The document provides tips for making running a habit. It recommends starting slowly with walking and running intervals to avoid injury. Next, the document suggests mapping out a running schedule or plan for the week to stay organized. Finally, it advises choosing a consistent time of day to run and laying out your running gear the night before to help running become a regular part of your routine. The overall goal is to turn exercise like running into a daily healthy habit.

1. H O W T O M A K E R U N N I N G A H A B I T
D R . M A R K M C B A T H :

2. • If you’ve never been a
runner, it’s often hard to
make a habit out of it.

3. • Building up muscles to be
a consistent runner takes
time and a lot of effort, but
it is something that can be
done no matter how old
you are.
• Here are some helpful
steps towards making
running part of your
everyday routine:

4. • First, start off small. It’s
vital to not push yourself
too hard when you first
start running because you
don’t want to be at risk for
developing an injury.

5. • Starting small, like
doing intervals of
walking and running,
or just going for a
quick run around your
neighborhood will
help you get the feel
for running and
incorporating it into a
daily routine.

6. • A short run is better
than no run at all - so
whatever it takes, get
your sneakers on and
get outside (or on the
treadmill).

7. • In addition, running too much
too soon can exhaust you and
keep you from running for
weeks straight.

8. • Next, map out a running plan.
• This is very similar to coordinating your work schedule for the
week to keep you organized and on top of things.

9. • Making a running checklist will
help you reach your goals and
give you a concrete vision as to
how these goals will be
accomplished.

10. • Another helpful tip to turn
running into a habit, according
to Runnersblueprint.com, is to
choose a specific time of the
day to run.

11. • Their article reads,
“Decide whether you are
more likely (and have the
time) to stick with your
running ritual in the
morning, midday or
evening, and stay
consistent with that time
no matter what,” (How to
Make Running a Habit in
11 Simple Steps).

12. • It may be easy to put off a
run until tomorrow, but
when you are constantly
reminded about your run,
it will be harder to ignore
doing it.

13. • Last, be sure to lay out all
of your running gear the
night before you are
scheduled to run,
especially if you plan to
run in the mornings.

14. • Always remember to run in
shoes that are catered to
your specific needs - don’t
ever borrow someone
else’s because you could
run the risk of injury.

15. • In conclusion, running is a
great way to get back into
shape and it can relieve a lot of
stress and get you prepared for
the day to come.
• Exercise should be
incorporated as part of your
everyday way of living; so
instead of thinking of it as a
task to check off your list each
day, you should view it as a
healthy habit that is helping
you gain a higher quality of life.