But I hate running 😩
Oh I hear you sista – I hear you loud and clear!
To be honest I personally don’t enjoy running all that much but I do it for a few select reasons.
Let’s quickly break down WHY people run when it comes to health and fitness and then we can go through a few details to help you decide if it’s worth trying to make peace with it (as I have) for your personal situation and goals.
Ok so starting at the top – why are these crazy people running when we invented cars in like the 1800’s??
Most people who are running when they don’t have to are probably trying to improve their aerobic conditioning.
So just what the hell is aerobic conditioning?
🤓 Aerobic conditioning is a process of training the heart and lungs to pump blood more efficiently, allowing more oxygen to be delivered to muscles and organs.
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This type of training is usually done with a heart rate of around 120-150 beats per minute (BPM)
🙋🏼♀️ Hmm… but what does that ACTUALLY mean?
If only we could train our car to get more kms per tank right?
Our bodies don’t like being under stress or working hard, anymore than our mind does 🥵. So when we put it under a certain amount of stress, it will do whatever it can to ADAPT – to make sure it doesn’t struggle as much next time this mad woman running the show makes it run to catch the bus.
The more time we practice generating a certain OUTPUT (eg jogging at 6-7km per hour) the less INPUT (energy spent pumping oxygen) our bodies will need to maintain that same OUTPUT. This is an example of how our bodies ADAPT to stress.
So… How would aerobic conditioning help me?
If you want to find running for the bus, chasing after the kids, or basically anything in day-to-day life that tends to make you puffed easier – this can definitely help!
Argh but I HATE running, do I REALLY have to?
Now here’s something that might come as a surprise… NOPE! You do not, I repeat do NOT have to run in order to condition your aerobic system. Any form of activity that gets your heart rate into the 120-150bpm zone is fine.
Sessions should start at 30 mins and build up to 90mins if you like but you can break that up!
If you have the attention span of a goldfish like me, you can do 10 mins of skipping, 10 mins on a bike and then 10 mins jogging – in this case for most people, the exercise you choose isn’t as important as the rate at which you’re working.
Well I hope that helped break things down for you and I hope you found the answer you were looking for 😉
If you’re interested in learning more about how to move and eat better to unleash your inner badass – make sure you’re following me on Instagram or check out the programs page to see how we can work together.
This article is included in Twinkl’s ‘Get up and Walk’ campaign, and is part of their article Some great ideas for ‘Get up and walk February.
