Month: June 2020

Lots of people have asked me how they can find motivation to exercise consistently. This article explores how you can find something you will love to do for life…

All or nothing cycle 

A lot of us are trapped in an all or nothing cycle. You feel sluggish as you get to the end of the year and promise yourself you will embark on a diet and exercise regime next year. You sign yourself up to the gym, or a gruelling programme with a personal trainer. You put yourself on a strict no carbs and no sugar diet. You enthusiastically embrace your new exercise regime and diet for about 3 weeks. You lose a few pounds. It then starts to really feel like chore, it’s not fun and results are slow anyways. You start to reduce your exercise from 5 times a week to 3 and then 1 and then stop completely. The “bad” food starts to creep back in and before you know it you are back to your pre-Christmas diet. 

Does this sound familiar?

Motivation and willpower 

Starting out like this with an unrealistic outlook in relation to exercise and diet is super common. Motivation is high when we start embracing new behaviour change. However, it doesn’t stay this way. Will power and motivation peters out over time. See my earlier post on motivation to exercise.

If you are embarking on an exercise or diet regime that you do not like, and consequently feels like a chore, you are simply not going to continue doing it no matter how much willpower you can muster. 

How do you learn to like exercise? 

So what is the key to finding sustainable exercise for life? This is a long and complex question and takes weeks of hard work to really get to the bottom of. It isn’t just about exercise or diet either, there are so many emotional and psychological hurdles and barriers to overcome. It’s also different for everyone. 

These are questions I cover in my coaching and programme of change to really transform mindsets and attitudes towards exercise and fitness. To start with there are a couple of good questions to ask yourself about the activity you have in mind:

1. Is it something you like to do? 

The most important point with finding an exercise that you will stick to is that it has to be something you like to do. If it’s something you have fun doing too then that’s an added bonus! There’s no point making yourself do something you really hate because you think it will help you lose weight or for another reason. Believe me, you just won’t stick to it. 

If you are stuck with where to start on this one sometimes it’s good to think back to what you loved doing as a kid. What did you spend hours of your time doing? Riding bikes? Swimming? Climbing trees? Skateboarding or roller-blading? Kicking a football against a wall? Playing frisbee?

It could literally be anything involving movement. It’s good to think outside of the box too as it might be something that is not traditionally considered “exercise” like dancing or gardening. Did you know that if you danced around your living room for 30 minutes a day you would burn between 300-400 calories? 

Experiment with different activities. Ask yourself how do you feel when you are doing it? How do you feel after you’ve finished the activity? Does it bring you real joy? As behavioural science and exercise motivation expert Michelle Segar says “doing what you enjoy is a better motivator for exercising and it works”. 

2. Is it something that you want to do for yourself? 

You need to find something you are intrinsically motivated to do. This means finding something you are doing for your own internal reasons rather than extrinsic reasons for an outside goal. 

Something which makes you feel good not because you are trying to lose weight, look a certain way, or achieve a goal for someone else. Again, if you start out doing something for extrinsic reasons you will most probably fail to continue as you will lose motivation and momentum.

Your new activity needs to have specific meaning for you. It needs to feel good in the moment or immediately after. Research shows that people who exercise purely for weight loss actually exercise less than people who exercise because it makes them feel good. 

Daniel Pink talks about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in his great book Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us. He discusses how if an activity contains three aspects: purpose, mastery and autonomy it will be something we gain enjoyment and fulfilment from. 

For example, imagine if you just got a new bike because you wanted to cycle to see your friends more often. There’s your purpose. You would need to master the art of cycling on roads, and perhaps remind yourself of how to actually ride. There’s your mastery. Having the freedom to cycle when and wherever you like is your autonomy.

If you can find a new activity which gives you 3 of these things you are going to be well on the way to finding something which sticks. 

3. Does the activity fit into your weekly schedule?

It’s super important that your chosen activity fits easily into your daily routine. It needs to slot in around your other responsibilities i.e. family, work and your social life. Don’t underestimate the importance of small things like how to fit in the post-workout shower. 

Think about the time of day which will work best for you. If you have young kids when is the best time to do something? Can you wake up super early a couple of days a week and workout before they wake up? 

Remember that you don’t need to do a full hour workout to feel the benefits of exercise. You can build movement into your day which Michelle Segar calls “opportunities to move” For example building small habits into your day like doing 5 squats every time you go to the loo or doing 5 press ups as you wait for your kettle to boil. Behavioural expert BJ Fogg runs a great free 5 day Tiny Habits programme teaching you how to connect new habits to existing ones.

