Yes, I did something that I am loathe to do. As far as personal maintenance tasks are concerned, flossing, clipping my toenails, tweezing my eyebrows, and facial glycolic peels are all preferred to what I did this morning. This morning, May 25th, 2009, I went for a run. ::pauses another moment to allow readers to catch their breath::
In my blog, I talk about a lot of random ass, seemingly unrelated things, but I would argue that there is at least one common theme: navigating this cesspool of emotions and experiences called life. I've done at least one book review, mused on experiences I've had directly related to my trans identity, explored experiences related to my black identity, and I've talked about wizards and cupcakes. I rarely touch on politics, largely because it was my ill-chosen major for 4 years and have tried to distance myself from anything containing the words, "diplomatic efforts, aid, 'solution', agreements, conflict, and arms," (well, not 'arms' like biceps, but 'arms' like weapons... yeah.)
So continuing with the wreck that is my train of thoughts, I wanted to talk about fitness for the summer; namely, how any fat body can become healthier and more fit. ::waits for laughter to subside:: Yes, ladies, gentlemen, and undecided/gender avoidant, I do actually know something about living a healthy, fit lifestyle. And despite my financial situation, I'm willing to give you advice FOR FREE in my four part series.
Part One: Cardio
Part Two: Strength
Part Three: Food
Part Four: Energy
Don't worry, each of these posts will be relatively short. 'Relative', of course, being the operative word... So yes. Running. I'm not a runner. I've never been a runner, and in all likelihood, you will probably never find my ass trudging through the Marine Corps Marathon. But of all forms of cardio, running is consistently my favorite. (Swimming and cycling are close second.) Running does a couple of things: 1) it builds your leg muscles, the largest muscles in your body and therefore greater engines for fat burning, 2) it gives you a few minutes to clear your mind, like meditating, but also gives you a rush of endorphins to help stave off depression, and 3) cardiovascular strengthening helps prevent heart-related illness down the road. Yay! (Of course, you have to keep it up.)
But everyone thinks, "I'm too fat," or "I'm too slow," or "I have too many ___ problems." First of all, we need to separate excuses from reasons before beginning to run. When I say this, my greatest intent is not to suggest Beginning an Exercise Routine. I simply mean beginning to run, like incorporating flossing into your teeth brushing routine. There are amputees who run WAYYYYYY faster than many of us will ever be able to. They didn't use their lack of legs as an 'excuse' not to run. (That said, if you, reader, have a serious medical condition, I am not at all advocating that that's not a reason to abstain. Capice? Please take care of yourself. I will suggest further options for you later in this blog.)
Running is not hard. In fact, our ancestors learned to run before they swam, cycled, played tennis, etc. It's merely a matter of putting on some seasonally appropriate clothing (a stupid t-shirt from a work fundraiser will do) and some athletic shoes (no, you don't need air jordans to make you run faster and better.) Also, you don't need an expensive gym membership or even access to costly gym equipment (treadmill). Gravity withstanding, the GROUND (read: Earth, pavement, sidewalk, grass, turf, track, etc.) is your optimal place to run. Your legs are forced to do all the work, instead of a treadmill which moves the surface along for you. So let's go over our materials checklist:
-ground. Hills optional.
-athletic shoes. Stillettos are not preferred, though some ladies do a great job running in heels.
-socks. Always a great thing to wear with shoes. Holiday decorations/days of week optional.
-t-shirt. Or a sweatshirt if it's sub-zero temperatures outside.
-shorts. Or sweatpants, see above.
-portable media device. Nice luxury, but optional. Nature also sounds good.
-running partner. Best asset you'll ever have, provided they're not excessively negative.
Like Ratatouille's "Anyone Can Cook," I will argue that "Anyone Can Run." I even got my mom, after 3 back surgeries--resulting in a fused spine, 3 Caesarian sections, and 2 knee surgeries to run a couple of meters last summer!
When you get ready to run, your routine should look something like this:
Warm up--jog/cycle/do jumping jacks to get your heart rate up and your blood moving
Stretch--stretch lightly but thoroughly
Run--enjoy a mini-vacation from your day
Cool down--walk a few minutes until your heart rate returns to normal
Stretch again-- you should be a little more pliable now that your muscles are warmer
Shower--enjoy a relaxing, eco-friendly shower
Start/End your day!
Hit me up if you have any questions. I purposely didn't include anything about timing, intervals, etc. If you wanna be a competitive runner, I'm not the person to go to for that. But if you want to just feel better in your daily life, maybe drop a few pounds, and have more energy, then my info should suffice.
Awww, I love you people. And non-people. I love you too. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment