in advance and run them as unmovable appointments. This helps to ensure that you stick to your timetable. So, as the week begins, take your calendar, schedule all your week runs. Also, make meal plans ahead of time and set aside time for cooking.

  1. Become a morning runner

Most people don’t have enough time to keep a running routine for a long while still juggling between work and other responsibilities. However, there is a solution, which is to start running in the morning.

According to the U.S& World Report News, running in the morning has a lot of benefits, including the satisfactory feeling that your run is out of the way before life gets in. it also ensures that the runner enjoys long-term results, improved productivity as well as boosted metabolism.

  1. Strength train regularly

Some runners, especially beginners, are hesitant to start due to the myth that it will make them bulky and slower. But this is not the case; strength training is actually enjoyable and makes you an effective runner. 

Strength training is a physical activity meant to improve the runners’ muscles by exercising a certain muscle against external resistance. The benefits of this activity include increased running efficiency, improved endurance to help your body deal better with the stress of running, and much more.

  1. Hydrate and eat more vegetables

For runners, the food you consume is much more than just a meal because it acts like fuel.

What you eat or drink is very important, and therefore you are advised to check how you eat and make those healthy changes. Also, ensure that you carry a hydration pack for hiking as it is designed to transport water and make drinking more convenient when running.

  1. Stay consistent

To improve in running, you need to stay consistent. Do not take a week’s time off if you don’t have an injury.

Staying consistent involves creating exercises and diet plans and making sure you stick to the schedules.

Conclusion

Running on a daily basis and having healthy meals doesn’t have to feel like a punishment. In fact, they should be the motivation to make you a faster and effective runner.

Are you a morning runner?

Do you strength train to help your running?

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Four Ways To Re-Find Your Exercise Mojo

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As the winter months are drawing in, the motivation to get outside is diminishing… but here’s an article to help give you some tips to stay motivated.

The only way that exercise works in the long-term, is when it’s taken as a sustainable lifestyle choice. The desire to get healthy and stay that way is a driver that can last a lifetime. However good your intentions, though, sometimes it’s inevitable that your motivation will decline over time. It’s very hard to come back sometimes when you get stuck into a rut where exercise seems more like a chore than a pleasure. So, when you’re hit by a motivation slump, how do you bounce back?

Mix It Up

Everyone has a sport or an active pursuit that suits them – and whether you’re dedicated to your Saturday zumba class or you love the challenge of distance running, once you find that thing you love, exercise feels great. However, it’s quite natural to occasionally hit a plateau when the activity that you love just starts to feel a little bit harder work. When that happens, sometimes the key is simply to try something different for a while until that spark comes back. Think of something you’ve always wanted to try – finding a teacher at the RAD ballet school, learning to white water raft or even just an online Pilates challenge. Once you get moving again, it may reignite your love of your original sport, or you’ll find something you like even better – the key is to keep your brain and body engaged.

Teach Someone Else

If you’ve gotten quite good at your favourite active pursuit, why not teach it to someone else? If you have a stressed-out friend who could benefit from what you know about yoga, or you know someone wanting to start Couch to 5k when you’ve just cleared a half-marathon, why not offer them a little time? Explaining what you love about a sport to someone and watching them enjoy and develop a little is a great way of reminding yourself what you loved about it in the first place.

Create Some Entertainment

Sometimes, re-interesting yourself in a workout is all a matter of making more entertainment. Whether it’s using a Spotify workout playlists or an app like RockMyRun, the right music selection can be extremely motivating and help you to squeeze out that last mile when you feel like giving up. If you’re using a treadmill or weights at the gym, download a few episodes of your favourite show on Netflix to watch as you do your workout. You could even try gamifying your workout –  with apps that have zombies chase you as you run – perfect for Halloween!

Sign Up To An Event

Reinvigorating what you do can be as simple as signing up to an event, such as a fun run  – you can then have a target to aim for and raise money for a charity at the same time, which is a great motivator. You could also consider looking into a fitness break if you’re after a change of scenery. Learn a new skill like surfing, golfing or yoga at a resort dedicated to the activity and reset your wellness clock.

Do you struggle with motivation?

Do you have any tips to keep the exercise mojo?

Do work out more in the summer or winter?

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How To Build That ‘I Can Do It’ Attitude

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Happy weekend everyone! I have a new collaborative post for you about motivation and your running mojo and how to keep on trucking…

Have you ever been running only to feel as though things are coming to a head? You’re perhaps nowhere near your route, and despite not feeling completely exhausted you certainly wish you could stop running. Most of us have these feelings, and it can be extremely easy to stop running when the urge comes from that direction. Of course, this needn’t be limited to exercise, it could also mean something for your self worth, but for now, exercise is the best metaphor to use.

Back to the run. When stopping, you likely knew that you could have gone a little more, and you feel bad about it. You come back from the gym or the run outdoors just a little ashamed in yourself, knowing that if you applied a little ‘I can do it’ energy and pushed through that faux-fatigue you would have made a good time. There is always tomorrow, of course, so denigrating yourself is not a good idea.

But how can we build that ‘I can do it’ urge in the first place, so it becomes much more reliable? Well, it really depends on how you talk to yourself. Let us apply some advice to this issue below. We only hope it can help:

Remember Your Reason Why

So, let us return to that prior example. You’re running in the park, and you’re about three quarters through your usual route. You know you can make it to the end, but it’s feeling a little rougher today for whatever reason. This is where taking a direct mental override of your urges to stop can be important.

Motivating yourself from then can help you move on and push forward. But how do you achieve this? Well, the most effective measure is to think about why you started that run in the first place. Are you hoping to reach a certain weight by the end of next month? Do you have an event coming up and a dress you really want to fit into? Are you simply doing it because for so long you told yourself you couldn’t? How about the fact that you want to prove to yourself that even when it gets tough, you can still move forward? Perhaps you’re even making the best of your life after losing a great friend, as you want to honour their memory by taking care of yourself as they asked to.

Remembering your reason why can help you overcome the issues that might otherwise tell you to stop. They are the deeper motivators within us that can cause to to achieve many wonderful things. For example, right now it might be that you are able to run two miles. You could like run six if it was a life-or-death matter for something you rarely cared about, although it might take every ounce of your wellbeing to do so. Tapping into that ‘extra’ inspiration can help you achieve your goal or even move forward a little more reliably, provided you always do this while prioritizing your health as necessary.

Have Tangible Goals

A goal to aim at can often be a saving grace when hoping to get past something difficult. We all face challenges, but often we know they are part of a journey. This is why training can be so much better than exercising, which is usually what a great personal trainer will tell you, and is another reason as to why exercise can be such a great metaphor for life.

Instead of just hoping to ‘get in shape’ while running, perhaps this year you want to attend the half-marathon in your city. That sounds like a lot of fun to you, and now, all of a sudden, you have an easier reason to get out of bed in the morning to hit the gym, and tangible results you need to aim for by a certain date. While training for said event, you will be getting fit and in shape as part of the process, which comes as a fantastic passive element of your exercising interest. We would recommend keeping this to heart, because when you have a goal to aim at, you’ll find nothing could stop you.

Well, Why Can’t You?

Sometimes, you might think ‘I can’t do it,’ as demonstrated in our intro. Well, why can’t you? Asking this question can help you rationalize your desire to stop and put it in the right framework? Are you tired? Well, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to stop right now. Are you injured or strained? Then stopping needn’t make you feel like you have failed in any way. When you have an honest self-dialogue, you’re going to come to accurate ideals so much more quickly.

With this advice, we hope you can get the best out of yourself on a regular basis.