4. Is it something others will support you to do? 

The activity will be more likely to last and be sustainable if you have support from family and friends and even someone to do it with you. For example, if you have young kids getting buy in from your partner or from family, who can take care of the kids whilst you are taking part in your activity, is going to be essential. 

It’s also crucial for those who love you to understand how important this activity is for you. You need to sell the benefits to them and ensure they are fully on board. E.g. if you take an hour and a half to swim once a week it does mean you are away from the kids for that time. But it also means you will be more relaxed, more energised, less stressed and have more focus. You will altogether be a more calm and loving parent and partner for the rest of that evening and even that week!

If you can set up a reciprocal arrangement even better. I.e. on Monday evenings I’ll take care of the kids so you can get out and do your weekly badminton game and then on Wednesdays we’ll swap so I can get to my boxercise class.

If you can find a friend to exercise with even better. Working out with others is proven to increase motivation, enjoyment and fulfilment and you are definitely more likely to do it if you’ve made a commitment to someone else.

Taking time out to exercise is not selfish, it is in fact the opposite as it makes us better partners, parents, friends and relatives. Exercise increases positive mood, happiness, self-esteem, productivity, creativity, efficiency and improved self-perception. Regular physical activity also makes us less prone to illness, assists us in having healthy sleep patterns, reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as decreasing stress and irritability.

So it makes us better people for everyone in our lives including ourselves!

5. Can you afford it long term? 

Is your chosen activity realistic in terms of what you can manage financially and the pressure it might put on your body? There’s no point joining a fancy gym when they are doing a cheap intro offer if you can’t afford to keep going once the offer ends. There’s also no point starting out doing an activity which risks aggravating existing injuries. 

Choose something which is kind to your body and sustainable financially long term. 

Bonus tip to find an exercise you love for life!

Psychologist and movement expert Kelly McGonigal discusses how it takes approximately 6 weeks for the brain to become hooked on the feel good chemicals we get from exercise. So once you have been through these 5 questions it’s it’s important to try to stick at the activity for this long to see if it is really working for you!

If you’d like more indepth help to find your chosen activity you will do for life and feel your best self then contact me.

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It’s a difficult time at the moment for everyone. We all need a bit of self-care and treats are important. It’s also a time where people are likely to over indulge and potentially gain weight. We are stuck in the house, a lot of us are bored, stressed, anxious and emotional. The kitchen cupboard, biscuit tin and fridge are constantly tempting us and food is comforting and healing. 

Lockdown weight gain

Lots of  people are complaining to me of overeating and lockdown weight gain at the moment. So I thought i would think about how to avoid this and how to move into a healthier relationship with snacking and our food intake. Disclaimer: I am not a nutritional expert but i do know a few things from my training and personal weight loss experience. 

How do we avoid overeating and consequential lockdown weight gain? 

Here are 10 things you can try: 

1. Eat a nice filling breakfast: get your breakfasts planned so you have something healthy and filling at the ready. My favourite breakfast is chopped banana, apple, pear and berries (frozen easiest at the moment), with a spoon of sugar free muesli and some plain low fat yogurt which contains the live culture Lactobacillus acidophilus. See my earlier post on stress and the virtues of yogurt for a healthy gut.

If you have been active in the morning make sure you get a dose of protein in with your breakfast to help your muscles repair. Eggs and avocado on toast is my favourite if I’ve been out running or swimming. 

2. Snack on healthy snacks: there’s so much debate about snacking. I actually don’t think we should deprive ourselves of the odd snack as long as it’s in moderation. I think it can discourage bingeing and encourage smaller portions at mealtimes. If you have healthy snacks available you are more likely to opt for them over a chocolate biscuit or a bag of crisps. Make sure your fresh and dried fruit, nuts, carrots and hummus supplies are stocked up so you can dip in when you feel an urge to snack. Have these snacks in easy reach and if you can’t resist the chocolate biscuits try not to buy them very often.

3. Drink lots of water: it’s important to stay hydrated of course and water also has the added benefit of making you feel fuller. Drinking water has also been proven to burn more calories. It also replaces other drinks which may have higher numbers of calories. So next time you have an urge to have a snack have a glass of water first. It’s also a good idea to have a glass of water when you first wake up. The recommendation is to drink 8 glasses of water a day but more if you are active. If you wake up in the night and are tempted by a midnight snack have a glass of water instead.

