We hear over and over again that in order to stay healthy, some amount of regular physical activity is necessary. When I was in college, I used to go to Ramsey, the on-campus gym, several times a week to run and sometimes, for step aerobics. Once I graduated I stopped exercising, making up a million excuses for myself. Fortunately, I picked up running and feel a lot better about myself now. Running is easy. It's just one foot in front of the other and requires no special athletic ability. All you need is a good pair of sneakers and a safe neighborhood.
Today I learned that the psychological benefits of running outweigh the physical ones. For a minute I was about to call BS. But then I thought about my own running routine. Whenever I'm feeling down or like I need to clear my head, I put on my running shoes, grab my ipod and just go until the sadness is gone and I have a blank slate in my mind. When you go running, there's no chance you're going to "get picked last," so your self esteem doesn't get hurt that way. Running gives you time to just be alone with your thoughts. It doesn't cost anything extra. No need for extra equipment aside from the shoes (and I've actually read elsewhere that running barefoot is actually ok because it keeps your body in balance...or something like that), so it doesn't hit you in the wallet. No need to stress out over financial commitments.
And I guess that the reason why I like it so much is that when I'm running, unlike so many other aspects of my life, I never feel like the road is going to judge me on whether I'm doing it right or not.
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