What U.S. Presidents Know That You Don’t

Almost all of the 8 million regular runners in the United States are very busy. They hold demanding jobs; they’re parents; they volunteer in their communities. But they know that the tiny amount of time that it takes each week to stick with a running program gives them a return that is monumental. The physical and psychological strength that they get from running increases the amount of “time” in their lives, if you take “time” to mean hours in which they feel vibrant, productive, and at ease with themselves. Let’s look at it another way and break things down mathematically: There are 168 hours in a week. You can maintain a good level of fitness by running for half an hour, four times a week. So there’s two hours. Throw in another 15 minutes each workout for stretching, cooling down, and so on, and you’re up to a grand total of three hours out of every week’s 168.

Can’t find three hours? Life too busy? Consider the U.S. President, who, it’s generally agreed, has the busiest, most difficult job in the world. Of our last four presidents, three— Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Jimmy Carter—have been regular runners. They all know how running centers their day and increases the quality of the rest of their time. None of this information is meant to belittle your busy life. It is a struggle to find the time to run regularly. I just wanted to make sure that you’re convinced that it’s a worthwhile struggle, and one that can almost always be won. Here are some ways to manage your running time so that it easily becomes a regular part of your day:

• Consider your run an integral part of your day, as you do going to work and spending time with your family.
• When planning your day, plan when you’re going to run. Don’t expect the time to magically present itself.
• Treat running as an extension of your work day. Don’t consider yourself “done for the day” until you’ve gotten your run in.
• Instead of viewing running as another responsibility, look upon your running time as a gift to yourself each day, when you get to spend quiet, quality time by yourself or with a close friend or two.
• Plan runs with friends one or two days a week. Give these meetings the same degree of commitment as you do other meetings during the week.
• Explain to your family and friends the specialness of this time to you. They’ll be more likely to respect and support your running if you share with them why it’s so important.
• If necessary, schedule your runs the same way that you do other parts of your life. Write them on a calendar or leave yourself a note.

Above all, keep a flexible approach rather than an allor- nothing attitude. When things seem out of control at work, you don’t just blow it off and head home for the day. You adapt to the situation and do the best you can. If work or other responsibilities has cut into the start of your usual running time, don’t consider the day lost, and not run at all. If anything, you’ll need running’s stress relief more than usual. So get out the door for whatever amount of time is left to you. Then look at the time-consuming situation and see whether it’s avoidable next time