4. Eat a mainly plant based diet rich in unprocessed foods: try to fill your meals with as much unprocessed food as possible. Wholegrains, vegetables and fruit are more nutritious and filling than alternatives. My absolute favourite meal is red daily dal and aubergine and tomato curry from Meera Sodha’s Made in India recipe book with some brown rice. You can make a vat of it to last more than one meal and it’s delicious, nutritious, filling and low fat all at the same time! 

5. Try eating within a 12 hour window: research shows that it is not necessary what you eat when you eat which makes a difference to weight gain. This is called Time Restricted Eating (TRE). Professor Satchin Panda is an expert in this realm (I will be writing a full post in the next few weeks on his research).

The science shows that implementing a 12 hour, or longer, gap between eating can be really beneficial to overall health and can assist in weight loss. For example, eating your evening meal no later than 8pm and breakfast after 8am the next morning. In a very simplistic sense this rest from food intake allows the liver to burn off fat and repair the body more efficiently. This doesn’t sound too hard right? I think it’d be worth giving it a go for a month and seeing if it makes a difference. 

Dr Rangan Chatterjee has two excellent podcast episodes with Professor Satchin Panda which are worth a listen if you are interested in Time Restricted Eating and the science behind it.

6. Be aware of portion control: it’s really easy to eat massive amounts at the moment especially if you are experimenting in the kitchen with exciting new recipes. Try having your evening meal on a smaller plate to encourage smaller portions. 

7. Eat mindfully: try to really pay attention to the present moment when you are eating. Savour each bite and the taste in your mouth and take your time to chew your food slowly so you appreciate every morsale. If you have done the mindfulness “eating a raisin” meditation you will know what this means.

Before opting for second helpings leave yourself 10 minutes for your body to register whether it is full or not. Chances are you will be and you won’t need that second helping after all. 

8. Allow yourself some treats: if you completely deprive yourself of all treats you will most probably end up bingeing on them later. So allow yourself small treats, for example a couple of squares of chocolate, and treasure the taste of them (step 7 above). 

9. Try to limit your alcohol intake: there are lots of hidden calories in alcohol. Alcohol consumption also seems to encourage unhealthy eating. Try to limit your alcohol intake to 2 or 3 days a week. Lighter coloured drinks tend to be lower in calories. Go for gin or vodka, with diet tonic or soda and white wine instead of darker spirits like rum with full fat coke or red wine. 

10. Get lots of movement into your day! If you exercise you will use up some of the calories you have consumed and it will help you maintain a healthy weight. If you want to lose weight you will need to combine a sensible diet with an exercise plan. 

Last year, I was lucky enough to attend a workshop run by Kristin Neff, internationally recognised expert and academic researcher in self-compassion theory and practice. I was super excited to hear Dr Neff speak in person after following her work, reading her books and practising her meditations.

Kristin Neff,  Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, is one of the world’s leading experts on self-compassion research. With other experts in the field she has developed a wide range of tools and techniques as well as an 8-week program, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, to teach self-compassion skills. The course is called Mindful Self-Compassion and has been co-created by Neff and her colleague Chris Germer.

What is self compassion and how can it help you feel your best self?

Originating from Buddhist philosophy, self-compassion in its simplest terms is the concept of treating ourselves in the same way as we would treat a close friend. With kindness and compassion. 

Neff asked us to imagine a friend coming to us with a difficulty of some sort or something emotional they were struggling with. She asked us to imagine what we would say; how we would say it; our body language and tone of voice. She then asked us to do the same exercise but with ourselves in the position of the friend. 

I found this exercise fascinating as I was a lot more critical when speaking to myself than I was when imagining a friend. Indeed, the scientific evidence is clear that the majority of us are a lot more self-critical than we are with our friends and loved ones. Our inner voice is often laden with harsh critical language compared to the soothing, caring words we might use for a friend who is suffering.

Self-compassion and weight loss

I think self-compassion is particularly pertinent for women struggling to accept themselves, lose weight or get to a place where they are happy in their own bodies. There are often so many critical inner voices to contend with from “I am so fat and useless” to “I hate myself” to even worse (I used to say these things to myself). Ask yourself, would your best mates say these things to you?

Why is self-compassion good for us?

There is clear evidence to show strong links between self-compassion and well being such as a reduction in depression, stress, perfectionism, shame, anxiety, economic angst, body dissatisfaction and even chronic pain. Self-compassionate people are more likely to experience greater life satisfaction, happiness, motivation, optimism, body appreciation and even improved immune functioning. Consequently, there is growing evidence  to support its effectiveness as a treatment in clinical settings in support of therapeutic work.

