Running

If you have been following my posts, you may recall that Josh and I have been making an effort to get healthy and improve our level of fitness.

Since we began Josh is now running upwards of 3 miles, and I have been able to incorporate weights into my routine. (I always hated weights, so this is a big deal for me!) The improvements we have made are fun to see and I look forward to watching each other continue to improve.

Last night Josh and I got to talking about our fitness goals and the different things we like and dislike about working out.

For example, I love to run outside and yesterday I finally was able to take a run by the lake. Josh on the other hand doesn’t care for running outside and is content being on the treadmill.

I thought this was interesting because there is nothing more annoying to me than running and not getting anywhere, so we dove in a little deeper trying to figure out why we had a difference in opinions, especially since we both enjoy running.

It turns out that Josh is content with running on the treadmill because he can focus on one thing which allows him to get into a meditative state. He doesn’t think about anything when he runs, and just pushes to break his own personal bests.

For me running is therapeutic. I constantly have a million thoughts going through my head and when I run I am able to work through the different them and release myself from continually thinking about them. I have always loved to just throw on my running shoes and hit the road when I get stressed out or overwhelmed. Running helps me get things in perspective and feel better about what I have to tackle.

It’s interesting to see the different effects running has on Josh and myself. And while the physical act of running is of course good for you, the mental effects are great too! It’s a simple (and inexpensive) way to escape from the stresses of your day and one I highly recommend!