An Exercise Moment

It feels like weeks have gone by since my last post and June is only 8 days in!  With your busy lives, I hope your June is off to a healthy start!  Speaking of health, let's talk about exercise for a minute. In my last post, I talked about breaking a routine and starting something new.  Exercise (I hope you take time for it!) can become very routine. Instead of going into the gym to use the same machines, try running.  Don’t let running scare you. Your body will get used to it much quicker than you think.  Here are some tips to get you started.  When I started running, I found that focusing on time, rather than distance was much easier. I took it slow. I would run 2 minutes, walk a minute, and alternate.  I would set goals for myself to run continuously for a certain amount of time and increase that time at each session.  Also, since I wasn’t concerned about distance at first, I didn’t make speed my concern either (and I still don’t.)  Can you get the same results from walking as running? In my opinion, it depends on your purpose for running. If weight loss is your main goal, you will see results quicker when you advance  into running.  I’m basing that on the changes I saw in my body when I went from just walking to running. Running is a good body toner and it is also the perfect, quick, full body workout when that is all you have time for. As you start running, remember to relax.  Starting out,  I ran with tense shoulders and arms. I also made fists, which served no purpose for me.  I make a conscience effort to drop my shoulders, which can look really dramatic to a person who didn’t know what I was doing.  Spending a few minutes stretching will help you relax before your running session. When you relax, it will also help your breathing. You'll want to be comfortable when you run (or when you exercise in general), which brings us to our workout gear. I'll talk about that in the next post!  (Disclaimer: I’m not a certified trainer or a health professional. Please consult with your physician before starting any exercise program. The tips I've offered here are strictly based on my experience. Did I leave anything out of this disclaimer?)