The Gazelle Sports Activator Blog Series is written by a group of passionate individuals, willing and eager to share their personal stories of trial and triumph. Maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle is filled with ups and downs, lessons learned, successes and failures. Get to know them as they share their journeys—you might learn something new!
By Eva Reiter
This post is dedicated to anyone and everyone who is new to running or even just starting to work towards hoofing it outside more often. In running, when it comes to being a beginner, the early learning stages of understanding your body and running style can be super daunting. But with some light research and body language adjustments, you can feel more empowered to continue pushing yourself.
I’m no running expert, but I am the queen of (1) faking it until I look somewhat like I know what I’m doing, (2) asking questions of everyone and anyone who might provide information, and (3) utilizing Google to search for as many helpful resources as possible.
Let’s talk about the first trick: fake it till you make it. If you’re not familiar with the tactic, I highly recommend watching Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk, Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are. The moral of her story is that by physically assuming a specific posture that imitates strength/power/confidence, your body will follow suit and produce the chemicals that would support that feeling. Bring that strategy to your running to feel more self-assured. Even if you’re absolutely scared out of your mind for a race or a group run, spending a few moments at the beginning of that event in a “power pose” (picture Xena Warrior Princess or Wonder Woman in running gear) could actually help your body produce chemicals that will make you feel more confident.
So what’s my challenge to you? Whether it comes to running or confidence in your non-running life, try utilizing strong postures to elicit those happy chemicals and boost your confidence. It’s 100% okay to be anxious, scared or intimidated when approaching a race start, a new running club, or an especially challenging hill, but tools like power posing can give us the boost we need to tap into our inner champion.
My name is Eva and I will be one of your friendly neighborhood Gazelle Sports Activators for roughly the next year. When I’m not marauding through the streets of Grand Rapids in obnoxiously bright high-vis gear that could melt the retinas of Medusa herself, I’m a just a “normal” young professional and a profoundly proud mom of a goofy dog named Howard. I’m excited to share some of my experiences with you over the next few months and hopefully provide some form of inspiration. If nothing else, I hope to at least leave you with a laugh or two. Because who doesn’t need a laugh?!
