The Best Exercise Gear Money Can Buy

Anyone watched TV lately?  I hope the answer is no, but if it’s yes, then you’ve probably seen the same things I have, endless commercials for sports equipment.  Forget all the ads for diets, meal replacements shakes and eating plans, just look at the advertisements for sports equipment!  From $1000 bowflexes to $100 ab machines, there is an endless amount of gear for you to buy.  All of which will promptly be forgotten and left to collect dust in your garage.  So forget those ads and read on for the best exercise gear your money will ever buy.

I Love Running

I never in my life thought I would say that, but I really do enjoy running.  There’s a point about 10 to 20 minutes into a good run where I just zone into this great place.  My head is clear, my thoughts are flowing and my body feels like it could go on forever.  It’s a unique feeling and one which I greatly enjoy.  It’s also one of the reasons why I’ve stuck with long distance jogging despite quite a few people trying to convince me that sprints and intervals are better.  There may or may not be something to what they say, but I know there’s a difference in my enjoyment level of jogging vs. sprints, which tells me I should stick with what I enjoy.

Here’s The Problem

For the past few months, I’ve been having issues with my running.  My legs were hurting, my feet were hurting and I was experiencing odd joint pains for the first time in my life.  I tried to figure out a cause.  I tried sleeping in a different position, which helped a little bit.  I also tried changing the way my desk is set up at work, which also helped a little.  Still, my legs were in pain and I wasn’t enjoying running as much as I had before.  And then I remembered…

I’m An Idiot!

When I first started running, a trainer friend of mine gave me a bit of very important advice.  She said, “your shoes are the most important things about running.  Replace them every 6 months and don’t use them for anything other than running”.  Well, I took that advice and used it for a few years but I forgot all about it last year.  That means I’ve been using the same pair of running shoes for a year now and not just for running.  I go hiking in them, walking, work in the yard and so on.  I didn’t think this would be an issue, after all, they’re just shoes, right?  Oh, how wrong I was.

New Shoes

As part of my efforts to fix my leg pains I resolved to buy a new pair of shoes.  So I marched on over to Sports Basement and spent an hour talking to one of their very knowledgeable sales people.  She went over my stride, examined how I run and made several recommendations on shoes I should pick out.  I tried on quite a few until I finally settled on a new pair of New Balance running shoes.  Yesterday was my first run with these new shoes and WOW, what a difference!  I felt like I was gliding on air.  My legs felt great and I didn’t even notice the passage of time.  Within 10 minutes I was back in that runner’s high and having a great time.  I ran for 40 minutes but I could have easily run for an hour.

So here it is, my advice to you on the best investment you can make when it comes to sports gear, shoes.  Buy a new pair every 6 months and don’t use them for anything other than your workout.  Stay away from ab machines and home gyms, they’re a waste of time, space and money.  Just get a good pair of solid foot gear.  If you can, go to a store with qualified sales people who can help analyze your stride and make good recommendations.

By the way, the shoes ended up costing me around $60.  Not too bad for something so valuable.  So thank you Sports Basement for your help and great prices.  Thank you New Balance for such a great product and thank you Chris for your invaluable advice.  I won’t forget it again

NOTE  - I have no affiliation with either Sports Basement or New Balance.   I don’t get paid for endorsing them or mentioning them on this website.  I just happen to like their products and so I don’t mind giving them free publicity.

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Thank you also to the Rich Life Blog for including a 60 in 3 post in their latest blog carnival.

The Zen Of Running

I had the most incredible experience this weekend. Saturday afternoon, I walked to a friend’s house. It’s about 2 miles away and I walk there in about 30 minutes. It’s a fun afternoon activity for me, especially on beautiful days like we had here over the weekend. I usually stay at the friend’s house for about an hour and then head back at a fast walking pace. This weekend though, I tried something different. I’m not sure why I did this but as I left my friend’s house I started running.

It was an easy jog at first but I kept increasing the pace until, about half way home, I was running at my usual jogging speed. I ended up covering the 2 miles in about 18 minutes, which is a good time. When I got home I felt elated. It wasn’t because of the speed or even the fact that I ran although that was some of it. I felt happy because, well, because I felt good.

The Long Road Here

6 years ago I was 70lbs heavier and completely out of shape. I couldn’t jog for more than 5 minutes and I felt out of breath climbing a single flight of stairs. On Saturday, I ran for 18 minutes and felt incredible. But it wasn’t the physical progress that made me feel happy, it was the fact that I enjoyed the run. It was the fact that I WANTED to run. I didn’t have to run, I had already worked out that day, I ran because it felt good to run. It felt good to use my muscles, to challenge my body. It felt good to feel that first drop of sweat. It felt good to finish that jog off with a sprint home and that’s why I felt happy.

I wasn’t just out of shape 6 years ago, I was also out of touch. I didn’t remember what it was like to be physically active. I didn’t remember how much I had enjoyed running around as a child. Now I do and it feels incredible. It feels good to want to be physically active. It feels good to voluntarily run. It feels like my body and I are finally friends instead of enemies.

That’s all changed in the intervening few years. I like being active now, I enjoy working out. I like walking, I like running. All of these things which used to be activities to avoid, are now things I seek out, and that feels great. That run last less than 20 minutes, but it made a huge impression on me. It made me realize how much I had changed and how far I had come.

