For a lot of people, it’s not the start of a workout regimen that poses a problem. It’s sticking with that workout for months, years, and even decades down the line that proves difficult. Even the most enthusiastic fitness buffs will come to a point where they feel like they’ve hit a wall, and at those times, it can become hard to muster the drive necessary to complete a worthwhile exercise.
Thankfully, you do have some options at your disposal, especially if you’re a runner. In a new report in the Washington Post, an author provides a few tips on making sure that anyone intent on starting a running regimen is able to keep up with that for a long time to to come. The great thing to realize is that these insights and others are actionable even for runners who have been at things for awhile but are growing wary of their own workouts.
Understand that, as you go about your life, you’re going to change. A 30-year old person is not the same as their teenage self, and you can’t expect that same individual to have the same wants, needs, and lifestyle 20 more years down the road. Whereas you used to breeze through a seven mile run, you might find that you simply can’t afford to carve out that much time for yourself when you have kids.
The vagaries of everyday life could themselves conspire to keep you from reaching what used to be your maximum potential. Let’s face it, if you were up with a young child who couldn’t sleep or you got stuck at work for 14 hours, the last thing you’re going to want is to get out and run for miles and miles.
You have to learn to make your goals as adaptable as your life is. The great thing about exercise as a whole is that so much is left up to you. When you start, you could just be trying to prove to yourself that you can run three miles. Once you hit that benchmark, then you open up a whole new horizon to aim for.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s okay to draw down on what you’re trying to accomplish provided that you’re still placing at least some import on fitness. When you’re burnt out on long distance running, instead conduct a completely different workout that finds you doing a series of sprints or taking a different route. If you make a running workout customizable in this way, you’ll be less likely to fall prey to some of the excuses (however valid they may be) that keep you from working out on a regular basis.