I am glad you are here!
If you are reading this you are in search of motivation to start running in the morning time, or you are already a runner who has experienced the endorphin thrills of lacing your shoes and hitting dusty trails. You are afraid of losing motivation or have a busy schedule upcoming and want to be able to navigate around this and find time to do your hobby.
Here are some tips to either get motivated or stay motivated:
- You first need to find what your purpose for running is. Whether that is trying to lose weight, or you want to meet new friends by joining a running club. You want to impress someone, or you have done sports in the past and want to find your youthful fitness again. Whatever your purpose is you need to find it and zone in on it. I find this to be the key motivation driver that works for me. As I wrote in the about me section, I played a lot of sports when I was younger but then stopped doing anything for a few years. I was on holidays and noticed my energy levels were low, I was heavier than I usually was, and I just did not feel comfortable with how I looked, and most importantly how I felt.
I do not want anybody to try and start feeling unnecessarily uncomfortable about themselves, but I would encourage you to zone in on something you want to change.
You obviously want to become fitter or stay fit. Running is incredibly good for releasing endorphins and making you naturally feel better. The runners high is real. Get addicted to it, start by just running once or twice a week but for about 6-8 weeks consistently. Believe me you will love it, and the feel-good factor with the added weight loss (if you need that) will be a natural motivator. Getting started is the hardest part, so find your purpose, over dramatize the emotion of the purpose in your head and get your shoes on!
2. Now that you have found your purpose you need to very clearly plan when you are going to run. I started with a couch to 5k app which designed my running plan for the week based on my chosen three-day input. It would notify me the morning of my run as soon as I woke, and it would remind you later in the day if you for whatever reason forgot. You do not need reminding though if you plan your week efficiently.
Write down your schedule, whether that is picking kids up, working, travelling, visiting friends or alone time to read a book. Write it down and find your two to three slots where you are going to do your run. Of course, things happen where you might need to change the time, but if you are a beginner I would really encourage you to know the precise time and day you are going to embark on your sweaty adventure to the park. You should also know where you are going to run and lay out your clothes the evening before. Try to understand what the weather will be like in advance so that it is not a shock to you when you open the curtains in the morning.
3. Ok, so you have your purpose, you created your plan for the week, now you need some positive affirmations. You cannot have the mindset the night before that it is a massive drag that you need to run in the morning, or that you would much rather go out with friends and sleep in. You should look forward to the run, and if you do not ever have that feeling then maybe consider moving the run to a different time of the day that suits you better. Either way, the same methods of motivation apply.
You should go to bed early to make sure you get enough sleep the night before and try to look forward to the next day. Look forward to going out to exercise while everyone is sleeping. Enjoy the endorphin rush you will receive after the run, and it will help you to stay motivated for the rest of the day also. Set your alarm, and when you wake up drink a glass of water. You are going to do your run now! you have your clothes ready, you don’t care that the weather is bad, your bad, your worse than the weather and the weather should fear you… ok, maybe time to calm it down a bit but you understand my point hopefully.
Use the stress and anger to your advantage if you need to and remember your purpose. That person you want to impress could be there to watch, that tummy fat wants to be burnt off, the summer beach is calling or later that day you have a nice cheat meal planned as its the weekend. Whatever it is, you need to earn it. Get up, drink your water, make your bed, put your big boy/girl pants on, and do your run.
Today is going to be a good day!
4. The points I made in number three above are best equipped for a beginner, but they can be used for more experienced runners with a race coming up, or a personal best time you want to beat. However, it is hard to find that rage in you all the time, and you should not need to after a while either. Running is a lifestyle and if you try, it can become a way of life. It can be something you just do naturally without even thinking too much about it. At the start its hard so it is important to plan ahead, find your purpose and get motivated, but after a while of doing it, you just put your shoes on when you like and take to the roads without much thought behind it.
You can use it as a time to get some personal space, listen to a podcast or some music. It gets easier the more you do it, and you start to take in what is around you. The nature, the sounds, it can become very peaceful. Not at the start though… you just concentrate on breathing and making it home safely!
Putting jokes aside, running should become a lifestyle where you do not need to be motivated to do it. You just do it. It becomes a part of your day, like going to work, or grocery shopping. You build your routine, and even if you are a bit tired or had a long day, you still find time to lace up your shoes and get some fresh air. I have even incorporated it into my business trips. I bring my shoes with me as it is an effective way to distress after a long day or flight.
At the end of the day, the key step here is number one. What is it that you want to achieve from running and why are you doing it? Once you know this, and you trigger it, motivation is easy. Whether that be in the morning, afternoon, or night, you were born to run and to move. You were given legs, be thankful and use them!