Just Do It

I’m not going to preach to you about how you should get out there and start jogging. I’m not going to tell you that you need to change your life. All I’m going to tell you is that the feeling I had as I sprinted home was incredible. It was worth every workout, every jog, every change in my eating habits. It was all worth it just for that amazing sensation. That feeling of my body rising to the challenge and welcoming it. My heart beating faster, my lungs working harder, my muscles contracting to move me along and all of it working in perfect harmony. That’s something you need to experience for yourself and it’s not something I can completely put into words. Once you feel it though, you’ll never want to go back to that person you used to be.

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And yes, this is not the usual 60 in 3 eating or exercise tip.  Sometimes health and fitness aren’t just about tips and tricks, sometimes they’re just about feeling good about yourself.

Runner’s High

There are a lot of bad things I could say about running, it’s bad for your knees, bad for your feet, it’s boring at times, it’s too strenous at other times.  However, I will say this for running, it’s incredible for relieving stress.  There’s something called a “runner’s high” which kicks in at some point and is an incredible place to be mentally.  I’ve never achieved this state with walking, elliptical, swimming or weight lifting, only running.  Which I suppose is why they call it a “runner’s high”.

About 15 or 20 minutes into a high intensity run, my body and mind get into this zone where everything feels good.  Breathing and movement become second thought.  All thoughts of stress and worry disappear from my mind.  In fact, all thoughts in general disappear and I’m left in this really calm state where everything is good.  I can’t describe it but if you’ve been there you know what I’m talking about.

It doesn’t happen every run.  If I’m struggling to run then I’m focusing too much on my physical distress.  If I’m running too slow then my body doesn’t reach this state and my mind never clears.  When it does happen though, it’s like magic.  Some people tell me it’s what meditation feels like, that point where you empty your mind of all thought.  I wouldn’t know.  All I know is that it’s one of the best stress relievers ever.

How To Recreate

You’re going to need a place to run where you can go uninterrupted.  Street running is not good for this since you’ll be stopping and starting too many times.  Trail running is good as is track running.  Treadmills work well.  You need to avoid distractions as much as possible, so don’t watch TV while you do this or run with the dog.  Music is ok.

Now find a comfortable pace.  Something you can keep up for hours.  Something that won’t leave you panting and struggling to breath, but at the same time will challenge you enough to get other thoughts out of your mind.  At this point just run.  In about 15 or 20 minutes, you’ll feel it kick in.  Now just clear your head and keep going.  Don’t look at the clock, don’t count the seconds or the minutes, just focus on the running.

Why?

So why am I telling you all this?  Well, because this is one way in which you can turn running into a pleasurable experience.  Too many people see jogging as a chore, a dreaded task to avoid rather than embrace.  I see it as a release, a meditative experience where I can leave my worries behind and focus only on the next step.  That’s important for two reasons.  One, it gets me running more and two, it gets me stressed less.  Those are both extremely important to your health.

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What do you do for relaxation and stress relief?  Any chance you could combine it with some sort of physical exercise?

It Hurts When I Run On Concrete

Stop me if you heard this one. A guy walks into the doctor’s office and tells the doctor “hey doc, it hurts when I do this”. The doctor reply “well then, don’t do that.” Ok, so I’m not that good at telling jokes over the internet, but this joke does have a point.  Over the weekend I got a question from a reader who wanted to know why his feet hurt after he jogged on pavement and if he could do something about it.  My answer is “don’t run on pavement”.

First, The Why

How much do you weigh?  The reason I ask is because every time you take a step while running, all that weight comes down on your feet.  Now I weigh about 210lbs.  That means that every step I take brings 210lbs crashing down on my feet.  Think about that one for a second.  Each step is the equivalent of someone hitting my feet with a 210lb weight.  That would hurt!  Even if you weigh a lot less, you’re still putting a lot of stress on your feet and that causes pain.

A Bit Of Personal History

I’ve actually tried running on pavement multiple times.  I used to exercise while traveling by going for a run around the hotel.  I also used to go running with friends who really enjoyed running in the streets around their home.  Each and every time I did this my feet and shins really hurt.  No, not the dull kind of ache that says you had a good workout.  This was sharp pain that was my feet telling me to never do that again.  And you know what?  I listened.  These days I only run on a treadmill, a running track or on a trail.  These are all surfaces that are softer and springier than pavement, which means less impact on my feet.

So There’s No Solution?

Well, I didn’t say that.  There’s plenty of people out there who are running on pavement and they seem to enjoy it so maybe there is something to it.  You could lose weight which would mean less impact on every step.  You could get better shoes which would cushion your feet.  You might even do some stretching exercises since I understand those minimize the damage (although I’ve never tried this myself).  However, at some point, you may need to admit to yourself that running in the street is just not for you.

…and that’s ok!

Just because jogging is popular doesn’t mean it’s the best exercise.  Just because you see a lot of people running in the street, doesn’t mean you should be as well.  You know what, there are a ton of exercise machines at the gym too and some of them are actually bad for you.  Some of those workouts you see people doing?  Not that good for you.  Just like some of those diets that the “experts” recommend are really lousy.  If running on pavement hurts your feet then don’t do it.  There are a hundred other ways to get a good cardio workout, from sprints on the beach to swimming in the pool and none of them will cause you as much pain.

Lesson Learned

Don’t force yourself to do some exercise just because you think you should.  Listen to your body and hear what it’s trying to tell you.  Not all exercises are good for you and if your body is telling you “I HATE THIS EXERCISE!  MAKE IT STOP NOW!” then maybe you should listen and find some other way to work out.

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My feet hurt and so I refuse to run on pavement.  What has this crippling disability done to my overall fitness?  Absolutely nothing.  I’m in the best shape of my life and loving every day.