Every day, work and life can be as exhausting as ever. Why can some people still maintain a running routine? Is it a matter of different time constraints? As a nine-to-five worker, occasionally having to work overtime, and even returning home to cook and take care of children, how can one cultivate a running habit? How do those who continue to love running after entering the workforce manage it? Take a moment to explore the benefits that running can bring and consider investing some time in running to experience its charm.
Even as a nine-to-five worker, you can have a running habit.
The most equal thing in this world is 'time,' and as we grow older, we always feel like there's not enough time. People who don't understand running often think it's a waste of time, but let's think about why so many people are still willing to invest their precious time in running. For office workers who are already tired from work every day, what drives them to start running? And how do they keep going? Let's explore the initial intentions behind running and discover why some are willing to allocate their time to this activity.
Why Do We Run as Adults?
When we were young, we couldn't wait to grow up, eagerly embracing any new challenges that came our way. However, as we grow older and gain more life experience, we eventually settle into the routine of work, family, and responsibilities. Ironically, as adults, we start to pursue a 'fulfilled life,' and running provides both psychological and physical benefits. It's not just about maintaining our health; it also offers a positive way to balance our busy work schedules with a physically and mentally rewarding lifestyle.
Modern people often forget to take care of their physical and mental health due to busy work.
Sitting for extended periods at a desk can lead to sedentary issues, and as we age, our metabolism naturally declines. Running has become an effective aerobic exercise that enhances cardiovascular function, improves blood circulation, and boosts metabolism, contributing to improved physical health. On a psychological level, a disciplined running routine provides an outlet for emotional expression, and each run builds mental resilience, fostering the courage to overcome low points in life.
Running contributes to maintaining physical and mental health.
Running injects positive energy into both our physical and psychological well-being. These benefits allow us to release stress and enhance our overall quality of life. This is why, even in the hustle and bustle of the working world, people are motivated to dedicate precious time to running.
Awakening Happiness with Running
Another reason many people fall in love with running is that running makes you happier over time. Aerobic exercise activates the brain, mediates physiological and psychological mechanisms, and promotes the release of the following four hormones:
(1) Dopamine
Conquering for double the happiness. Higher intensity and longer-duration exercise may trigger more dopamine release. Long bouts of aerobic exercise, such as long-distance running, can stimulate more dopamine release, making us feel more joyful and exhilarated.
(2) Endorphins
Endorphins are natural painkillers. They primarily exist in the central nervous system and are mainly associated with pain perception and emotional regulation. When running reaches a certain intensity or duration, and the body experiences discomfort or pain, the brain triggers the release of endorphins, resulting in a sudden sense of relaxation and pain relief.
Running triggers the release of different hormones in the body, leading to positive emotional experiences
Consistent running habits help accumulate endorphins. While the release of endorphins with each exercise session may be limited, regular running has a more enduring impact on endorphin regulation of pain and emotions, and it also enhances the body's immune system.
(3) Serotonin
Serotonin acts as a natural mood-enhancing sedative. For those troubled by insomnia, you might consider stimulating serotonin release through running, improved blood circulation, and exposure to sunlight outdoors. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, promotes sleep, reduces appetite, stabilizes emotions, decreases negative depressive emotions, relieves unexplained anxiety, induces relaxation, and reduces the accumulation of daily life's inexplicable stress.
(4) Endorphins
Two sides of the same coin, pleasure counteracts pain. Endorphins are neurotransmitters in the endorphin family with functions such as pain relief and emotional regulation. When we engage in running or high-intensity exercise, the brain releases endorphins to alleviate physical discomfort, promote pleasure and euphoria. This helps us better cope with stress and challenges, thus enhancing our mental health.
During running, the body releases endorphins, which alleviate physical discomfort and promote feelings of pleasure and exhilaration.
Running can maintain physical health while also stimulating these four hormones, allowing us to experience joy different from usual at any time. It helps people feel more relaxed and satisfied, freeing them from depression and negative emotions. When faced with work-related stress, running can help build resilience. This is why many office workers, even if tired from work, are willing to make time for a run after work. Running may seem tiring, but it provides an unexpected natural source of happiness. With just a pair of running shoes, you can create your own source of joy.
