Since we have almost been in quarantine for a month, I have come to accept that no gym will be open anytime soon. In my early high school years, I would run around my neighborhood to stay in good enough shape for my upcoming sports seasons. However, now I no longer play sports, but I have felt weird, groggy, and unable to sleep when I do not exercise. So, in the last four weeks, I have found my old Fitbit, a couple of pairs of running shoes, and hit the outdoors (aka mother earth’s gym).
First, I started running around my neighborhood. My whole life, I have been told that the neighborhood is one mile long. Yet, I could never finish the run within my normal mile time. I always took about three minutes longer. Therefore, with my Fitbit, I tracked the route and found out that it is actually 1.4 miles. Needless to say, I was ecstatic that I was running a longer distance, not getting slower.
One day last week my brother offered to go on a run with me on the trails in the forest behind my house. I immediately took him up on the offer. Although there were some people on the trail walking, we were mostly alone. It felt great running through the woods with nothing insight. I felt like I was hundreds of miles away from my house that I had been sitting in for a month. We ended up running just over 3 miles.
Since then, I have been trying to get out of the house and run for at least 15 minutes to clear my head. It is so much fun to see the improvement in both the length and the speed of my running.
I hope that my experience may inspire you to get out of the house and go on a run. It is not only a great way to stay in shape but also a good way to keep your mental health in check. Stay safe and hit the outdoors.