Do you want a healthy body? Running is the best thing which feels good. After a few weeks of running, you will feel some changes in your brain chemicals such as dopamine and endocannabinoids. These chemicals will be released during running, and you will feel good about yourself. But before doing this, it is necessary to put yourself out the door. Dedication and willpower are important for making running a habit. There are a few steps that help beginners to make running a habit.
1-Make a Plan
Duhigg says that every habit acquires some cues such as place, time, mood, music, routine, reward, and other people's help. Select the cues and start to run. If you want to make a running habit, you can make a plan with cues and rewards. Let's say the most suitable time for running is morning with an energizing music mix, and your reward is a relaxing period, hot shower. You will make a plan that I will run in the morning with this music, and after that, I'll take time for a relaxing, hot shower. If this plan is not working, try to change the cues and rewards and start to run.
2- Be Consistent
Every habit acquires proper time and regularity. Create a fixed routine and force your body that it is a time of running and repeat this routine regularly. Start to run at the same time, use the cues and rewards during this period. According to Dughigg, "To convert something into a habit such as running, cues trigger you to do this, and in this way, you have to be consistent." Try to create neural pathways that convert the activity into a habit.
3-Reward Yourself after Running
After running, treat yourself with genuine rewards, a hot shower, a piece of dark chocolate, and a smoothie. In this way, your brain associates with the reward and forces you to do it again. Use the cue of rewards immediately after the exercise that makes something automatic. It would help if you taught the brain about cues (rewards) by doing them repeatedly.
4-Develop Your Support System
Your support system is an essential process to make something a habit. Your support system will feel good and force you to run. Let's say, run with friends, determine your miles and see the progress. If your fitness improves, you will become more confident. Running with friends provides competition and support.
5- Setting Up Some Accountability
Find some accountability is an important step to become a regular runner. There are different ways to do this, but for the beginner, here are some tips:
- Join race competition
- Join running group
- Use running apps like Reddit, The Daily Mile
If you feel that you are not regular in your work, accountability will help you keep on the right track.
6- Start Walking
Walking is the initial step to make a running habit. Many people start to run 3 miles per day; they are tired and injured at the end of a week. Start with slow progress is the best way to adopt something as a habit. Don't put yourself in difficulty at the start of work. Adopt it slowly and then keep it up to the advanced level.
7- Take Rest Days
Best habits are important, but rest time is an essential thing to make progress in continue. It is a good idea to one day off after every week. This off day helps you to recover your muscles, stay fresh and injury-free. If you do not do rest, then your work will become too hard for you and you will get tired. If you want to keep running, continue, you will take rest days. Rest days prevent you from muscle aching and keep you fresh.
7- Get Healthier
Proper sleep and eat healthier are important for making you a regular runner. Getting proper sleep and eating healthier feel you better and making you able to run many more miles. Healthy habits bring positive changes to your life.
Conclusion
All the beginners have no idea about how to make running a habit. All the steps mentioned above are important to adopt running a habit. Follow these steps and enrolled yourself into a running habit.
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