Running, Fitness, Motivation, Working from Home and the Lockdown Blues

I like to think I am a generally motivated individual. I try to approach most things with a degree of positivity or ‘can do’ but I am certainly no saint. Housework for example rarely comes under this category…

But, in 2020 I was furloughed for a period of the year and with an opportunity to really take my fitness to the next level… I absolutely bombed and my running, fitness and motivation absolutely nose-dived! Has this/Did this happen to you?

2020 saw considerable change and disruption to our daily lives and a complete shift in they way we do things as we adjusted to the new normal. Most people started working from home, shopping, pubs and eating out was banned and being outdoors for anything more than an hour for exercise could land you with a fine!

For me, it was all a bit odd. I like work and going into the office. I like the buzz of an office, colleagues around you and I find the drive too and from work helps me get into the zone or decompress after a long day. I had a few races booked in for the year and was gearing up to train for them, hit run times, PBs and general goals but again, all that stopped.

For me, the ‘Running Recruiter’, Running is something I do, I enjoy and do for pleasure and managed to combine my work into it. But as a Runner and as a Recruiter, you may or may not believe it, I have never been particularly competitive. Yes I want to do well, achieve and hit my own goals but have rarely been one to strive to ‘Be the Best’ or the winner or Number One. I have always been more a ‘Do as best as I can do’ ‘Be the best you can be’. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. From a work perspective, I always see myself as a recruiter who does good by my candidates and my clients and tries to be open and honest and act with integrity, even if it means loosing a placement fee.

I have never been a fast runner and have been content in simply achieving a set distance or doing said set distance without stopping and/or walking. They were my achievements. But with lockdown and my races and events cancelled, I lost a bit of drive and mojo. I felt that my runs and running had no aim or purpose and fatefully was becoming a chore. I could run with my running group or my running buddies. I couldn’t race or do my events so didn’t NEED to do specific training. The whole thing just fell flat.

At work, call me old fashioned, I always buy a paper diary. I use my electronic diary for meetings and set events I need to let my team know about so they where I am and what I am doing but on a personal level, I love writing in a diary. I write down my set tasks and meeting etc but also put in my daily goals and objectives, what I want to achieve and what, where, who, when, why of the day ahead. These notes, mini plans and aims are personal to me and keep me focused on the task and day at hand and means I don’t miss things, keeps me on track but allows flexibility as I can adapt and change the day as it evolves. That’s the nature of a job in recruitment, the best laid plans and all. There is a study somewhere that says you are more likely to remember something you hand write down. Unsure if it works for you but it definitely works for me.

So at Christmas I was bought a lovely Notebook. One of those special ones that most often sits there, looks pretty but never gets used. Well, I wasn’t going to let that happen so endeavoured to use it to plan and journal my aims, goals and objectives for 2021. Some were running related, some were work related and others were generally just things I wanted to change about my life in this Covid world.

The main aim of this was to create structure, goals and something to aim for. Something that couldn’t be cancelled due to Covid and something that would largely be down to me and off my own back. As I mentioned before, I like going to work, going into the office. But with the new regulations and rules I at times see myself working remotely, certainly more than I ever have. I am not a fan. Some people love the freedom it provides and the flexibility but for me it just doesn’t do it for me. Maybe its because I don’t have a dedicated office space? I find I am productive and work just as effectively but I guess for me its more the mindset of going to the office and as a manager, its just easier having your team all in one place to catch up, pass ideas and information and of course some good banter and office vibe. I miss that the most.

I asked some members of the team I know are very much active and into their fitness about how the lockdowns and changes in routines have affected their objectives, running schedules and general fitness vibe. Here are some of their thoughts:

I feel exercise is very important for both physical and mental health – especially in challenging times such as these – the endorphin release that exercise brings, as well as the physiological benefits combined with the resulting time spent concentrating on your health and wellbeing (rather that day to day stresses) for a period of time – either in the house or out in the fresh air – can have a powerful impact on so many levels.

It doesn’t need to be a 60 minute HIIT session followed by a marathon to have a big impact – starting with a small manageable amount can have a significant impact. At the beginning of the first lock down, I noticed quite a few people starting the ‘Couch to 5K’ app – I still see a good proportion of those people out and about running now. It’s a great time to develop new, healthy habits that can have a long term benefit.

I’ve been running for a long time, so keeping it up during lockdown was quite easy for me – and it was something to focus on when there was very little else to do… However, during the past 9 months I’ve developed a real love for walking too

Setting fitness challenges via apps with friends and family has been a good way to keep focussed and motivated, and still do things at a distance as a family or group.

Breathing is a fantastic way of destressing (I’ve even followed the Wim Hof Method) or a 2 minute breathing session on your phone in the bath helps, any amount of ‘breathing’ is good for you. I also downloaded the Headspace App and did that for a number of months. Just dedicating 1 on1 time is worth it and that is speaking from experience.

Exercise is particularly important when working from home

Running for me is a great stress reliever – it takes my mind off things and often by disengaging from my work brain, my subconscious will think about things for me and I end up coming with solutions and ideas without even actively thinking about them.

Besides from the obvious of improving strength, balance and flexibility it can give you more energy, helps manage stress and aids better sleep. I have found a half hour yoga or pilates HIT class 2 or 3 times a week works a treat along side a couple of breathing/meditation sessions.

I run, but my friends and colleagues exercise in many ways… Joe Wicks PE, on-line yoga sessions, improvised bootcamps in the park, walking, purchasing spinning bikes, free online classes, step boxes, trail running, cycling – people have gotten active in many ways, it doesn’t need to be a slog/jog round the block!

So why not mix things up, get out there and go for a run. There are hundreds of Coach to 5k challenges, introduction to running and more advanced and more challenging programmes for those wanting more of a challenge!