The three components of self-compassion

Neff has put together what she calls the three components of self-compassion: kindness, common humanity and mindfulness. The concepts overlap but are distinct from each other:

1. Self-compassion: Being kind to yourself

Striving for self-kindness and learning to speak to ourselves with a compassionate voice and calming our harsh critical voice is an essential component of self-compassion. An important part of this is realising that as human beings we are not perfect. It’s about recognising that making mistakes and failing is part of life. We shouldn’t unjustly punish ourselves for when things do not go as planned. For example, if you break your strict diet and have a chocolate bar, or you don’t manage to go to the gym after a busy day at work. It also isn’t about allowing ourselves to gorge or an excuse to be lazy.

Speaking to ourselves with kindness, softness and a gentle forgiving voice is much more effective than choosing to punish ourselves with critical language. As Neff writes:

“When we experience warm and tender feelings towards ourselves, we are altering our bodies as well as our minds. Rather than feeling worried and anxious, we feel calm, content, trusting and secure. Self-kindness allows us to feel safe as we respond to painful experiences, so that we are no longer operating from a place of fear”.

Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself

You are not going to feel like going for a run or eating healthily if you chastise yourself with harsh words. Instead choose kind assertive and reassuring language.

2. Self compassion: a sense of shared humanity

The second component is developing a common sense of shared humanity. This brings us together when we are experiencing difficulties in our lives. Rather than feeling isolated and wallowing in our own self pity, which we are all prone to do, sharing in a wider sense of common suffering serves to connect us and makes us feel less alone. 

Neff refers to her autistic son regularly and provides examples of the challenges she has experienced as a parent. One pertinent example she illustrates is when she is in the park with her 7-year-old son and he is having a tantrum and being disruptive. All the other children around appear to be playing nicely, being happy and interacting lovingly with their parents. Neff’s instant reaction is to say to herself ‘what is wrong with my child and why can’t he be like the other children?’.

Using self-compassion she can recognise these feelings and say to herself ‘hold on, all children are challenging in one way or another and no parent is perfect’. By acknowledging our shared human flaws, Neff was able to feel a greater sense of connectedness despite feeling isolated originally.

3. Self-compassion: mindfulness

Thirdly, we need to be grounded in the present moment with the ability to be self-aware, without casting judgement. Having an awareness of our emotions and feelings, without judging, is crucial to developing self-compassion. As is being able to accept pain and acknowledge how we are feeling without dismissing those feelings.

“We need to see things as they are, no more, no less, in order to respond to our current situation in the most compassionate – and therefore effective – manner”.  

Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself

I think this is all super important to take on board as we struggle with the uncertainty life has thrown at us in the current climate as we deal with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. We need to be kind and gentle to ourselves to get through the next few weeks and months. For women struggling to accept themselves it is so important to develop a kind and nurturing voice rather than beating ourselves up. From here positive change can emerge. 

How do I practice self-compassion?

There are various ways to develop self-compassion involving lots of great resources on Kristin Neff’s website such as: self-reflective exercises and meditations. There is also an 8-week course built around the core components of developing self-compassion. Her books are also a great resource particularly the Mindful self-compassion workbook which contains lots of practical exercises you can do (see below).

I have found practising self-compassion really helfpul particularly when I have experienced emotional difficulties over the years. Saying myself “this is hard, I am really struggling with this situation. I know I won’t feel like this forever” is acknowledging the difficulty and helps to process and accept the present moment. Neff talks about the benefits of giving yourself a hug when you are in a low moment. This releases the loving and nurturing chemical oxytocin in the brain and and will have a calming and soothing effect.

I utilise self-compassion principles as a core component of my coaching work. I would be very happy to work with you to help you to learn skills to recognise and quieten your critical inner voice if this is something you are interested in. 

Do you want to lose weight? Or feel better in yourself and lose weight? Or feel better in yourself without necessarily losing weight? Do the two go hand in hand? So many of the women I know and work with say to me that they can’t feel good about themselves until they have lost weight. They are on a permanent mission to lose weight. They feel fat and their body shape defines them.

This type of thinking often sets them up for failure as they embark on overly ambitious exercise regimes and strict diets. Their motivation and will power naturally peters out over time and they are left back at square one feeling fed up, fat and stressed. 

An unhealthy focus on how we look not how we feel 

We are so conditioned to focus on how we look, our weight, and our body shape rather than the way we feel. This is perpetuated by images of perfect bodies all over social media. Fitness gurus persuade us that it is about feeling good as they strut their stuff looking tiny and toned in their teeny crop tops and figure hugging sports leggings. There seems to me to be an inherent contradiction here. 

