When you are thinking about making a change to your lifestyle and adding in a form of exercise, you might make the great choice to start running. But as with any change to your habits, not all things are easy to keep motivated about. It is easy when the mornings start getting cold, or when you are feeling tired, to stop doing it and fall back into old less healthy habits. Finding a way to stay committed and motivated is something that all of us struggle with. There are more options today to help with that, with advances in technology like watches and music devices and there are also more groups you might choose to join, something like an online running club could help when you are struggling.
Strategies to stay running
1) Run earlier not later
When you are leaving your run till the evening it is easier to skip it after a hard day. Get it done earlier and you are usually still more motivated to do it and have more energy for it. A lot of people have a morning run before school or work. When it becomes part of your usual routine it is something you are less likely to avoid. It is easy for a hectic life to make things harder the further in the day you get. If morning is not possible consider a lunch run, or even after work before you head home. You can use a running club app to keep you connected with other runners and to motivate.
2) Have plans to deal with the weather
A lot of people use bad weather as an excuse to stop running, when it is cold it is less pleasant and physically harder. It is also less safe when you deal with early sunsets, icy conditions and so on. Running in the right clothing is key to getting you through this. Shoes that stop you slipping, layers to help with the cold and protect if it rains and reflective gear so you are visible. If you really cannot run outside consider running on a treadmill or at a gym.
3) Try some events!
Sometimes preparing for events can be very motivational. You have something to focus on and a more immediate reason to keep doing it. You can look for local runs coming up, or you can join an online running club and join some of their competitions and events.
4) Keep in mind why you are doing this
An important thing to keep in your mind is why you are doing it. Running gets you more fit, helps you lose weight, relieves stress, improves general health, and could get you off medications you might be taking!
5) Be kinder to yourself
Whatever you chose to use, a running club app, gadgets, watches, monitors, and so on you also need to just be kinder to yourself. It is okay to not go once in a while. It is okay if you run slower for a while or take the time to properly recover from an injury.
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