Running Essentials

I started endurance running when I was in high school. My family was extremely confused when I started getting up before the sun was out and pushing myself up hills and around the neighbourhood. My dad even made me carry a whistle and keep my keys in my hand just in case - but I only ever saw one other person on my morning runs. It was an old man who walked forward and then backward. We had an understanding.

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I think besides the high of feeling accomplished after a long run, or pushing myself to my limits, my next favorite thing about running are all of the faces that begin to look familiar that eventually become knowing nods and friendly waves.

Now that self-isolation has me upping my running goals, maybe you want to try the same! Today I’m sharing some of my favorite running essentials for taking on the trails with me. Enjoy!

Related: Six Free Apps I Use to Track my Health

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Do you run? What are some of your must-haves?

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Get 10K Steps A Day (Even During Self-Isolation)

A few years ago, my husband  surprised me with a Fitbit for my birthday. While the competitive spirit in our house escalated a tad (all in good fun, mind you!), it definitely made me aware of my movement every day. I wore it to school every day, and it seemed that every time one of my students came to school after having a birthday, they were also sporting a Fitbit and we checked in on each other during the day to see where we were at. They sure motivated me, and I even started walking laps around them at recess! Such fun. 

Now, I don’t wear it nearly as much as I used to, but the habits it helped me to create have stayed. I realized how active (or how inactive, really) I was and I want to stay healthy. Movement is part of that!

I was always active and involved in sports and always absolutely love running (and went faithfully every morning!), but since getting a full-time job, my movement has decreased quite a bit. When I was in school, I’d be either playing sports, at the gym or running all the time, and got at least 5 days a week of activity. I do still try to exercise for myself at least 5 times a week but now I’m much more aware of how much time I spend unnecessarily sitting throughout the day. 

To be honest, this post has been sitting in my drafts for quite some time! Now that so many of you are working from home and maybe not getting as much movement as you are used to (or should be getting), I thought I would finally finish off this post. 

I’ve read that sitting and inactivity has been coined worse than smoking. Even the Mayo Clinic has quite a bit to say about it. 

I’m no step master, and a lot of my activity doesn’t even involve steps, but I decided to share some easy ideas for you to try and get closer to ten thousand steps a day.

Set a timer for every thirty minutes and get up and move!

Walk around the room while you’re reading, but maybe make sure it’s a clear space or look up once in a while, okay?

Walk around when on the phone. Kill two birds with one stone by calling up those you care about who are also stuck in their homes. Have a great, fulfilling conversation and check-in while wearing a track in your carpet! You can also do this outside.

Tidy your house. You’d be surprised how many steps you can get tidying your house or doing chores. I score large when I do laundry; going up and down the two flights of stairs really adds up when there are several loads to do!

Join a challenge. Fitbit is one easy way to do it if you’re using one to track your steps already, and there are so many apps out there that are social! Add some friends and set up a challenge! It’s easy AND fun! 

Walk or run in place during commercials if you’re watching TV. Just get up during commercials and get the blood flowing. Do a lap around the room or get some pushups in (not really steps, but movement!). 

Use a different bathroom. Maybe opt to use the powder room on the main floor if you’re working upstairs in your office or vice versa!

Perhaps you could even drink more water so that your trips to the bathroom are more frequent!

Speaking of the home office, think about a standing desk or even a treadmill desk! 

Park in the far end of the parking lot, if you need groceries, but don’t be unsafe. Make sure it’s well lit if it’s dark out and be vigilant as you are walking - even better if someone is with you. But practice social distancing!

Just go. Instead of asking someone to bring you something while you’re lounging, go and get it yourself!

Go for a Walk. Or a run. I left this for last since it’s so obvious! Get outside and get moving! Not only will your body thank you for it, your mind will as well.

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How have you been getting in your steps lately?

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Tips for Leading a More Active Lifestyle

A few years ago, my husband surprised me with a Fitbit for my birthday. While the competitive spirit in our house escalated a tad (all in good fun, mind you!), it definitely made me aware of my movement every day. I don’t wear it now nearly as much as I used to, but the habits it helped me to create have stayed. I realized how active (or how inactive, really) I was and I want to stay healthy. Movement is part of that!

This year I decided to get back into being more active. When I was in school I was always quite active and involved in sports and always absolutely love running (and went faithfully every morning!). Since getting a full-time job, however, my movement decreased quite a bit. Inactivity has been proven to be unhealthy, some people even going as far to say that it’s the new smoking, so I figured I should get back to it.

Since the beginning of this year, I have successfully been more active in my everyday life besides the almost daily exercise I do. Since I have had quite a few people ask me about it, I thought I’d write up a post on some tips for leading a more active lifestyle. 

Just Start

Sometimes it’s best to just start when you feel the motivation in the moment. Oftentimes, when we say, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” tomorrow never comes. Even if you don’t completely know what you are doing, start! An easy place to start would be taking a walk, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day. 5 minutes even. Something is better than nothing.

Find Something You Love

Once you’ve started, don’t quit just because you might hate it. Sometimes it takes a while to find the exercise or activity you enjoy the most. I enjoy running, so it made it easier for me to want to get up and do it. Explore different mediums of exercise. If I hadn’t tried new things, I would have never known how much I enjoy spin classes or Pilates!

