Jogging is one of the best ways to get healthier in my opinion -- it exercises your heart, and also builds up leg muscles. Not only is jogging a good way to get healthy, but I find it easier to relax when I'm jogging, to just block everything out of my mind except making it to the finish line. It's a good way to get away from all of the troubles in life, and zone out. Here are some tips I have for jogging:
1. Bring a music player with you! I find it easier to jog for long periods of time with music playing, because it helps me zone out, and all I have to concentrate on is the lyrics to the song, and making sure I don't crash into a tree or fall into a lake. Make sure you make a "Running Playlist" and fill it with fast songs because I find it hard to jog to the beat of "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion, compared to a faster tempo song.
2. If you're a speed demon, good for you. If you're just starting to get into the habit of jogging, be sure you don't go too fast, or you're going to tire out faster. You have to pace yourself! It's not about the speed, but it's rather about your heart beats. Not everyone's heart is the same, so you'll all have different speeds where your heart is working hard. Once you find that you can run a little faster without getting really tired, then bump up the speed.
3. When you're jogging, don't stop if you can. Sure, if you're leg is going to burst open at any second, please stop. If you think you can keep going, then keep going. The length of your jogging duration is important because that means your heart is going to be working harder for a longer period of time. I don't usually stop when I jog, but when I feel tired, I start to jog slower. I find it harder to start jogging again once you stop, so it's probably better to jog slower when you feel tired.
4. Find a nice place to jog. I probably wouldn't want to be jogging along a roadside, with all the noise around me. My jogging place is the local lake. It's scenic, it has fellow joggers, and overall it's a good environment (when hooligans aren't running around on skateboards, trying to run you over). I find it's easier to jog in a scenic place, compared to a place that is... well... ugly.
5. Find a jogging buddy! I haven't found one yet, but I would imagine that jogging with a friend is better then jogging by yourself (someone call me!). You'll push each other speed wise, and you'll make each other try harder. Also, you'll need someone to call 911 when you die... just kidding. ;)
So, that concludes the second installment of Alex's Guide to a Healthier You! If you have any other tips for people, feel free to leave a comment on this post. Please try not to leave a comment that could potentially... kill the people that try to follow the advice given. Remember, exercising is not about losing weight! It's actually about getting healthy, and I think a lot of people have lost that idea in their head. All these people exercise just to lose weight, and that's a wrong way of thinking. You exercise because you want to become healthier, and losing weight is just a pleasant side effect!
Have fun getting healthier. :)
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