From 'Have To' to 'Want To'

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Ok, so this was a long time in the making. 

One of the suggestions I got to keep fit was to start running everyday, or at least 4 times a week. It did not necessarily mean I had to torture myself or even blame myself for skipping a day or two. The idea behind it was to inculcate a sense of discipline that a gym would probably fail to since going to a specific place to be in shape gets boring after a while (probably). Running takes away the certainty from the equation which means there is always something new to look forward to. 

Research has time and again showed us that we think a lot better when we are on the move. This explains why some of the greatest minds always took long walks while introspecting or just walking their peers through their ideas. To be honest, none of this made any sense in the beginning. A typical couch potato, I would refuse to step out for a breath of fresh air instead, utilising the time to re-watch some Dragonball Z, which could definitely have waited. However, there came a time when my peers really got me interested in the idea of running, which is the phase I term 'Have To'. Discussions would circle around how many days in a week we bothered running and what distance we covered etc., which eventually planted the seed of acceptance of the routine. The idea was not to take part in any marathon or prove something to the world, but in a way, we were proving to ourselves that we are better than the lot that is not really doing much in the morning apart from sip coffee and read the paper. 

With my new found enthusiasm, I did try my hand at a couple of small scale marathons, which gave me an absolute sense of accomplishment. Fast forward it to two years of college where I religiously ran 3-4 days a week along with some amazing folks who motivated me, I had started developing a love for running. You would see my luggage stuffed with my running shoes even if the trip lasted a few days. Not only did it help me think better and keep fit, it also gave me a lot of alone time, which I think we all need everyday. Those 30-45 minutes helped me disconnect from a lot of everyday chores and let me focus on things ranging from beauty of my surroundings to what I would need to do to build on the next big idea I was working towards. It was just a great feeling, a phase that I term 'Love To'. 

Today, it is hard to overcome the fact I have not done something that I love for a really long time. It must've been at least a couple of months since I have put on my shoes and taken a stroll in the morning breeze. Has this resulted in an unhealthy me? Certainly! For someone who could eat out without much fuss, lack of exercise has really put me a backfoot in terms of health. Time to charge up the iPod then? You bet! 

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