Running Road

Always a bit confused about how much to get so that you can get the results you desire within the time frame you’ve set for yourself. Fear not there is something that can make things easier for you by telling you how much you’ve run, how many calories you’ve burn and help you meet that target you’ve set.

Get yourself the iPod+ Nike sports kit. It’ll make running a little more fun and this way you’ll know how much you’ve exercised on a particular day and monitor your diet accordingly. This device is like the perfect fitness machine. It monitors how much you’re exercising, whether you’re doing enough to reach your goal and stuff like that. I know it’s a problem with many people and I’ve also faced it myself, you don’t exactly know how much is a mile and so you have no clue how much you’ve run. And once you’ve set a target it’s much easier to do more since you keep pushing yourself to reach the target.

This electronic trainer actually comes in two parts. One is the iPod and the other is the other adapter that is in the shoe. Both these adapters communicate with each other wirelessly and they calculate how much you’ve run, at what speed, how much time you’ve taken to run the distance and even  how many calories you’ve burnt. It also syncs itself with the music that’s playing out of your iPod so that you’re interrupted and reminded about how much distance you’ve still got to go.

This is the perfect thing for all fitness enthusiasts and for those who better get exercising. This awesome gadget is available at Nike stores worldwide. This is something that will really help you reach that target. And it’s not so much about the iPod, it’s good because it tracks your fitness so you can calculate and modify your lifestyle to get that perfect body.

If you haven’t been exercising on a regular basis before, then you shouldn’t overdo it right in the beginning. What you need to do is to ease yourself into a routine. For a beginner or a person who is new to running on a regular basis it would be safe to start with around a kilometer a day. Since not many of us know how much a kilometer actually is, it is roughly three and a half rounds of a football field (if you can do even two at a stretch, you’re not as out of shape as I was when I started) or around 30 rounds of a basketball court. Since you’re beginning, even that much could pose quite a problem, so even 15 at a stretch and then another 10 is enough for the first couple of days.

You need to increase the amount you run every 4-5 days after the initial period. After almost a month you should be quite comfortable doing two and a half to three kilometers with ease. 

It is however very important that you don’t overdo it, because the worst thing that can happen when you begin an exercise program is to be laid up in bed with injuries. So take it slow because results will show only with consistent effort and not irregular running.It is also very important to begin every jog or run with a few loosening up exercises without which you could pull a muscle or in some cases have even more serious injuries.

Also after you’re done with your run you need to limber down and do a few exercises to help your body relax, failing which blood could pool in the extremities and cause some problems. Light exercise before and after a jog are as important as the jog itself as they help your body get accustomed and ready for what is to come next.

I started running in July and haven’t stopped since. Sure, it’s a great form of exercise, probably the best and most complete but to be only there was only one motive which made me run. Weight. I was running to lose to flab, for a fitter thinner me, I was literally running away from being fat. I looked in the mirror in the changing room one day, and that was my motivation.

Somewhere along the line, it has become about self-actualization to me. I really don’t want to be Kate Moss or Heidi Klum, I want to do what Maslow talked about- be the best I can be. And if my best isn’t Gisele Bundchen or any other supermodel, that’s fine with me.

That is what each one of us needs to do. Get our inspiration from inside. When I say look in the mirror for I motivation, I don’t mean do what most teenage girls and women are doing. The idea is never to hate yourself, it is not to be discontent with the way you are, it is to fulfill your potential. Every single person owes to it himself or herself to be the best person they are capable of being. 

Running is about being fit and healthy. Not everyone is a Michael Johnson or a Marion Jones but everyone can try. Running increases your stamina, makes you stronger, healthier and fitter and it makes you go about your day in a much more energetic and efficient manner. You won’t be dragging yourself to class nor be a zombie at work if you stick to your morning jog.

Though I may never be an athlete or have a perfect body, I know I am a healthy person and I am comfortable with that. I’m more confident and that’s what all of us need to me. So the mantra is to try to be the best you can be. Pull those sneakers from under your bed and watch as the magic of running enter all the spheres of your life.