Ever feel like you were born to run a la our main running-man muse Forrest Gump?
Uno problemo is, we’d probably cook it a few hours into the “3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours” running rampage that he nailed, thanks to pure boredom, tiredness and downright soreness.
That’s why we need to combat the excuses that prevent us from smashing our personal best head-on, with foolproof hacks to excel at our running game. From motivational tunes and apps to riding that competitive streak, we got your new running benchmarks covered.
Sorry/not sorry, but you’ll be huffing and puffing like an actual storybook wolf by the time we’re done with you.
LET MUSIC & TECH BE YOUR INSPIRATION
Whether it’s music pumping through the earphones or pushy apps that track your progress, technology + fitness = wins all ’round.
It’s a tale as old as time that music makes you want to boogie, so natch you’ll be keen on getting up and moving. There’s a reason people use their fave songs for alarms, duh. Plus, plenty of research confirms that music makes exercise seem easier and less mundane, which makes sense ’cause what even is boredom when Kendrick is playing?
A leading expert on the psychology of exercise music, Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University in London, said that music is pretty much “a type of legal performance-enhancing drug“, essentially because it can make you exercise longer and harder, and in turn have you kicking all your personal goals.
So yeah, pop in those headphones, ’cause, like natural, healthy and authentic progression and all that, y’know? There’s a “sweet spot” between 120 and 140 beats per minute that you’ll want on the playlist, because when the tempo’s too fast/slow it can do more harm than good.
Nifty apps will also help you get those ~results~, and there’s legit so many going ’round which are so busy being smart on yo’ phones that they track your progress for you. Think of them as a modern-day beep test.
Whether you’ve taken a decent timeout from the running circuit (ah, helloooo Christmas, NYE, summer-in-general break, we looking at you), or looking for a lil’ diversity in your running routine, there’s an app for every running need. We like to think of them as our very own free PT. Cheeeyeah.
MAKE RUNNING BUDDIES
Finding a running buddy will almost always push you to your limits — and also make sure we actually get off our behinds and out that door — thanks to the innate competition within us all. That being said, Thomas Plante, a PhD and professor in psychology at Santa Clara University, explained that, “Who you exercise with matters“.
A study he conducted showcased that you’ll want to buddy up with someone who has a similar or a higher fitness level, as people who exercise together mimic the behaviour of their partner. One thing’s for sure: they’ll definitely kill any boredom.
BUY FITNESS CLOTHES THAT FIT RIGHT
You ain’t going nowhere if you’re uncomfortable as all hell — which can sometimes be a head-to-toe dilemma during exercise — and it’s too often used to pardon yourself from the best performance everrrr on the running circuit.
One ah-maze thing about the current fitness craze is that designers understand the need for performance-enhancing fabrics and fits while still being stylin’ at the same time.
Whether it’s absorbent materials for all that lovely sweat you’re releasing or undies to stop the bouncinnng ‘round like Matt Shervington, you wanna be as comfy as humanly possible while working out. Do your research and know what you’re buying, and fo’ the love of god, try before you buy. Do a little spot jog or star jump in the changing room for all we care — you’ll thank us later.
Shoes are among the most important for GETTIN’ IT DONE, because ain’t nobody got time for blisters and bandaids and other dirt things starting with “b”. That crap hurts like a mother and the wrong shoe can also have you experiencing serious ish-shoes like shin splints and aching heels.
Now that you’re all out of excuses — we expect some serious ~personal best~ activation from the lot of you.
