As an actress it is my job to be in good physical shape, not just so I can look good on camera. Being in good physical shape also affects my voice, my breath control, and most importantly my mental outlook.
I get asked often by other women how I managed to lose all of my baby weight, twice. My daughters are 4 and 1 (4 ½ and 17 months to be more specific). I am smaller now than I was before getting pregnant the first time and I did it slowly and in a healthy manner.
I love to share the answer because I know it’s possible for everyone. Problems arise when I tell other women how—I run.
It’s the same response almost every time: “Oh, I’m not a runner.” This response truly makes me sad because I know that anyone can be a runner.
If you are on who has reservations, allow me to share with you how you absolutely CAN be a runner!
1) Myth: You must be fast
My best 5K time to date is 24:46; I ran each mile in eight minutes each. I had been running for years beforehand and had worked hard to get there. I thought my legs were going to give out from the middle of mile one. My point? That was a decent time and was really, really tough for me to do.
Currently, I am still coming back from baby; my mile time is over nine minutes. I will not let that stop me. The wonderful thing about running is that you aren’t competing against anyone but yourself. Your only time to beat is the last time you ran.
2) Myth: You must have endurance
It was a joke for me that I could run an entire basketball game yet couldn’t jog one mile around a track. Goodness, I’m not sure I could jog one LAP around a track. So why did I ever start running? I had graduated college and my sports days were over. I was getting older, my metabolism was slowing down. I wanted to take control of my future health.
I decided to run a 10K with a runner friend. This is how slow I was: He finished the race, ate his banana, drank his water, did his cool down routine, talked to friends, then ran the last mile in with me. My time was over 1:45:00! After that race, that same friend put me on a running schedule. I followed his schedule and eventually started getting better!
Here’s the thing—he did not have me running even a full mile at the start. He started me off slowly! And he increased my time very slowly.
Babies don’t start out walking. The ability to walk actually starts in the first few weeks of life, when that little baby lifts her head for the first time. After raising her head for longer and longer periods of time over the course of about four months, she one day starts to sit up with assistance. After a few months of this, she starts to sit up on her own. Then she learns how to move onto all fours, then crawl, then pull up, then start taking hesitating steps. The process to walking takes 10-12 months for the average baby, and even then it takes even more months for the baby to walk with stability.
You have to start somewhere. But if you don’t start at all, you can be confident you will never progress.
Oh, my last 10K was in November. My time? 54:30.
3) Myth: You must enjoy running
Would you believe me if I told you that I don’t know hardly any runners who actually enjoy the process? It’s true. Oh sure, there is the runner’s high—when you feel lighter than air and feel that you could run all day. But those moments are few and far between. What we love are the results.
Make no mistake—running is the best cardio there is. I have done years of fitness classes, trying to find something, anything that could compete with running. Nothing beats it. And it’s free!
The results aren’t just about losing calories. The endorphins released when running will take away muscle aches (at least for a time) and will boost your energy and mood. Running takes away stress. Released from a first refusal? Run. No auditions? Run. Our career will always be tough to handle, but I guarantee you it will be easier if you are exercising.
Find a way to make running bearable. For me, that means I must have music. My mp3 player is loaded with songs that make me happy and get my feet moving. Some are really good at making me faster or at keeping me moving when I want to quit. I have those five songs loaded throughout the playlist. When I’m in the middle of a run that is going downhill (figuratively), I fast forward to those songs and let them carry me through.
And here’s a great little trick I discovered: country music has an easy beat to follow. It can help you get into a rhythm if you are having a tough time finding it.
4) Myth: You must do it a certain way
You don’t need expensive shoes or clothes. You don’t have to follow any trainer’s exact schedule or advice. You find what works for you.
I am a morning person. My husband barely knows morning even exists. We both try to run when it’s good for us. However, we also have to make it a priority and that means that often, because I have little ones, I have to run in the evenings when he gets home from work.
Some people like to run with others, some like to go it alone. I can’t run with anyone, but I know many people who must run in a group, for motivation. Find what works for you.
I also don’t follow an exact schedule. I have one, but if I head out and feel more like jogging than sprinting today, I do what my body is telling me to do.
Quick tips for having great runs:
1) Get good sleep. I must get six hours a night consistently in order to have good runs. And bedtime has to be by 11:30. I’m not good at that, but I’m working on it.
2) Get good nutrition. You will need more calories on the days you run. Protein, carbs, even sugar are all important.
Know how your body works, too. I have IBS and am extremely sensitive to gluten. Because of this, I cannot eat within two hours of starting a run, and I have to be very careful what I eat before a run. I don’t eat heavy protein the night before because it digests so slowly and will make me sluggish. I do not carb load. I just eat a fair amount of carbs every day to help with my energy levels.
3) Lift weights. I was training for a half marathon recently. I didn’t have time for my leg workouts, so I quit. I wound up with a knee injury that had me hobbling the last four miles of the race. Not doing my leg workouts is likely what led to the injury. I currently do three days of weightlifting each week. Weightlifting is important for a woman’s bone health, so do it.
4) Sign up for a race. To always be training for a new race is what will help motivate you to continue. Besides, almost all races are for good causes, so you are also doing some good out there just by running. And don’t wait to sign up until you can do it without walking. Sign up now! Walking is better than not doing it at all.
5) I know many people who have had luck with the couch to 5K program, but here is a basic schedule that could get you started.
Day One: Jog 5 minutes, Walk 5 minutes. Do twice
Day Two: Run 1 minute, Walk 1 minute. Do 10 times.
Day Three: Weights
Day Four: Jog 5 minutes, Walk 5 minutes. Do twice.
Day Five: Walk uphills, Jog straights, Run downhills—3 miles
Day Six: Weights
Day Seven: Rest
You can take this schedule and tweak it for your needs. Build upon it, adding minutes and distance each week.
I hope that somehow I have encouraged you to start doing what I think is one of the best things you can do for yourself. You CAN be a runner.
I could expand on this topic much more, so let me know in the comments section what you would like to see in a future column. And come back next time when I talk about weightlifting more extensively and about the dreaded diet word.