This is a particularly pertinent time at the moment as people struggle with weight gain and overeating as they are stuck at home and are feeling fat in lockdown. 

Most of us can’t lose weight like celebrities 

We are bombarded with images of celebrities displaying drastic weight loss results. Adele springs to mind most recently. We desperately crave the miracle ways to get these results forgetting that celebrities have countless resources at hand and often  a lot more time than the average person. I am by means criticising Adele, she looks great, I sincerely hope she also feels great. I hope she has transformed her look in a healthy and sustainable way. 

But in reality who can afford to employ a full time personal trainer, dietitian and psychotherapist to help them navigate the complex road to sustainable weight loss?

Of course there’s the growing movement against this ingrained culture of thinness through movements such as #bodypositive. Inspiring role models like Lizzo are paving the way for a healthier way of relating to our different sizes and shapes. 

Changing the way we see weight loss

Of course weight loss is such a complex, multifaceted issue and not just about food and exercise. 

I have been thinking about whether there’s a different way to look at this which is thankfully emerging as a more recognisable and healthier way to relate to ourselves in the wellbeing space. 

What about if we shifted this dislike of our bodies so we were focusing on how we felt rather than how we looked? You may say to me that that doesn’t make a difference, you feel fat. But being overweight is not a feeling. You can change the way you relate to your emotions and feelings through dedicated self-reflection and hard work. 

As the great Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says in his seminal book Flow: “what would really satisfy people is not getting slim or getting rich but feeling good about their lives”.

Focus on the way you feel rather than the way you look 

If we focused on what makes us feel good it might just have a ripple effect and end up giving us the results we want in terms of weight loss and toning etc. It can’t be this simple I hear you say, but I think it actually can be. If you find an activity you love to do you will crave doing it to the point where you need it in your life. It can become the fuel to drive you forward in your life and help you thrive. 

True you won’t lose weight fast, and it will require dedication, effort and hard work, but you will transform your mindset and your lifestyle for the long term. And you might just start to feel better in yourself. You might also gradually start to drop the pounds as you begin to nurture and treat yourself with compassion and care.

I have seen this time and time again with people who have felt sluggish, overweight and living largely sedentary lifestyles. As soon as they find something they love to do their whole outlook can shift and create a positive ripple effect in all areas of their lives. Behavioural expert BJ Fogg talks about this positive ripple effect in his work on Tiny Habits which I will be exploring in a future blogpost. Again, this isn’t easy but it is entirely possible.

I transformed myself through exercise so you can too!

The picture on the left is me many years ago before I had discovered my love for movement (I did exercise but it was always a chore and I had a very unhealthy relationship with food). Granted, I wasn’t by any means enormous, but I didn’t like the way I looked and I was obsessed with it. I definitely didn’t feel good and I was caught in a vicious cycle. I had to change.

The picture on the right is me now after 15 years of swimming, running, cycling and more recently strength workouts and yoga. I am not saying I have what is considered the culturally acceptable perfect body, but I am generally quite OK with how I look. I treat myself kindly, nourish myself with healthy food (for the most part) and I generally look after myself.

This is obviously a very complex issue and my approach won’t work for everyone but I am on a mission to try to help as many women as possible feel better in themselves, through movement and healthy eating, whatever their size or shape! 

If you would like to work with me to feel your best self, through my coaching and training programme, then contact me and I will be very happy to help! 

It’s so great seeing so many people out running at the moment. All shapes and sizes, ages and people who wouldn’t normally be running are taking to the parks and giving it a try. It’s so inspiring and really great to see. 

Running is excellent cardiovascular exercise burning a lot of calories in a relatively short amount of time. You even continue burning calories after you finish your run! You don’t have to be sprinting to get the benefits of running. In fact, gentle jogging has proven benefits and can assist with weight loss and transform your body shape if done consistently. It’s definitely transformed my body shape, since I started running consistently 15 years ago, and I can’t live without it now.

Why running is good for you: 

Coupled with the added benefits of being outside in green space, running is one of the best forms of exercise you can do for your mental health. It makes you feel happier, gives you energy, reduces anxiety and depression: all very important especially at the moment. Running also helps aid sleep, concentration and reduces the impacts of ageing and it even reduces your chances of getting cancer.

People worry about their knees and joints and the stress and strain running causes but if done sensibly, and with the right footwear, you can protect your knees and joints and actually strengthen them through running.

