Join Shoe Clinic on Facebook
Be the first to hear about new products in store,
enter our online competitions, meet Shoe Clinic
team members and much more!
Click the "Like" button below to join us
(Can't see a button? You already like our page!)
|
|
Column 18, July 2009
Lacking motivation? Here are 20 ideas to keep you on track
We are each motivated by different things. Mark any tips below that may work for you, and display them where you can be inspired every day.
1. Load a ‘kick-ass’ playlist onto your mp3
Search ‘songs to run to’ on google, for a few suggestions. Dr. Nicholas Romanov, a Sports Scientist who developed the ‘Pose Method’ of running, suggests that running cadence should be 180 steps per minute minimum, partly to prevent over-striding and ‘braking’.
With this in mind it may be useful to choose songs with a beat close to this tempo.
2. Plan a race around a great travel destination
What better motivation than to have an exciting trip to work towards! Of course you’ll have to be fit to race as well. Here’s a few ideas;
3. Set a weight target for summer...
...and determine how many kilograms that equates to per week. Give yourself the next 5 months to achieve this gradually through good nutrition teamed with one of the highest calorie-burning activities available, running!. Let’s prevent the crash weight-loss approach this Christmas!
4. Run for someone else’s benefit - do a race for charity
Helping raise money for those in need makes it much easier to get out the door:
5. Run with a group or run partner
It’s harder to let your partner down than yourself when they’ve dragged themselves out of bed early. Your run group mates are going to need a pretty good excuse as well!
6. Let other kiwis inspire you with their stories
- 'On the wings of Mercury’ - Lorraine Moller‘
- 'Get Carter’ - Hamish Carter'
- 'Short fat chick to marathon runner’ - Kerre Woodham‘
- 'Hard men fight back - Kiwi sportsmen who beat the odds to live their dream’ - Gregory Paul
7. Buy a head lamp...
...so you can run off road, even during the shortest winter days. Try and do this with a partner and a cellphone for safety though.
8. Single?
Why not sign up to www.FitnessSingles.com and link your date with a run!
9. Buy a heart-rate monitor and set targets for your runs, ensuring some easy days
Heart-rate monitors are great for keeping you honest when you’re doing anaerobic threshold sessions, and they can prevent you from burning out by over-doing the easy days.
10. Invest in quality training gear and shoes
It’s so much easier to want to train in winter when you’re comfortable and warm. And hey, if it looks great too, that’s extra incentive to get out and be seen!.
11. Set training goals and tell others
Set goals, record sessions, and evaluate at the end of each week. Better still, tell friends and family what you’re training for, and update them with your daily sessions on twitter or with a blog.
Aunty Agnew will be ringing you with questions Sunday morning if you’ve skipped your long run!
12. Book in a massage the day following your longest run
You’ll feel a whole lot more justified if you’ve wiped yourself out the day before!.
13. Plan out new run loops...
...using www.mapometer.com, or get new ideas from your running buddies. Include new terrain like grass, tracks, sand and rock hopping.
14. Don’t stop to think
‘Just do it’. The longer you sit on the couch getting comfortable after work, the less likely you are to get out there, and you know you’ll feel better when you get back.
15. Make your own rewards system
You could set a target monthly mileage, or number of sessions, and if achieved, splash out on that new running jacket you’ve been eyeing up.
16. Find inspiration from other achievers
Google ‘Motivational Quotes’ and you’ll find many inspiring words. A few of my favorites:
- ‘Some of the world’s greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible’. Doug Larson
- ‘Run a race that satisfies your own soul…in the race to be your best, there is no losing’. George Sheehan.
- ‘Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever’. Lance Armstrong.
17. Don’t skip a session just because you think you’re tired
Tiredness can sometimes be mental, and often a run will actually leave you energized. If however the tiredness doesn’t abate, allow a gentler jog, or a walk/jog. You’re still benefiting from the fresh air and movement, boosting your metabolism and brain.
18. Watch an uplifting movie
If you haven’t seen ‘Spirit of the Marathon’ (2009) I would highly recommend it, even if you’re not a marathon runner. Or check out:
- ‘Endurance’ (1999) – A documentary of Ethiopian World Marathon Record holder, Haile Gabreselassie
- ’Prefontaine’ (1997), ‘Without Limits’ (1998) or ‘Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story’ (1995) – All based around American distance running legend Prefontaine
19. Run an errand
Link your run in with a task so you have extra purpose to get going - run to the ATM for cash, to the Lotto shop, to return a DVD, or to pick up a few grocery items and throw in your back-pack.
20. Surround yourself with positive people
Being around ‘glass-half-full’ types, and people you respect, can be the ultimate pick-me-up. Gravitate towards these people, even when you’re feeling a shadow of your usual energetic self.
Remember that you almost always feel better after a run than before, and if not, a hot shower and the couch will feel that much more appealing!
Marnie Oberer
|
|
|
