Do Your Cardio Run

It’s not uncommon for friends to lament that they run because they have to, not because they choose to. Is it really that torturous to run? After much consideration, my answer is I don’t think so. It is definitely not.

Running should come as naturally to us as all our other daily activities like eating, talking, walking, sleeping and bathing.

Remember how most of us started moving on uneven steps towards our parents when we were toddlers? Or even attempting to run away ahead of them when we were brought to the fun fair or playground? Yes, running is an innate ability that all of us possess. For some of us, we have just forgotten how it feels like to run.

You may not run like Asafa Powell setting new Olympic sprint record timings in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. You don’t have to run like Powell or any other athlete. You just have to run, be yourself and have fun!

After putting a good pair of running shoes and doing your warm-up stretches, it’s time to let your hair down and run!

Despite all the grouses, running is one of the most popular cardiovascular (or cardio for short) exercises as it’s free. You can run practically anywhere – on the track, in the park, on the beach, on the treadmill, on the streets or around your neighbourhood.

The timings for your first few runs may be nothing much to shout about. In fact, they will be dismal. Maybe you will only be able to run for 5 minutes before you become breathless. This is perfectly normal. You slowly increase the run time from 5 minutes to 10 minutes and then beyond. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Should you persevere, your stamina will increase gradually and that’s when you will really start to enjoy your runs and the joy it brings. The feelings of breathlessness, tiredness and dizziness will dissipate as you continue with your runs on a regular basis. In its place, you will experience the feelings of freedom and exhilaration. Besides helping you to burn fat and expend the extra calories, running is truly therapeutic as you feel fresher and think more clearly after the run.

Heed my advice. Start running and hang in there. You will start loving it more. And when you do, you will run because you choose to.