Motivation!?! How about joy?

Running in 2022 - let's focus on enjoying running and being active!

Your New Year's resolutions are under scrutiny! Now are the decisive days, whether resolutions succeed in the long term or fail miserably. Namely when everyday life returns after the holiday breaks.

In Austria alone, thousands and thousands have made the resolution to exercise more in 2022. to do more sports. start running to rediscover it. Perhaps you, too, once started your first year of running with great motivation. Because Santa Claus has put new running shoes and a modern sports watch under the Christmas tree. You did it, bravo! You are a runner - running has become an integral part of your everyday life. You also deserve a compliment for being a minority.

An irresistible minority

Many will make it again in 2022 - but many, many more will throw in the towel, not for the first, but already for the second meter. A team of researchers from the universities of Los Angeles, Boston and Vancouver published a study in 2017 Journal of Translational Behavioral Medicine found that the motivation to exercise more often remains a flash in the pan that is quickly smothered. Of 116 subjects who had intention to exercise, a discrepancy between intention and actual behavior opened up at 84% over a four-day experiment. Previous scientific data was based on the assumption that almost every second resolution to do more physical activity fails completely due to the implementation of the change in behavior.

“I would like to move more” is still a grateful intention and therefore has potential because it evokes positive connotations. Wanting to enlarge something, improve something, expand something is psychologically more desirable for us than reducing or reducing something. The resolution "I would like to spend less free time in front of the screen" therefore has less chance of giving a counter-example.

The inner bastard is a bitch!

It's the compelling benefits of running that make it ideal for a New Year's resolution. The positive effects on physical and mental health. Physical fitness for a better life. It's a big goal! As overwhelming as the pro-arguments may be, long-term goals often come with perceived hurdles that we humans are not built for per se. Discipline, consistency, regularity, sustainability - constants of an effort that wants to put us on the defensive psychologically, lets us look for alternative solutions and dream of comfort.

The message of a pandemic

Two and a half hours of moderate or vigorous cardio physical activity per week, plus two short sessions of strengthening exercises. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends this to every adult as a building block for a healthy lifestyle. Depending on their stage of development, children should move more, young people at least as much. When has this message ever been more powerful than in the context of a discriminatory virus that mercilessly exploits poor health and a lack of physical fitness in individual cases? The levers to eradicate such disadvantages, largely preventively or through immediate behavior change, are in our hands. Running is definitely a real resolution!

The desire to run as a gentle addiction

Will that motivate a majority? No, says one on December 30, 2021 at the Article published on the website of the Swiss daily newspaper NZZ on the subject. It is much more effective to refer to experts from the field of sports psychology, who focus on the joy of running and the enjoyment of running. We all know the positive feeling after a run, but it seems to have a hard time with negative thoughts and emotions that anchor the fact that it was hard or uncomfortable on the road. Long-term motivation and enjoyment of running can be expected if the running activity is immediately fun and evokes positive emotions. The positive experiences and memories form connotations that evoke anticipation of the next training session and make it easier to exercise regularly.

The meditative character

So if your motivation falters, put the joy of running in the foreground! But above all, motivate well-known beginner runners to focus on enjoying the activity. Don't chase after any targets. No faces contorted in pain and hoods dripping with sweat. No need to run 45 minutes four times a week. No look at a training computer that mercilessly notices every step that is too easy. Just run. Drive your thoughts, unwind and let your cardiovascular system work. Arrange the run flexibly according to time and desire.

The premium tip to get you excited about running is to meet up with a friend. Your partner, family or relatives. It's even more varied at running clubs and in the running club. The experience and entertainment factor when running increases, incentives multiply and the attractiveness of running becomes broader. And, very important: walking in nature. The natural atmosphere has a calming, balancing effect on us runners, absorbed through various senses: a beautiful view, the chirping of birds, the fresh winter air before dusk, a gentle breeze on the cheek. These impulses, this balance multiply the joy of movement.

Enjoyment factor deluxe

The first half of 2022 is perfect for looking for positive emotions while running. Focusing on the joy of running, enjoying every step. That's not to say that structure, discipline, and goal setting are unimportant. On the contrary, these elements can easily flow in. The highlight of the joy of running remains - and this is confirmed by the majority of the community - the experience value at running events. Experience a wonderful day of running in front of a special backdrop together with like-minded people and collect many unique impressions.

It doesn't always have to be a marathon or a half marathon. These are the disciplines for those runners who like to reflect their ambitions in a disciplined way of training. Using mental and physical strength, not just pulling from running. This is optional and extremely rewarding if approached correctly. But not intended for everyone, the running scene has been changing for years towards shorter distances, which make it easier to fulfill the enjoyment factor. A 5km or 10km run or even a relay also offers an optimal stage for cumulative running pleasure.

The Running Festival in Mozart City from May 9th to 15th deliberately offer a multifaceted program with the right competition for every running ambition.

The joy of running, the pleasure of running and the running experience are of course included everywhere!