Running

I run. Which is an activity many people don't find fun. Myself included. Sometimes. I know that sounds contradictory. And it is. But there are times when running is exactly what I need and few other physical activities can replace it. Surfing and soccer are usually at the top of my list but sometimes with surfing the getting to a clean beach takes more effort than I have and with soccer sometimes I just don't feel like being social (Hard to believe I know!). So for those kinds of days throwing on my running shoes and simply stepping outside my apartment feels amazing. For awhile I was potentially addicted to running marathons. My first year in California I ran three. There was something about losing myself for hours in monotenous exercise that I needed and actually enjoyed. I say actually because as I'm preparing myself to run the San Francisco Marathon this coming Sunday I can't say I've felt that too many times in the last few months. But when it happens it's this meditative state that leaves me refreshed and ready to conquer all. And that is what I love most about running. The other things I love about it:

1. Keeps me skinny. Hey, I'm not above the superficialness of exercise even if I do it for more than that.
2. Great way to enjoy the scenery. It's amazing what you pick up on when running compared to driving/riding in a car.
3. You're automatically in the club. There's something about runners (more than any other sport I've participated in) that leads them as a collective to talk to anyone else running anywhere anytime.
4. The admiration. This is more of a joke but I've noticed that people are more impressed when you run longer distances than with anything else.
5. Food. You can eat whatever you want but it also motivates you to crave the healthy stuff (Guess that's true about any physical activity but I needed a fifth reason.).



Do you love or hate to run and why? What other physical activities pump you up?

Racing

Yesterday I talked about how much fun exercise in general can be. Today I'm advocating for the potential fun competing in a race holds. Now I know some of you are going to say, "I totally sucked at sports all through school. There's no way in hell I'm going to start competing in anything now." Before you completely write this off keep an open mind and read this article and then my take on it. If you still aren't convinced then I guess you're one less person I have to worry about beating in a race!

My take on Su Reid-St. John's 5 reasons to do a race:
1. It gives you a goal: I've always been a goal oriented person. I need something to strive for and accomplish in order to feel like a complete person. Luckily my parents recognized that at an early age and signed me up for little kid track, which turned into soccer and basketball and softball and a million other athletic competitions, not to mention academic competitions. For those of you who aren't naturally this way, signing up and paying those god awful fees to run a probably longer than you've ever run distance should be enough to get you going. It also makes that weight loss/getting into better shape goal more realistic because as Ms. Reid-St. John stated, you need to be at a certain level of physical shape in order to be competitive.

2. It's an excuse to take time for yourself: When I trained for my first marathon it was my last semester of college complete with 21 course units, a senior honors project, applying for real jobs, substitute teaching, and trying to spend as much time with friends I would soon be parting. I was busy enough without tossing 18 mile runs (at one time) into the mix. However, I found that taking that time for myself was the best thing I could have done to cut down on the stress from that semester. And since then I've run a number of marathons while carrying on my still ever busy life and it's only made it easier. There's something meditative about performing the same physical action over and over (once you get past the barely able to breathe or move feeling), not to mention getting out into nature.

3. It allows for built-in girl time: Or guy time. Or more generally friend time. If you're training with others (as I often do) it gives you a significant amount of uninterrupted time to bond. Having to occupy significant amounts of time that can often become quite challenging at times promotes deeper conversations and necessitates encouragement. I'm currently training with the bf for the San Francisco marathon (his first) and it's probably done as much to strengthen our relationship as anything else.

4. It's an excellent way to see the country (or the world): I've mostly ran races in my own backyard but I've never been to San Francisco so I've become really excited about exploring such a neat city in a different way.

5. You come away with an awesome feeling of accomplishment: There is no way you can enter a race and not come away feeling changed. Most of my races have consisted of marathons, which for me is a much more emotional, mental and physical experience than say, a 5K but at the same time has very similar effects on finishers. You cross that line knowing you accomplished that goal you set out to do and that's the feeling that turns you into a racing addict! Los Angeles has a really cool program called Students Run LA, which trains "at risk" students in the Los Angeles area to run the LA Marathon. Now even though I run those crazy races now there's no way I would have even thought about doing it as a teenager so I can only imagine the accomplishment those amazing children must feel crossing the finish line.

And if I still haven't convinced you to run a race there are also many races designed specifically for the fun factor that combine other activities in with the race such as The Great Urban Race or http://warriordash.com/ amongst many others.


Crossing the finish line of my first LA Marathon

Exercise

In my post yesterday I mentioned exercise as a way to improve your mood and up your fun potential. However, I also know that the word "exercise" comes with a stigma for most people. Some associations people have with "exercise" are sweating it out on a treadmill, lifting ever so boring weights, an unused gym membership. I actually googled "percentage of gym memberships that go unused" but was unable to locate any seemingly accurate data. I'm guessing it's huge, though, based on my own unofficial data collection. Myself, I HATE gyms! So I don't go to them. Instead I do "exercise" I enjoy and because of that I stay in great shape (Well, I'm getting back to the great shape... we'll use good for now.). The key to enjoying "exercise" is to only do physical activity you enjoy! Rocket science, I know. I'll be expecting my Nobel Prize next round. Not only will you enjoy the time you spend "exercising" but it's also been shown that a positive attitude improves weight loss. Here's my extensive list of fun "exercise" (I wish I had time for all of these.). I'm sure everyone who really wants to enjoy their workout will find something on here.

Aerobics classes
Baby-sitting (Not exactly a registered "exercise" but you'll get plenty of it chasing kids around playing.)
Backpacking
Basketball
Bicycling
Canoeing/Kayaking
Dancing (Surprise exercise!)
Dodgeball (This might not be for everyone due to gym class nightmares but I believe they're using softer balls these days.)
Gymnastics
Hiking/Walking
Hockey
Hopscotch
Jumping rope
Kickball (Coed kickball leagues are the new bars.)
Paddle boarding
Pilates (Hard as hell!)
Pole Dancing
Rock climbing
Running
Skiing
Snowboarding
Softball (Baseball too for those of you who are more hard core.)
Soccer
Softball
Surfing
Swimming
Tai Chi
Wake boarding
Water skiing
Yoga

Another benefit of many of these activities is that they're team activities so it's a great way to meet new people and/or have a support group while "exercising." There's nothing like sweating it up with others to max the fun potential. One place to find teams/partners for fun "exercise" activities is Meetup.

Any I left off you really enjoy?



Now here are some peeps having a good time "exercising"