Take Note of How You Feel After Exercising

Do you feel great after exercising? Maybe you feel stronger and fitter just because you made some sweat get wiped off your brow? Do you feel energized after taking a walk? Hang onto these feelings and use them as motivation when you are dreading it. If you know you’re going to feel great afterward, you’ll want to get right to it!

Find Creative Ways to Stay Active

Doing fitness programs can be good for some people, but for others, the first step is to just be active in the first place. Once you start consciously thinking about ways to be active, it will come naturally. Some good ways to keep active aside from a workout routine could be:

• Go for walks

• Park farther away from the entrance

• Take the stairs

• Push the vacuum rather than using a robot vacuum

• Do some yard work

• Scrub the bathtub 

• Do laundry

• Add some treadmill time to your TV time

• Go on a hike

Get In Tune With Your Body

Appreciate your body and what it can do. If you start having a gratitude mindset, you’ll shift your focus on what you “have” to do, to what you are able to do! Be grateful you can walk. Be happy that you are able to see progress. Find small things and celebrate them! Along with being in tune with your body, know when you need to rest. Our bodies are very good at telling us what they want if we would just listen.

Make Goals

Create some goals so that you can CELEBRATE wins once you achieve them. It’s best if your goals can be seen. For example, if you want to exercise 3 times a week, schedule it and cross it out when you’re done. 

Create a Habit

It’s true, feeling motivated is not a reality sometimes. By creating habits, you set yourself up for better success (by the way, you should check out this awesome book on habits!). 

Don’t Forget to Rest

Your body needs rest and recovery as much as it needs movement and exercise! This is much overlooked. Don’t overdo it and your body will thank you!

Grace Over Guilt

Instead of focusing on changing alllllll the habits, start with one and add on as you go. If you mess up, it’s okay! Don’t let that hinder you from getting back up and trying again.

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What kinds of active things do you enjoy doing? I have fallen in love with doing Pilates with Robin Long over at The Balanced Life. If you want to check it out, click here to use my referral code!

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Seize the Moment - Choose the Corner: Stay at Home Workout Guide

There are days when your home feels too comfy to leave it, and since gym memberships can be quite costly, sometimes your home seems like the best option for getting your workout done. So, turn your house or apartment into a private and budget-friendly gym with this home workout guide.  Get your yoga mat, put on your workout clothes and get ready to discover easy and fun ways you can get fit and healthy right without ever leaving the comfort of your home.  

When You Feel Like Staying In

When you just feel like spending your day inside and not going out in the cold, there are simple and effective indoor workouts you can try. You don’t need much equipment, just a plain yoga mat or an old blanket for some knee and back protection. When it comes to the exercises, aside from basic sit-ups, pushups and crunches, you can also do some stair stepping that will definitely raise your heart rate. If you don’t have stairs in your home, you can still do this exercise with the biggest book you can find or a small chair or bench. You can also add some arm and back exercises with weights or water bottles. Water bottles are quite handy as weights because you can adjust the weight to your fitness level. 

When You Feel Like Staying in Bed

If you would do anything to stay a few extra minutes in bed in the morning, we have some good news for you. You don’t even have to get up to do your morning workout! Stay in bed and still get a workout  in with some simple exercises you can do right on your mattress. Choose a few every day (or complete the whole set) and try circuit training. Complete as many reps as you can in 30 seconds, take a 10-second break and get onto the next exercise. These will get your blood pumping and you’ll certainly burn more calories than scrolling through Instagram in bed. 

When You Need to Stay In

If you work from home sitting in front of your computer screen for hours and after you’re done, you just want to relax and stretch out on the sofa, you have to know that you’re not doing yourself a favor. Research shows that prolonged sitting is bad for your lungs, heart, back and your mental health. So, if you want to break this cycle and get some exercise while at your desk, embrace deskercising! For your office workouts, you don’t need any special equipment aside from things you can find in your home office, such as books, desks, a chair and yourself. You can do all sorts of exercises like leg raises, chair crunches or table pushups. One great way to get moving in your office is to pace every time you’re on the phone! You’ll stretch your legs and put some extra steps on your Fitbit. Pro tip: either find a good ergonomic chair for your office or get a soft pillow that will protect your back from prolonged sitting.

For Those Who Have A Pool

If you’re one of those lucky people with a backyard pool, you basically have the best piece of workout equipment at home: water! Depending on the size of your pool, you can start swimming laps or engage in some water aerobics. These exercises will do wonders for your posture, weight, muscles and your overall health. All you need is some basic swimming pool equipment like goggles and you’re ready to go. 

For Those With a Backyard

If you have a backyard, you have a whole new world of workout options (hello, cardio!). Cardio is great for improving your heart health, boosting your metabolism, shedding fat and keeping you fit and toned. So, try organizing a boot camp in your backyard that will leave you absolutely breathless.

As you can see, your level of activity doesn’t depend on the weather, budget or time; you can get good workouts at home. All you need is 15-30 minutes, some basic equipment and the motivation to get moving! 

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Faith is a writer, seeking beauty everywhere she goes and finding it in art, nature, family, and home. Passionate about just living life to the fullest, she’s into home decor and healthy lifestyle, trying to be the best version of herself and make her surroundings match.

If you are interested in guest posting, check out the guest posting guidelines for Maple Alps, here. 

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