RunLight: A minimalist approach to health & life

Barefoot running made simple: Part 2

This is Part 2 in a series of six.

2) Getting started - running.

START SLOWLY.

• Find a smooth piece of ground, as free of debris as possible. I recommend concrete, asphalt or a similar hard surface. Softer surfaces like grass or sand are lovely, but they can allow you to get away with a running style that may not be right for you or they may hide nasties like glass or animal faeces.

• Start off by walking a little.

• Break into a trot, NOT a run at this stage.

• Don't tense up. Relax every part of your body - and try not to 'think' about what you are doing.

Barefoot running made simple: Part 1

Over the next six weeks, I will be sharing a simple guide to barefoot running based on my own experience and research.

I have been running barefoot or in minimal shoes for nearly three years, with my longest run of 65km being completed in cheap water shoes.

It is mainly intended for those who have considered, but not tried, running barefoot or in minimal shoes and is mainly aimed at those, like myself, who do not come from a running background.

Part 1 below.

Emergency solar/hand crank dynamo LED lantern

Now isn't that one of the most exciting titles to a blog post you've ever read?

Things like emergency lighting aren't particularly exciting, but they are necessary - especially if you live in one of the most seismically active places on Earth and the memory of a massive earthquake and tsunami is still fresh in your mind.

In fact, we get daily reminders here in Japan that the ground beneath our feet remains restless, which is one of the reasons for my interest in survival fitness and the reason I bought an emergency lantern that is powered entirely by the sun or a small hand crank on the back, with the added option of charging it via a USB cable.

It's surprisingly bright and can be also be used for camping or any kind of outdoor activity, although it's too big to use while running. At first it seemed relatively expensive at ¥1,490 (from Nitori, a furniture shop), but when you remember that you'll never need batteries, it's very reasonable.

I may get a couple more, plus a similar radio.

So, how prepared are you for an emergency?

Our warped thinking about exercise

I think we've got our thinking about exercise all screwed up. Instead of making time for exercise and planning rest days, we should make activity the norm and consider being sedentary a very unnatural state of being.

Our bodies are primed for activity. We're literally made for it, from our opposable thumbs to our unique muscle structure and capacity for endurance. We just fail to live up to our potential and modern living is making it all too easy - and tempting - to sit on our arses and get fat. The result, of course, is that we live most of our truncated lives in an unfit, unhealthy state until we die.

Wouldn't it be nicer to be healthy, strong, proud of your appearance and happier? Well, basically, that's the way it should be.

There are plenty of studies that show the crap we eat and our lack of activity contributes not only to heart disease, cancer and a multitude of other ills, it can cause premature aging, weak bones and weak muscles.

An active lifestyle is known to counter these things, and various studies have shown that exercise can not only help you sleep better and look better, it also releases chemicals such as endorphins that can make you feel better.

If you want to be fit to survive, you need to start using your body for what it was made for.

Working on that six-pack...

Isn't it typical? No sooner had I decided to lay off beer (made all the easier by currently being broke) and work on getting some great-looking abs than somebody comes along and gives it to me!

That's right, my wonderful father-in-law has given me not one, but two six-packs of beer. Luckily one of them is non-alcohol beer which is lower in calories than it's 5% big brother. And of course I couldn't resist: I had a couple of cans last night.

However, I purposely didn't put any more cans in the fridge so that I wouldn't be so tempted to have one today. I've decided that I will limit myself to one or perhaps two a week while still working on the six-pack above my waist.

And on that subject, I've started to add more core work to my cycling and running, namely (although I'm quite sure these are not the real names): standard crunches, foot-to-foot crunches, running/cycling crunches, planks and a couple of other things.

Will I have a six-pack in a month? Watch this space...

Can a beer-loving bloke get a six-pack in a month?

I can make claims that my desire to be fit and healthy is in no way related to aesthetics, but I prefer to be honest: of course I want a six-pack!

Not just a six-pack, you understand, I want a toned, healthy body all round, but a six-pack would be nice. I do want a strong heart, healthy lungs and strong bones more than I want a six-pack, but I also want to look good in a slim-fitting t-shirt (yes, I'm admitting to a degree of vanity).

So, here's my challenge: can a beer-loving bloke in his late thirties, who hates lifting weights and doing sit-ups, crunches and all that, actually achieve a six-pack - or come close to achieving one - in a month? In other words, can I do it?

I'm not sure, but I intend to find out. Starting today.

Getting back into the habit

Not going running simply because it was cold is a pretty feeble excuse but, sadly, it's the only one I've got. I've been running very infrequently during the last couple of months, despite starting the year with the aim of running every day...

But I'm back to it now, with a more realistic approach: run when I can. This simple, effective motto comes from an ultrarunner I went running with a couple of years ago. As we were running in the mountains, we came to steep inclines and the thought of running up them brought me out in a cold sweat. Luckily, he taught me that one of the keys to running ultras was conserving energy while maintaining focus, thus the 'run when you can' approach.

Yesterday I ran 6km and strongly felt the need to get off the bike path and onto trails. I seriously want to get out into the mountains and do some more running there. Hopefully later this month...

Other things I plan to add to my physical activity include more walking/hiking with a pack, some climbing and lugging rocks and branches around. Part of it is for the survival fitness I want to invest more time and effort in this year and also because it's, well, good fun.

Take stock once in a while

“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself” - Zen Proverb

 

A few years ago I was obsessed with reaching certain goals: earning a set amount of money, getting a certain job, being able to run a certain distance at a certain time, etc, etc.

I ended up being unhappy because I hadn't reached the goals in the timeframe I had set.

At some point, my thinking changed. I most certainly had not given up and I continued (continue) to aim for certain goals, it's just that my focus shifted somewhat from the destination to the journey. I had grown so fixated with the outcome that I was ignoring the steps along the way, ignoring the progress I had made and simply berating myself for not reaching goals that, looking back, were unattainable.

I now take stock every month of what steps I have taken either towards my goals or otherwise. It teaches me not only that I still have work to do in some areas, but also that in some cases I'm doing a very good job.

We shouldn't always berate ourselves or focus on the negatives. There are plenty of positives and we should be proud of the things we have achieved either consciously or unconsciously.

Do something you care about

From caring comes courage. ~ Lao Tzu

 

Since the earthquake last year I've changed my life in ways that I've wanted to for many years, but never really got around to. I'm in the middle of trying to do even more.

The thing that changed was that everything not only became a lot more immediate - i.e. you really don't know which day will be your last - but I began to identify things I really care about.

Obviously my family topped the list, but other things surprised me a little, even if they were clear to other people.

I realised I care about education, so I'm seeking to do more in that area. I realised that I care deeply about language, so I'm studying more and aim to share what few things I know. I also realised just how important honesty is. When I was doing things I didn't really believe in, it was obvious. When I started doing things I cared about, I felt much more confident and felt like I was doing something worthwhile. That feeling grows stronger.

I also realised just how much I care about Japan, and that has guided a couple of projects that I'm really enjoying and hoping will grow. More on those in due cause.

So courage really does come from caring. Do something you care about - it's great.

Five things to note from today's run

So I've finally started to run again, and here are five things I noticed today:

 

1. I'm much happier running on trails than roads. Much, much happier.
2. I'm much happier running barefoot or in VFF. My VFF may give me blisters, but I still love them for short-mid-distance runs (5-20km).
3. I'm happy I can still run 5km easily. Cycling and staying generally active helps - a lot.
4. I feel happier after a run. It's quite noticeable how much more relaxed I feel after a run.
5. I love running!