Ok so what does this have to do with running you might ask? These tips will help you to become more focused for the day, improve your life skills and you guessed it be a better athlete. This might sound like a tall order, but with dedication and the right strategies, significant improvements in your overall well-being are within reach.
These tips may seem drastic, and you may have an excuse why you can’t do them, but we will explore that and how I’ve had one of those excuses for almost every one of these tips. Be your own best friend and advocate for the life you want instead of telling yourself you wish you could (insert goal). I can say that I have personally implemented these steps in my life and seen improvements in my overall outlook on life, productivity, and mental health.
Day 1: Embrace the Early Morning
The common excuse is “I can’t do that because I’m too busy” or my own long time excuse “I’m not a morning person”. I’m here to tell you that I’ve changed that mind set with the tools that I will share with you in this article. Does it seem like too much to wake up at 5am? Totally understandable that felt daunting to me too, so here’s what I did. By setting my alarm a little bit earlier each day I was able to trick my brain into thinking it wasn’t such a big leap to only wake up a few minutes earlier until next thing I knew I was waking up at my target time.
Day 2: Alarm Placement Strategy
It is very easy to just hit snooze and say, “oh it’s just a few more minutes”. I did this habitually. By setting your alarm away from the bed so you must physically put your feet on the floor to turn it off, you will help your brain to start waking up. While you’re already up do something that is easy to do while your still waking up.
Day 3: Morning Rituals for Success
For me, as silly as this sounds, I simply go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. It’s a simple task, but it helps wake up my brain and triggers me to get the day started. Do not get on social media right away, this was also a routine I would frequently do upon waking up and burn lots of precious time without adding any value to my morning.
Day 4: The Power of Positive Affirmations
I’ve heard of these things for years and thought, ok but how the heck do you do that and how will it help me? This is what I’ve found, take the two minutes while you’re brushing your teeth and set your intentions for the day. This can look like, “I’m going to have a great day today”, “I’m going to run three miles today and it will be awesome” or “Today will be a great day at work no matter what happens”. It can be something big you are dreaming of or something small you are working on for yourself, setting your intentions for the day can really help you to make them come true.
Day 5: Hydrate to Energize
What water first thing in the morning? Sounds strange right, well I have made it part of my daily routine and don’t regret it one bit. Ok, but why does it help? It helps trigger your brain to wake up and can boost your metabolism by 25% percent for the day.
Day 6: The One-Minute Exercise Rule
Common excuses “I just want to sleep in”, “I can do it later” and “I don’t have the time”. I have used every one of these before. If you are really pressed for time do 60 seconds of exercise, run, do some body weight exercise, or jump up and down. Ideally spend at least 20 minutes doing exercise each morning, are your training for your next run, awesome plan your training into your morning routine! The next thing you might say is well, what about rest days? Yes, absolutely you need to take rest days when doing big training, but you can easily do at least 60 seconds of physical activity or go for a walk. Motion is lotion for the body!
Day 7: Cultivate a Reading Habit
Read at least five pages a morning to help learn new habits, life skills and learn from other’s experiences. I will post a list of books that I have enjoyed in a later post. Ok so here are the excuses, “I don’t have time to do everything”, “I’m a slow reader”, and “I don’t really like to read”. Ok that’s awesome there are many wonderful books available on audio! I often listen to a book while I’m getting in my morning run, walk, or stretching. I have learned so much just from listening to a book while doing my daily workout. One of my favorite way to listen to books is on Audible (Amazon).
Additional Tips for a Balanced Lifestyle
Social Media Detox
Blue lights from phones and screens can significantly impair your sleeping patterns. I can say having done a full week without being on social media or my phone an hour or so before bed has made an impact for the better. Instead of scrolling, play with a pet, spend time with family, journal or meditate.
Consistent Sleep Schedule
Ok I have to be honest this was hard for me because “I’m a night person”. As you shift your routines you will find it easier to get to bed by ten, so you can get a full 7-8 hours of sleep before starting your day, which will help with focus and energy the following day.
Visualizing Success
Alright what the heck is this real? Does it help? I’m here to say that while I was skeptical at first visualizing my day to come whether it be by journaling or just mentally running though the days tasks and things, I want to accomplish the next day has helped me a lot.
Putting it all together
Using these simple tasks that take less than an hour of your day can dramatically change your life, at least I can see a huge difference. While improving your daily routine, you will improve your mental health, physical health, and become a better person overall. If your focus is to be a better athlete, visualize it, journal about what that means to you and what you will do to get there, listen or read books about running to learn from those that have experienced what you want to do and become. Why not give it a try? After all, 7 days is a relatively short amount of time to improve your life. Remember, small steps can lead to significant changes.
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