We would all like to be in love with exercise. Wouldn’t that be nice, if we truly enjoyed going to the gym and if regular workouts were a genuine pleasure? It would make staying in shape much easier. Unfortunately, for many of us, exercise is a struggle. It’s hard, it takes a lot out of us, and it is far too easy to be persuaded against going for that daily jog. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t teach yourself to fall in love with jogging. There are many people who speak of the therapeutic, relaxing and purely enjoyable feelings they get from jogging. It’s something you too can learn to love if you approach it the right way. Here are a few tips for making jogging a welcome part of your day.
Make it a routine.
The first step is to integrate jogging into your day, and this will likely be one of the hardest steps you’ll undertake. You’re not going to develop a deep love of exercise after going out for one jog. You’ll have to keep it up regularly in order to gain a better appreciation for it. The best way to do this is by making it part of your daily routine. Make it so it’s just something you have to do each day, whether you like it or not. It can be a chore but it is the platform you’ll need to establish in order to go forward.
Start in the morning.
Picking the right time of day is essential. The more you go on in your day without getting out for a jog, the more likely it is that you’ll psych yourself out. Work will interfere, the weather will chance and the excuses will begin to grow to a point where you can say you’ll push it to tomorrow. By starting in the morning, you’re forcing yourself to get it done before you can back out. It will also help to give you that morning boost of energy that can help you get through the rest of the day. Over time, it will feel like a cup of coffee – you can’t start your morning without it.
Don’t push it.
Exercise is supposed to be psychically trying, but if you’re starting out with your jogging habit it’s a good idea to take it easy to begin with. Some people regard exercise in terms of if they are going to do it, they might as well push themselves. That’s a good attitude, but often time they’ll push themselves too hard and make them sour to the idea of making this a routine. Good exercise if all about building on what came before. When you’re starting out, start slow. Allow yourself to get a good workout without pushing too hard. As you continue, you can push yourself more and more, allowing your abilities to grow gradually.
Find the right path.
Jogging isn’t just a chance to get some exercise, it’s a chance to get outside in the fresh air and escape work for a little while. This aspect of jogging alone can make it all worth it and being able to enjoy nature each day, even for just a short while, can be enticing enough. That’s why choosing the right jogging path is so important. Find somewhere you’ll enjoy visiting for that short escape everyday. A nice quiet trail, a local park, or maybe even the city boardwalk depending on where you live. The right spot can feel like a special getaway you can go to every time you head out for a jog.
Find the right audio accompaniment.
Of course, even with the most beautiful trail imaginable, there are still some who will get bored from just running. A little audio motivation can certainly make the whole thing a lot more fun and make it go by a lot faster. Finding the right piece of audio for your job not only serves as a distraction, but also helps you match up something you like with your jogs. Some people get a lot of motivation our of the right music playlist, others get swept up in a good audiobook, and now there’s plenty of podcasts that can help you pass the time. If you like listening enough, you might actually start looking forward to going for a jog.
Don’t go at it solo.
Everything is better when you have someone to share it with – this applies to the sometimes-unpleasant things, like jogging. Getting a jogging buddy has a few benefits. Firstly, having someone else committed to your routine becomes another source of motivation. It’s much easier to let yourself down by ignoring your exercising than it is letting down someone else. Secondly, when you have a friend to go jogging with, it makes it a lot more fun. No, it doesn’t make it easy but having someone to talk to, struggle with and share the experience with makes it all seem a little more tolerable.
