Motivation

Running. I am always asked why and where I get my motivation for it. There is nothing else like it. I stumbled upon a girl's blog today and I hope she doesn't mind that I give her some publicity....www.chicrunner.com . I read some of her blogs and she really has some amazing posts about running. I was on mile 2 today with my boyfriend, Tread Mill, and I just felt such a high. Running relieves my stress, clears my mind, makes me feel stronger, detoxes my body (I drip buckets! Kinda gross, but I am keepin it real here), makes me happier. When I haven't ran, I can tell. I am crabbier (poor N!), and I just feel so blah and unproductive. I used to HATE running in High School. My bestie since I was 4 years old and I used to make up every excuse we could come up with to get out of running the MILE 1X a week! ONE MILE PEOPLE!! Today, I run 3 miles everyday!! AND I SMILE WHILE DOING IT!! Well...maybe not smile WHILE I'm doing it, but after I've showered and eaten something delish and downed a huge glass of water, I am smiling. If you would have told me in high school that would run 5K's in an actual race and run 5K's on my own at home, I would laughed and walked away (Literally- WALKED away, that's how much I despised running).

A lot of people will argue that running is bad for your joints and walking is better. While I agree with this statement made by mostly family physician's, I also think there is something to be said about chasing the pavement, concentrating on controlling your breath, and for that 20, 30, 60 minute run, you are the only thing that matters. For me running is so therapeutic (although I do believe in REAL therapy. Like with a Dr and a couch), and I get such a high/relaxation cocktail that is better than anything I could ever get in a box (or pringles can :D). Now, this brings me to this: Karli's tip of the day: If you like to walk, you should walk. You should try to get in at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity 5 times a week. Since running IS hard on your joints, and if you have had problems with joints in the past, I am going to recommend something a little less impact. Such as an elliptical, stair step, recumbent bike or a rowing machine. All give great workouts and are low impact on the joints. N is more attracted to the elliptical due to the fact that while he was in the Marines (OORAH!), he was always training and jumping out of huge tall trucks and helicopters, which screwed up his knees, so elliptical is a great choice for him. PS. On a side note, I LOVE working out with him. It makes it way more enjoyable and I do consider it quality time together. Giving you a couple of options of aerobic equipment, I am also going to add that you should switch up your workouts often to keep you body guessing. Especially if your goals are to lose weight.

So what motivates you? Is it that picture of Marissa Miller's abs plastered all over your treadmill? Or is it that thing your pig of an ex boyfriend said on that last text? Whatever it is, find it and keep it!