No, this isn’t a blog about running.
I’m no runner. I have no desire to become a runner. I think running is fine – great, even – for people who like to run. I’m simply not one of them and I’m happy that walking works as well for me as running works for others!
When I say, “Run Your Body” I am saying, be in control of your body. Run your show; don’t let your body run your show because you probably won’t like the results!
Running your body means that you need to create environments that allow you to be in charge of your body and its actions.
Examples:
- When you’re in your car, make it a “no eating zone.” That way when your body spies a fast food restaurant and tries to take control of the car by making it pull into the drive-thru for an 800-calorie drink, you tell your body, “No eating in here. We aren’t stopping!”
- When you’re in your home, make your TV room a “no eating zone.” That way you are allowing your body to engage in sedentary behavior without compounding the negative effects of sedentary behavior with mindless eating. You’ve taken control of your body.
- Organize your kitchen to help you get what you need to feed your body easy to reach.
- Create and enforce limits, such as restricting time seated to an hour. At the end of the hour get your body up and walking for at least five minutes before sitting down again for another hour-long period.
- Slow the mouth, so that it doesn’t eat more than you need to be satisfied. Instead of letting your mouth run you, it’s okay (for once) to run your mouth! Chew slowly and thoroughly to give your brain time to recognize that you have eaten enough to be full. Then tell your mouth, “time to stop” and mean it. Your body may try to convince you that you’re not full because if you were full, your plate would be clean. Take charge and stay in charge. What’s left on your plate has nothing to do with whether you have eaten enough.
- Keep your eyes focused on your goals. Your eyes are easily distracted by the sight of food. They will try to convince you that you’re hungry when you’re not. Sometimes you can keep food from sight and often you can’t so you need to be in charge of where your eyes are looking. When all your eyes can see is food and you know it’s not time to eat, make your eyes look past the food to your goals.
- Feed your body the food it needs to allow it to be full and satisfied. You don’t have to force it to eat what it doesn’t like and you don’t have to forbid anything it loves. You simply need to maintain control so that you maintain good healthy and a healthy weight with balance and moderation.
- Give your body chores to keep it moving. Your body loves modern conveniences, technology, and labor-saving services. Your body will tell you it deserves to be indulged because you have the money to pay for these things. Get your body in the habit of doing things for itself and finding entertainment in activities that puts it in motion.
Don’t let anything or anybody, including your own body, convince you that you can’t run your body. You can and you will and your body will thank you for it!
Most of all don’t let your body tell you that you can’t run it. You can! Don’t listen to your body’s manipulative lies! It doesn’t run you, you run it! You’re in charge!
Now, RUN THAT BODY!