Running: An Extraordinary Activity

To many people, finding an activity they can commit to and use it as tool to reduce some weight may be one of the decisions they may ever do. However, for me that was not the case. Let me share a small story.

Beginning of my senior year in high school, I was pretty proud of how I was looking, 6ft tall and about 210 pounds. I was playing some sports such as Tennis and Table Tennis. I was pretty good at these sports but never was able to be the best at them because of my weight. I never thought of myself as a fat person; however I knew that I couldn't keep up. After my high school state tournament in Tennis, I was amazed to see that I had not lost any weight, but rather gained weight. As a result, I was very much disappointed in myself. So, I made a pact to myself that no matter what, I would run the entire summer of 2010. And that is what happened

I don't know how I did it, but after running 400 miles, I lost a solid 30 pounds. Now, this story was not too brag to anyway that I had lost weight but it was testament for many people like me and to see if human will can drive a single person into achieving what you wanted to achieve.

Well, more relevant to this article, I hope this story and some of the tips I wish to share will help many of you lose some of the weight you set out to meet by your new year's resolution.

To start with, many have asked me what your diet and exercise plan was. However, I truly cannot answer that because I didn't have one. I was very skeptical about myself because I did not know how long I could keep it up. I didn't even know if I should have consulted a doctor (which I suggest you do before you try going out there and hurt yourselves). Nonetheless, the best advice I can give is that follow your own pace. Don't push yourself too hard on one day and think that is enough for three days. Just know your pace: know when you want to run and when you cannot. On the other hand, know how much you can handle in a day. Don't go out and run half a block and get tired. Start slow and build yourself up. As for myself, I started at 3 miles, since I knew I could run this far. By the end of the summer, I was able to run 5.25 miles non-stop. Just keep in mind, be vary not to push yourself to hard.

Second, make sure you commit. Now, this is hardest thing to do for many of us. However, believe me once you get started, you may never want to stop. I started the first day of summer vacation. I got my new shoes and just went on a run day after day. Many of may say, you were a teenager and you had so much time. In fact, I did, however I was able to make use of the time by committing about 30 to 45 minutes of my day into running. I can't say that everyone will have this time or the same commitment all at once, but maybe allocating you time, say 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening could very well set you on your way to achieving your goal.

Next big thing that some of my friends have asked me about is about a diet. I never really believed in a diet. Most of you by know that if you eat fewer calories than you burn each day, you end up losing weight. However, that never was the case for me. I kept eating what I wanted to eat but I ate in smaller quantities. Growing up on the Asian Subcontinent, rice was a huge part of my diet. As my mom cooked the food, I knew it would be delicious. However, I contained myself by not engulfing all the food at once but taking it in small portions. However, water, I should say was a huge part of my diet. It was not only a huge tool in helping me stay hydrated by it was also a way I filled my stomach and making it feel full before I ate. This helped me a lot reduce my food and calorie intake.

Most of all, I would recommend consulting a doctor. I regret not doing so. Though, I didn't have any injury, I wish upon no one to put that much pressure and stress on themselves at one time. Be sure that you are ready to do what you are about to do. Trust me, running for the summer was one the most difficult things I have done by far. Adding on, be sure you have the right gear. If you are into music, get an IPod or mp3 player that suits you. If you want shoes that don't give you blisters every time you go running, go out a buy a good pair of shoes. This will be by far the best investment you make. Last of all, if you need some encouragement; find some friends that are willing to tag along on your runs.

In all, I hope this small guide will help you get started to achieving your goal. In no means, do I mean to brag in this article. I wish to only share some of the things that have helped me lose my weight and I hope it does the same whoever shares the same goal as me. Have fun and happy running!

If you have any questions, I know that I might not have been very clear in the article, just leave me a comment on message and I will be glad to respond.