It’s a well-known fact that exercise is good for your health. Aerobic exercise such as running has been proven to promote heart health, reduce cancer risk, support the immune system, improve sleep and mood, and lead to an overall longer and healthier life. I am.
The problem is, many people find it difficult to get regular aerobic exercise because even just a 30-second run to the bus stop can feel like a bass drum to your throat. .
In a new book published by Taylor and Francis on September 25th, sports psychologists Noel Brick and Stuart Holliday offer a series of psychological tips and tricks to make running more enjoyable and train your brain. is explained.
“The first thing you need to do is understand the ‘why’ of running, your motivations for running,” said Brick, a lecturer in sport and exercise psychology at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. newsweek. “We know that people who have a meaningful reason for running are more likely to continue running for longer periods of time and to overcome difficult experiences, even when running feels difficult, uncomfortable, or not particularly enjoyable. ”
These motivations vary from person to person. For some people, it’s about health or weight loss, for others it’s about social connections, and for others, it might be training to run for charity. “Regardless of your motivation, having a meaningful reason can help you overcome difficult experiences and keep going in the long run,” Brick said.
The next step is to set manageable goals and track your progress. “Experiencing improvement, noticing new accomplishments, and knowing that you’re getting better can also help you keep going through difficult moments,” Brick said. “Noticing these improvements and reflecting on our accomplishments, no matter how small, is important to keep us moving forward.”
This kind of reflection also increases belief in one’s own abilities, known in psychology as “self-efficacy.”
“Our most powerful source of self-efficacy is our past experiences and accomplishments,” Brick says. “So the first time you run without stopping for a minute, or the first time you complete a run, you feel like you’re improving.” [10 miles], can powerfully increase our self-efficacy and help sustain running behavior. ”
However, how you choose these goals depends on your level of experience. “For beginners, I recommend trying to set open goals instead of specific ones,” Brick says. “While specific performance goals provide a fixed goal, such as 10,000 steps, open goals are exploratory and instead say “see how far I can go” or “see how fast I can run.” ” focus on that.
“This study shows that beginners can achieve just as much when they set open goals as they do when they set specific goals. Despite the activity, open goals are considered more fun and less pressure.”
Another mistake many novice runners make has to do with pacing. “Oftentimes we go too fast in the beginning, which means we tire sooner and end up having a very unpleasant experience along the way,” Brick said. “Knowing your limits and knowing how to pace your runs takes time to learn. So my best advice is to start out, even if it means following a run and walk strategy. It’s about taking it easy.”
Even short runs have been shown to have mental and physical health benefits, and “running or walking for just 10 minutes a day can improve your mood and reduce anxiety and depression.” “It leads to significant health benefits, including lower risk, improved brain health and cognitive functions such as memory and attention, and reduced risk of death from all causes,” Brick said. “So you don’t need to run long distances or run for hours a week to reap these health benefits. Running at a slow, moderate intensity for just 10 minutes a day can improve your health. It is ideal for.”
Finally, looking for distractions can also be helpful. “Music can be a great distraction during exercise and can benefit your running experience,” Brick says. “Music can help increase enjoyment, reduce boredom, and increase the amount of work you do during exercise. This means that when you listen to music, you work longer or harder than when you don’t listen to music. You’ll be exercising with high energy. Music helps reduce your perception of effort, which means your run will feel easier,” and don’t push too hard.
“An important factor when choosing music is rhythm; songs with a BPM of 125 to 140 are best. And personal preference when it comes to genre.”
Of course, listening to music isn’t always an option. Or maybe you just want to be more present in the world around you. In these cases, other forms of distraction may be more beneficial. “This can include chatting with a running partner, running in nature and focusing on the beautiful scenery, or just letting your mind wander,” Brick says. “Distractions like this can also help make running easier, more comfortable, and more enjoyable. Running in nature also improves your mood and mood beyond the improvements you get from running alone. It can also improve your mental health.”
For more experienced runners, Brick and Holliday books, psychology of runningwe also detail psychological techniques to improve speed, endurance, and enjoyment.