Running Mindfully to Improve Work Efficiency
Have you ever been completely absorbed in doing something and felt deeply moved? Flow is a state of complete focus on the current activity, and this state is particularly easy to achieve during running. Mindful running emphasizes being fully present in the process and consciously sensing the body's condition.
Mindful running contributes to improved work efficiency.
Most people engage in self-dialogue when they run. Running can calm the mind, and during this time, we feel the rhythm of our body every second, the rhythm of each breath, and the drive of each stride. When we fully immerse ourselves in running, we forget about external distractions. Through running in a state of flow, we cultivate focus in our environment. This kind of focus helps us enter a state of undivided attention, establishing a better flow field. Learning mindfulness flow from running helps us adapt to work pressure and enhance the quality and efficiency of our work. This is also one of the reasons why office workers enjoy running.
Running into a New Social Circle, Enhancing Quality of Life
Aside from enabling greater focus in our personal and work lives, running can also bring new social opportunities. After entering the workforce, the opportunities to expand our circle of friends are limited. Apart from the friends we made during our student years, most of our friends are colleagues from work. There aren't many chances to establish new friendships. However, running is an activity that we can do independently but also one that can be done with a group of people, allowing us to run further together.
Running alone or with a group each brings different joys
Many people are willing to go to the field for a run after work, not just for the pursuit of health goals, but rather to cultivate friendships with like-minded individuals. Initially, it might be running by oneself at a field near the office, but running gradually brings new social opportunities. Through running, we gain more friends who share experiences, common goals, mutual support, encouragement, the ability to overcome challenges, and achieve accomplishments.
Running has become a new way of socializing
Because they understand each other's challenges and the meaning of sticking to running, friendships are deepened. Runners are usually willing to exchange experiences, share their lives, and chat during post-run relaxation. Sometimes they discuss various topics, from personal matters to work stress and running conditions. Through meaningful conversations, they expand their horizons and grow. That's why many people see running as an essential part of life, injecting new energy into their otherwise ordinary lives.
Running Plan for Office Workers - Three Stages to Get Started
Summing up the benefits of running mentioned above, we can begin to create a running plan specifically for office workers. For those new to running, you can start with the following three stages to gradually establish a stable and long-lasting exercise habit.
Stage One: Cultivating an Exercise Habit
Begin by incorporating brisk walking into your daily routine to develop an exercise habit. It's more important to establish a habit of exercising multiple times a week than to focus on the intensity or duration of each session. Let your body get used to the presence of exercise. Accumulate 3-4 exercise sessions per week, each lasting at least 20-30 minutes. Whether it's brisk walking or jogging, the goal is to let your body remember and prioritize exercise. When we consider exercise as essential as eating, our running habit will be more likely to endure.
Stage Two: Progressive Step Training
First, aim for consistency, then aim for improvement. After building a good exercise habit, you can start working on increasing your performance. Once you have established a habit of exercising several times a week, you can begin incorporating running into your routine. For those who already have a running habit, consider extending your running time or distance. If you find running monotonous, you can bring your smartphone and listen to your favorite music while running. This way, you can accumulate more running time and mileage.
Progressive training for a more comfortable running experience
When heading out for a run with your smartphone, you can use a running phone holder that straps onto your arm. This way, you don't have to worry about holding your phone while accumulating running time. It allows your hands to move freely in rhythm with your run, enabling you to run longer comfortably.
Bone Run Tie 2 - The most skin-friendly elastic phone strap
Three, Increase Running Intensity:
After completing the first stage: the running habit, and having accumulated time in the second stage, we can begin to schedule several sessions of interval high-intensity training and fast-paced hill workouts. These short bursts of sprint training and increased gravity training on steeper slopes help improve cardiovascular and muscular endurance, and high-intensity training also aids in calorie burning and weight management.
Increasing the intensity of running helps us burn fat more effectively
Through high-intensity training, running becomes more than just exercise. Adding diversified workouts to running enhances its challenges. In this process, we can experience a greater sense of achievement. By enduring the pain and building endurance along the way, we eventually receive tangible rewards in terms of physical fitness and body shape. This strengthens our mindset and makes it more resilient.
Achieving high-intensity training always gives us a sense of accomplishment
This is also why those who have the habit of running after work continue to do so, why they fall in love with running. It's not just about gaining good health; building a strong positive mindset and an indomitable resistance to stress are the driving forces that keep those who love running going, making them happier the more they run.