Machine's Healthy Living Tip of the Week

So many explanations why we cannot get out there and go for a run...too busy, not enough hours in the day, too tired, the weather, be it too hot or too cold. Well, none of these are reason enough to put off doing something great for our bodies and our minds. They are simply sorry excuses for laziness. So much of the time we blame our "busy" lives on why our bodies are in such a deplorable physical state, rather than take responsibility for it ourselves. Nevermind that we always find the time, seemingly endless hours, to guzzle beer while watching the game, or to sit in front of the TV watching inane reality shows while mindlessly chomping through a bag of Doritos. We always seem to have the time to make it to that after-work happy hour where we suck down wings and other fried delights and throwback one too many cocktails. We seem to find the time to sleep in and nurse our hungover selves all of Saturday, only to go back out and do it all over again that very night. And then we have the nerve, the idiocy, to wonder why we cannot button our favorite jeans or why, after walking up a flight of stairs, we feel as though we just ran a marathon...

Well, if we would just take responsibility for our selves and be kind to our bodies, make taking care of ourselves a priority; then perhaps we would not be in such a predicament.
Next time you feel the urge to skip out on that run you said you were going to do, hold yourself accountable. Make it a part of your day, anon-negotiable part of your day. Put it on your calendar, note it in your blackberry, make it an official appointment that you must keep.
Go one step further and sign yourself up for a race and tell your family,your friends, your colleagues about it. This will likely make you more committed to following through, training properly and completing the race successfully

Better yet, find someone to go out and run with, whether it be a few times a week or on the weekends. If you know that there is someone counting on you to show up early in the morning, to get a quick three miles in before work; or that your friend is waiting for you at day's end to pound out that five miler, you will be encouraged to stick to it and get it done.

And just maybe, as the miles add up, you will start to see that going out for a run is not a chore, it is not something to be forgotten about or pushed to the side as unimportant and not truly necessary. Going out for that run will be something to look forward to, something that will not only improve the way your body looks and feels, but something that changes the way you think and approach your life. Taking the time to take care of yourself is the best investment you can make. It speaks volumes about how you feel about yourself.

So, put that slice of pizza down, drop that piece of cake, and, instead,lace up those sneakers and get out there and simply run...fast or slow, no matter...just push yourself a little bit and you will be amazed by what you can achieve...Promise!