how to motivate yourself when you feel lazy about running

For seasoned runners, running has already become a habit. There's no need to ask why they run; they just do. Not running for a few days makes them uncomfortable.

However, for most beginner and intermediate runners, overcoming laziness is a very important issue. Turning sporadic running into a long-term habit is a common challenge.

Today, I, Yan Zu, will explain how to overcome your laziness and make running an unshakable habit.

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Too lazy to run? You're just making excuses for yourself.

Laziness is essentially a phase everyone goes through before forming a running habit.So, there's no need to dwell on why you feel lazy.Laziness is human nature and a stage that must be experienced to become a seasoned runner.

Too busy, bad weather, don't want to run

The main reason for not running when you want to is various excuses, the most common being too busy or bad weather.

Busyness is a normal part of life. Since you know you're busy, you need to reasonably schedule your runs during your busy breaks.For example, after work or on weekends. Only unexpected events should disrupt your running schedule, and such events don't happen every day.

Bad weather is similar. Of course, you can't run in the rain, but many people avoid running in cold or hot weather, seemingly only running when it's sunny and mild. This way, there are only a few suitable running days in a year.

Running too fast, not enjoying it

Running does require some physical exertion, but do you have to be out of breath for it to be effective?Of course not. Moderate-intensity running is also significantly beneficial to health.If you slow down enough, even more, you can experience a relaxed and pleasant feeling.

Many people don't know how fast they should run and think that only sweating profusely and being out of breath counts as running. This misconception leads many to give up after a few runs because the experience is too unpleasant. Human nature is to avoid pain and seek comfort.

Lack of support from partners, low motivation

Humans are social animals with strong social attributes. Relying solely on self-discipline and determination to stick to running can be too difficult for beginners.Without someone to teach you how to run and answer various running questions, you can easily take many wrong turns.

For example, not losing weight from running or developing knee problems after a few runs can easily lead to giving up.Joining a running group or finding like-minded partners to supervise and encourage each other can effectively overcome laziness.

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Overcoming laziness requires not just willpower but also techniques and methods.

Often, we think overcoming laziness relies mainly on willpower. While this is true, willpower is often weak for those who haven't yet formed a running habit.Methods and techniques are also crucial for overcoming laziness. Here are some methods to overcome it.

1. Set small weekly goals to stay motivated

In the process of overcoming laziness and forming a habit, goal management and result orientation are very important. Set a small goal for yourself each week.For example, if your goal is to run 15 kilometers this week, you can complete it in three sessions. Remind yourself to run whenever you have time. If an unexpected event prevents you from running today, you should run tomorrow. Always having a goal keeps you motivated.

If you really don't complete it, you can summarize on the weekend why you didn't reach your goal. Was it lack of time, laziness, or bad weather? This way, you can reduce pressure and know how to avoid not reaching your goal next week.

2. Reduce your target if you really don't want to run

If you don't want to follow your original plan because you're not feeling well or are mentally exhausted, it's okay. You don't need to force yourself to stick to the plan, but you can reduce the amount.For example, if you planned to run 3 kilometers, you can walk 1.5 kilometers. If you planned to run 5 kilometers, you can run just 3 kilometers. Lowering your target makes it easier to achieve.

3. Find a group and partners for mutual supervision

Some people like to run alone, but more people enjoy running together. Running with others can make it more enjoyable. One reason people love marathons is the passion and joy of group activities.

Running with like-minded friends can also help you learn more about running.More importantly, mutual supervision among partners can provide extra motivation. Combining self-supervision with supervision from others makes it easier to maintain the motivation to run.

4. Important but not urgent things are more meaningful in life

According to time management principles, we can categorize life tasks as important and urgent, important but not urgent, not important but urgent, and not important or urgent.Running is a typical example of something important but not urgent, easily postponed indefinitely due to busyness or laziness.

But running can bring health, give you more energy for work, and help you enjoy a high-quality life. If your life is always busy with urgent but not important or both urgent and important tasks, you'll easily feel overwhelmed.We need to optimize time management and allocate more time to important but not urgent activities, like running.

Laziness is an issue that must be overcome to grow from a novice runner to a seasoned runner. Facing laziness is not scary; accept your imperfections and learn some techniques and methods.When you gain health and happiness, that's the true beginning of making running a habit.

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