Motivation to Run for Physical Health

I often hear people say, "You love to run." Correction: I don't especially love to run, but I love how running makes me feel - stronger, younger, healthier, happier. Those are the things that motivate me.  I'll admit that sometimes I don't want to run. Sometimes I need a reminder to motivate me to lace up my running shoes and step out the door. Those are the times I need to be reminded why I run.
I intend to be an octogenarian. It isn't really a lofty goal. You see, I come from a long line of octogenarians. It's in my genes. I also have stroke, Type II Diabetes, and heart disease as hereditary risk factors. And so … I run.

If I am going to be eighty-something or even ninety-something, I would like to keep my faculties as long as I can. What good does it do to reach a goal if one can't enjoy it once she arrives? And so … I run.

Running for Heart Health

Fear is a strong motivator. One of my greatest fears is to become debilitated by a stroke. Heart attack follows close behind stroke. One of the greatest benefits of running is improved heart health. We will look at statistics on the cardiovascular effects of running, as well as ways to recognize improvement in your own heart health.

A healthy heart for years to come is good motivation to run!

Running for Weight Control

Beginning runners might be surprised and a little disappointed when the number on the bathroom scale does not drop drastically. While there are a number of reasons for this perceived lack of progress, rest assured that things are changing for the better. You can feel motivated because muscle mass is improving. Things that once were soft are becoming firm. Your risk for Type II Diabetes is lower than it was before you began running and that is fantastic!

Runners are hungry! Watch for tips and encouragement to avoid over fueling or justifying too many snacks.

Running for Physical Endurance

Think of your favorite pastimes. From water-skiing and snow skiing to baking with the grandkids and hiking a mountain trail, your favorite hobbies will benefit from regular running. Fatigue is an enemy to us all. It can stop our fun or stop us in our tracks. Increased endurance gained through running will manifest itself in your ability to walk farther, play longer, and enjoy everyday activities more fully.

Watch for real life stories of improved physical endurance.

Running to Increase Physical Endurance on the Ski Hill

Running to Strengthen Bones and Joints

Don't believe the naysayers! Running makes you stronger. Weight bearing exercise builds bone and weight loss relieves pressure on joints. There is research to prove it, so watch this page for articles that support bone and joint health through running.

What better motivation than to know you are doing something that may prolong your life and make it more enjoyable along the way? I'm a granny and its the best job I've ever had! I want to enjoy it for many years to come!

Why do you run? Please share your motivation tips in the comments below.

Happy Running!
- Carol aka Running Granny Green
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

What Would You Walk a Mile for?

What would you walk a mile for? I grew up in a time when cigarette commercials were acceptable and common on television, long before the Surgeon General required “harmful to your health” warnings on tobacco products. The Marlboro Man was handsome and rode a horse, but more impressive to me was the ad for Camel cigarettes.  “I’d walk a mile for a Camel,” claimed the tired cowboy as he leaned back in a chair, smoked his Camel, and rested his dusty boot clad feet on a fence pole.  In my young mind, a mile must have been a very long way to have worn a hole in the sole of those boots!

In retrospect, it would have been a good idea for that cowboy to walk a mile for every Camel cigarette he smoked. We now know how detrimental to one’s health smoking truly is. We also know how beneficial it is to log a few miles on foot. Unfortunately, some of us are still convinced that a mile is a very long way and we might wear out our shoes, knees, lungs, hearts, or other body parts if we run or walk too many miles. While it is true about the shoes (See this post) most of those other things will benefit from the activity, especially our hearts!

I would walk a mile for these:

·         My heart

·         Better blood pressure readings

·         Lower risk of Type II Diabetes and Stroke

·         To manage my weight

·         Endurance

·         Sense of well-being

·         My husband, children, and grandchildren

Question: What would you walk a mile for? 

Visit A Milefor My Heart on Facebook to tell me what you did for your heart today!


Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!

Happy Running!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

I Run to Ski

Brundage Mountain.  Look at that powder!
 

I’ve mentioned before that I am running away from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, but there are other reasons why I run.
I run to ski.
Skiing isn’t all about the strength of the legs.  In fact, much of skiing is about endurance and a lot about technique.  When I get tired, my technique (which is not expert, anyway) goes out the window.  Fatigue brings on bad habits.  Wow, that’s another essay in itself!  More later on fatigue and bad habits…  Bad ski habits bring on danger and the opportunity for injury.  The more I run, the longer I ski without fatigue.  The longer I ski, the more I improve.  The more I improve, the happier my ski partner!  The happier my ski partner, the more I enjoy skiing.  And so on…

While my avoidance of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes is a long term goal, I have more immediate motivators to keep my running.  Snow skiing is just one of them.  On days when it seems just too hard to lace up my shoes and get out the door, I can remind myself that the ski hill will be much more enjoyable if I just keep running.

What is your motivation? I would like to hear about it in the comments below.

Happy Running!

10 Reasons to go for a run today

Are you tempted to skip a running workout? Here are 10 reasons to go for a run today.

First these 5 things are more life altering than running.

• Heart Attack
• Stroke
• Type II Diabetes
• Depression
• Obesity

And these 5 things are more expensive than running gear ...

• Open heart surgery
• Long term health care
• Insulin
• Counseling
• Gastric bypass

So run! It might save your life AND your pocketbook!

Visit my Training Tips page to help you get started.


Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!

Happy Running!

Carol - aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.