It’s also completely free and can be done at any time of day for whatever length of time so it’s one of the most flexible types of exercises if you have a busy working day or young families to look after at home.

Top 5 running questions, for beginners, answered

Lots of friends and family members are asking me about running at the moment so i thought I’d write about the 5 most common questions I get asked and provide my insights:

1. What running shoes should I wear? 

It’s important to get the right footwear and ensure you are supported especially when you start running. Wearing old trainers will risk you developing shin splints or other pesky injuries which can take ages to heal and recover.

There is debate out there about the best trainers to wear and lots of experts swear by the virtue of flat footed trainers or barefoot shoes. I haven’t tried these but there is evidence showing how good they are for our natural pronation and balance. However if you are just starting out I’d go for some trainers with more support to start with you can always gravitate to barefoot running later. 

It’s important to ensure you have checked your pronation to know whether you need to get extra support in your shoe or not. It’s tricky at the moment as it’s impossible to get to the shops to get a proper trainer assessment (usually shops like Runner’s World will do a treadmill assessment for you and advise). When advising a friend recently I discovered there’s a simple test you can do with a bowl of water and a dark piece of paper or an A4 manilla envelope. See the instructions here for how to work out whether you need a cushioned, support or control shoe. 

Often you need to get trainers half a size bigger than you normally would be. I’d steer away from the fashion brands and stick with the running specialist shoes if you are able to although Nike and Adidas do do some good specialist running shoes. My favourite brands are Brooks (mine are ravennas) and Asics (the gel nimbus range is good). Saucony and New Balance also do some good running trainers. 

Good trainers can be expensive but I justify it as the sport is otherwise free. I’d spend at least £60 if you can. It’s a worthwhile investment to make sure your feet and legs are supported properly. One tip is to see if you can get the older versions of the latest versions as they are usually the exact same model but a cheaper earlier version. 

It’s also really important to make sure you are wearing a good sports bra girls! 

2. How do I start running if I have never done it before? 

It’s super important to start slowly and build up gradually. Very few people can get out there and run 5 or 10k without preparation and training. Even if you can do this it’s not sensible as you risk serious injury. Combining stints of walking with running to start with is always the best way to start. You then build up the running part and gradually reduce the amount of walking you are doing.

For example, your first run you might go out and run for 1 minute and walk for 2 and then repeat 3 x and then you gradually move towards running for 2 minutes and walking for 1. Eventually you will be able to eliminate the walking part completely. The NHS couch to 5K app is a great way to start if you aren’t sure how to build up slowly on your own.

3. How often should I go running? 

This question depends on what other forms of exercise you are doing, what your daily schedule is like, what your other commitments. I’d say as a general rule try to aim for 2 or 3 runs a week if you can. This will allow your body to adjust to the new movement and also give you lots of recovery between runs. Try to go every other day with a break inbetween to rest or do another form of movement.

4. I hate running: how do I learn to like it? 

Most people hate running when they first start it. This is totally normal. Your body won’t be used to it and it will be screaming at you to stop. On your first few runs you might feel as though it’s absolutely awful and why would I ever do this again. I promise it will get easier. 

It takes persistence and dedication to teach your body to like running. Research shows that it takes about 6 weeks for the brain to adapt to liking any form of exercise. But if you stick at it  you will reap the rewards. 

Even the most experienced runners have days where they do not like running. Instead of giving up they accept that some days it’s harder than others and they move on to the next run and it’s usually a lot better. There’s not always an explanation either.

Some people find it helpful to listen to music or podcasts when they run to distract them or pass the time and others prefer to be completely in tune with their surroundings and their breath. I’d advise trying out different things to see what you like. There are loads of whacky ideas out there like apps which make you imagine you are being chased by zombies!

Also experiment with whether you want totrack your routes using a watch or an app. It’s all personal preferences and there’s no one right way to do it. 

5. When’s the best time of day to go? 

This very much depends on your personal preference. Some people like going running first thing in the morning as it wakes them up and makes them feel good all day. Others prefer breaking their day up and going out at lunchtime to energise them. After work is also a great time as it might provide closure from the working day especially during lockdown.

The only time i would advise not going running or doing other forms of intense exercise is later in the evening 1-2 hours before you go to bed. It can energise you and may interfere with your circadian rhythm meaning you struggle to sleep and can then be counter-productive. 

So what are you waiting for! Get your trainers on, get outside and try it. It might be just what you need to help you start to feel your best self and thrive.

If you’d like a bespoke running training plan, or a coaching session to get you started, then do get in touch and I’d be happy to help.