5 reasons why I run every day
photo by the author
It has little to do with body obsession. I love all the side effects.
Like most of us, I have been working remotely for the last 15 months.
I love the advantages of working from home: I wear what I want. I eat when I want (with my dear Colin). I take baths and exercise whenever I want. Nobody just walks into my office anymore.
I hate the disadvantages: No more commutes on my bike. No breaks or location changes between meetings. My whole life blurs into one 8 hour-daily video conference. Me and my bum and my chair. Glued together for the rest of our lives.
No way.
I run daily to experience these wonderful moments:
I shake.
I go out for a run. I see other beings. Real people with legs exist. I run. I begin to feel my legs again. I run. I shake my whole body. I feel alive. I am not a screen. I am not formed like a chair. What a relief.
I wake up.
I have low blood pressure. When I don’t move my body cools off, I get tired, I cannot concentrate. All I want to do is to go back to sleep (very tempting, when you work from home). Running, only if it’s for 15 minutes, helps me to stay energized and motivated the whole day.
I get out of the house and into the world.
I see other people. I am not alone. I meet the charming Italian garbage man, who greets me every morning and cheers me up. I think he is an Angel. He reminds me every day of the choice we have to be content with our lives.
I connect to nature.
I feel wind, rain, sun, or snow on my face. I connect to the seasons. I run through a small park. There are storks looking for breakfast on the grass. There is a duck couple toddling along. I feel insects in my mouth. I re-realize every day: I am not alone. We are all in this together.
And most importantly
I flow.
Finally, solitude. I never bring my phone. I do not allow myself to be distracted by steps or calorie counting, phone calls or messages. I run. I focus on running. I flow.
As flow expert Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi puts it:
“Flow is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter.”
I am completely involved in an activity for its own sake. I perform the act of running, not because I will ever win the Olympics. I run because it is intrinsically rewarding.
No need to run by the way. You might also feel those moments walking, hiking, cycling, unicycling, skate-boarding,… Please do whatever exercise is right for you and your body. Just move.
Enjoy life. Thank you for reading.
Also published on medium: https://dorotheeking.medium.com/5-reasons-why-i-run-every-day-bf3f178bea14