Jealous of a runner

How annoying is it for a dietitian to write a blog post about the joys of running? Personally, I think it's so annoying that I was hesitant to write on this topic....but enjoying exercise has been so revolutionary for me that I feel I can't keep this news to myself. So bear with me. I promise not to be too obnoxious.

I use to hate exercising. It was something I dreaded. It was something I did to burn a specific calorie goal or because I ate a certain thing and felt bad about it. (Quick side note: don't do that.) There was no joy in it. It was a "have to" not a "get to." It was a source of, not only dread, but also guilt and shame on the days it didn't happen. I use to see people out exercising and have this pit in my stomach.

One of the key tenants of the Health at Every Size philosophy is that daily movement should be done for pleasure not punishment. How crazy is that? You mean we're not supposed to drag ourselves to the gym or suffer through an early morning run that we hate in the name of health? No, we're not. And evidence has shown over and over again that if we do hate it/dread it, we probably won't stick with it.

There are so many ways to move and I tried most of them before I found my groove. Rollerblading, step class, P90X, tae-bo in my living room. You name it, I've tried it. SO many all-in phases but none of them stuck because I thought a requirement was that I should be miserable by the end.

So several years ago, with two little ones at home and my exercise routine completely non-existent, I decided to try running 2 miles every other day. I hoped that I couldn't find any excuse to not do that. It took twenty minutes. Almost everyone has twenty minutes they can carve out somewhere in their day.

I kept that schedule for a long time. My kids were small and needy and I was a new graduate student, and that's just what I could swing. I also didn't dread it. It was too short to dread. But I was moving and it felt good.

I found that eventually I wanted to run a bit farther, so I did....meaning one whole mile more. So three big girl miles. I was so proud, and I didn't dread it. And I could always find 30ish spare minutes most days. Well, my Dad and brother are both marathon runners. So I thought I should continue to up my miles once I had more time. So I did. And I hated it. I dreaded it. I wanted to skip days. It felt like punishment. So I went back to three miles. And here I am eight years later and most days, I run three miles.

But I love it. I really do. I look forward to my morning run. And when I see someone out running now, I feel jealous, not guilty or relieved it's not me.

I honestly think "exercising" has been so shoved down our throats as some hardcore, unpleasant thing that we do as a means to an end. And while there are many long term benefits and reasons why we should try to move every day, it doesn't have to be a chore. I encourage my clients to find something to do that they love, or at the very least, don't mind so much. That is much more sustainable in the long run. Find something you "get to" do each day not "have to" do.....a dance class, tennis, a bike ride. One of my dearest friends recently bought a rowing machine. Who knew those things were making a comeback from 1988? But she loves it. She keeps it on her porch and does it for 30 minutes everyday as the sun is rising.

Sometimes I feel like I'm not allowed to call myself a runner because I only run three miles. I don't have a belt of sport nutrition gel strapped around my waist, and unless I'm running with my Dad, I don't even monitor my splits. I just run...usually with my dog, most often before the sun comes out. And it's like church for me.

My hope for my clients is to help them find sustainable lifestyle changes that fit who they already are. To reshape the strict views of healthy eating and meaningful exercise so people look forward to what they "get to" eat and how they "get to" move each and every glorious day.