The Love/Hate Running Relationship

The Love/Hate Running Relationship
A few years ago I knew I needed to get in shape. I could stand to lose more than a few lbs. and I knew some cardio exercise would be fantastic. I was teaching school at the time and I had a student teacher in my classroom that just so happened not only to be a runner but a trainer too. As the year went by we became good friends and by Christmas I told her I needed her help. She agreed to be my personal trainer and the Love/hate relationship of running began.

The first month of training I thought I would die. My friend showed NO MERCY! I thought to myself “this is why I have always had a hate relationship with running in the first place, running is hard!” After about 8 weeks I began to see results. Running seemed to jump start my metabolism and the weight begin to fall off. That was the love part of the Running relationship. What woman doesn’t want to lose weight and tone up?

Back to the hate relationship, the running never ends. You can’t get to looking the way you want and then say “ok, glad that over.” You not only need to run on a regular basis, but you need to change it up and bump it up as you do it. We all have been told again and again that exercise is important, because of my love/hate relationship with running I always looked for a quick fix. Sorry to say, there are no quick fixes! I wish there was a magic pill but there isn’t. No pain no gain, that all familiar saying is true.

Today I continue to run. I have been running consistently for about two and a half years now. Do I still have a love/hate relationship with running? YES, I do! Am I glad I didn’t give up? Yes, I am! Do I love the results that I see? Absolutely!

There are many health benefits to running. Running regularly can help with weight loss, fighting against disease, and with generally staying healthy. It has also been proven to help fight the aging process. It prevents muscle and bone loss that we often see with aging. Running can reduce the risk of stroke and breast cancer. Running on a regular basis can also reduce the risk of heart attacks and lower blood pressure. Running can maintain and improve your overall general health, not to mention the psychological value of running.

If you are like me and have a love/hate relationship of running, please don’t let that stop you. Try it, keep trying it, Persevere! Trust me, it is worth it! Not only will you look great, you will feel great too. Who knows maybe the hate relationship will disappear and you will be one of the lucky ones that truly love to run!