I'm exploring several different methods for quitting smoking. One method involves following a Run/Walk program. There are several different varieties out there and I have tried this before, only to quit after a few weeks. This time it's diffferent because I've committed to following the simple rules, instead of pretending I know more about running than the experts who put the course together.
The rules are simple: run/walk three days per week, take one day off between running, and follow the intervals they outline. Simple. And for the most part, even the intervals are not too hard. I'm even tracking my distance for encouragement. It's my hope that running longer distances will highlight for me how stupid my smoking is. So far, I think I can say that I've made a positive change for my health, that I like running, but that I'm still smoking.
I have, however, realize a few things about running and about encouragement. The first is that I used to measure my success in running by how I felt about the run. If it was really difficult or I didn't feel good about it, I marked it down as a bad run. Over time, these negative evaluations would add up until I gave up running. Now that I have some objective measures (time and distance) I am better able to see that over the past few weeks I've made significant improvement in both. I can see that there is little relationship between how hard something feels and how well I'm doing. I can see improvement. I feel good about the improvement, and I will try to remember that my own ability to intuitively evaluate my performance is questionable and also unhelpful for my motivation.
The other difference this time is that I'm following the rules. I run three days a week whether I want to, or not. I sometimes try to do more than asked, but always do the minimum, no matter how heavy my legs feel. I don't look too far into the future and stay focused on today, or this week. I remember to look at my accomplishments and pat myself on the back. This is important, because all too often I tend to make endless lists of what was not done, rather than what was done.
So far, still smoking, but I have not given up. Many small lifestyle changes will add up.
The rules are simple: run/walk three days per week, take one day off between running, and follow the intervals they outline. Simple. And for the most part, even the intervals are not too hard. I'm even tracking my distance for encouragement. It's my hope that running longer distances will highlight for me how stupid my smoking is. So far, I think I can say that I've made a positive change for my health, that I like running, but that I'm still smoking.
I have, however, realize a few things about running and about encouragement. The first is that I used to measure my success in running by how I felt about the run. If it was really difficult or I didn't feel good about it, I marked it down as a bad run. Over time, these negative evaluations would add up until I gave up running. Now that I have some objective measures (time and distance) I am better able to see that over the past few weeks I've made significant improvement in both. I can see that there is little relationship between how hard something feels and how well I'm doing. I can see improvement. I feel good about the improvement, and I will try to remember that my own ability to intuitively evaluate my performance is questionable and also unhelpful for my motivation.
The other difference this time is that I'm following the rules. I run three days a week whether I want to, or not. I sometimes try to do more than asked, but always do the minimum, no matter how heavy my legs feel. I don't look too far into the future and stay focused on today, or this week. I remember to look at my accomplishments and pat myself on the back. This is important, because all too often I tend to make endless lists of what was not done, rather than what was done.
So far, still smoking, but I have not given up. Many small lifestyle changes will add up.
