Get Up, Get Out, and Get Active

The facts are clear. Thirty minutes of exercise a day has a list of benefits a mile long.
Not only does exercise help you to lose weight, but studies have shown it reduces the risk of cancer, heart attack, diabetes and many other diseases. People who exercise thirty minutes a day are less likely to have to have knee and hip replacements. And they are generally happier and more content with their lives.

Because of these benefits, I want to challenge my readers who are rarely leave the couch to change their behavior. I challenge you to start today. When I took my first steps off of the couch almost twenty years ago, it wasn’t easy. I lived in a town with no running clubs, few races and no running trails. The internet was almost non-existent so there was very little information available to me.

Today, College Park residents have access to two great running clubs - The Montgomery County and Prince George’s Road Runner’s Clubs. Running trails in and around College Park are filled with runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. And the internet is an incredible source of information about getting started.

So, I challenge you. I challenge you to run a 5k. The College Park Cares 5k is run every September on the Paint Branch Trail. Seven months is more than enough time to train for the distance. The race is close to home and the resources every runner needs are available to you.

Now you have a goal. What do you do next? Two things. First you need a plan. In the past couple of years several Couch to 5k programs have been developed. The programs usually start with a combination of walking and running and eventually, depending on your fitness level moves into just running.

The second thing you should do is to find some support. I have connected with a network of athletes at Daily Mile. The site allows me to log my miles, keep track of how I felt while I was running and stay motivated by other runners, from the beginner runner to the experienced. It gives me a place to become accountable for my workouts. Sometimes I am motivated because I hate to see the zero at the top of the page, sometimes I am motivated by a workout posted by another runner and sometimes I am motivated directly by another Daily Miler who makes a comment about not seeing a workout recently.

Getting fit does take work and training for a 5k can be a challenge but unless there is a medical reason not to exercise, the facts should not be ignored. Exercise is good for us. Human beings were not created for a motionless life. We were created to move. Our muscles, bones and organs need movement in order to stay healthy. It is work, but in the end, as you cross the finish line at the College Park Cares 5k, the accomplishment will be worth the effort.