0:12

Thanks watching!

0:16

Welcome to the Not Your Average Runner

0:18

podcast. I'm Jill Angie, a

0:20

certified running coach and your running

0:22

BFF, here to help

0:24

you start running, feel confident, and

0:26

love the journey no matter your

0:28

size. Now if you've ever felt

0:30

like you just weren't meant to be a runner,

0:32

think again. I believe that

0:35

running is for all bodies, even

0:37

yours. This podcast is your

0:39

warm -up buddy, giving you tips, motivation,

0:41

and the support you need to lace

0:43

up and get moving. I've helped thousands

0:46

of women become runners, and now I

0:48

want to help you. Let's go.

0:52

Hey, hey, runner. Welcome back

0:54

to the podcast where we do things

0:56

our own way in our own time

0:59

in bodies that the fitness industry doesn't

1:01

always know quite what to do with.

1:03

But you know what? We're

1:05

out here anyway, running, learning,

1:07

growing, and sometimes feeling a

1:10

little guilty about it. So

1:12

today we are tackling something

1:14

that comes up all the

1:16

time in my coaching calls and

1:19

in my DMs that sneaky,

1:21

annoying, joy -stealing emotion called

1:23

guilt. Specifically, guilt

1:25

about taking time to run. You

1:28

know the drill, right? You finally carve

1:30

out 30 minutes to get out the

1:32

door. Maybe you're already in your sports

1:35

bra, your shoes are on, and then

1:37

your brain starts in with, shouldn't

1:39

I be cleaning right now? The

1:41

kids need something. I could

1:44

be answering emails. I could get 10

1:46

emails answered in the next 30 minutes

1:48

or just plain old, this is selfish.

1:50

I should stay home. So

1:52

if that inner voice has ever talked you out of

1:54

a run, I want you to know that you're not

1:56

alone. Today, I'm

1:59

gonna help you shut that down

2:01

gently but firmly. So

2:03

let's start with the big truth.

2:06

Taking time for yourself is

2:08

not selfish. Running

2:10

is not frivolous and you

2:12

don't. have to earn it.

2:15

We have been conditioned, especially

2:17

as women, especially in

2:20

larger bodies, to believe that our

2:22

value lies in how much we

2:24

give, how many people we take

2:26

care of, how busy we are,

2:28

and how small we can make

2:30

ourselves. So when we

2:32

choose to do something for ourselves

2:34

that doesn't directly benefit somebody else

2:37

or fit in with society's ideas

2:39

of what we should look like,

2:41

Our brains, they sometimes can throw

2:43

a tantrum. But

2:45

here is the reframe I want you to

2:47

hold on to. Running

2:49

is not a luxury, it

2:52

is a lifeline. It's

2:54

how you decompress, it's how

2:56

you build confidence, it is how you

2:58

reconnect with your body in a way

3:00

that has nothing to do with shrinking

3:02

it. And it is how

3:04

you remind yourself that you are strong,

3:06

capable and deserving of time that is

3:09

just for you. And when

3:11

you give yourself that time, you

3:13

don't become less available to the

3:15

people in your life. You become

3:17

better equipped to show up for

3:19

them because you are showing up

3:21

for yourself first. Easier

3:25

said than done, right? So how

3:27

do you actually let go of the guilt? Let's talk

3:29

about it. Number one, you

3:31

reframe it. Instead of thinking

3:34

I should be doing something more productive,

3:36

try this run is how I

3:38

stay grounded and sane. This

3:41

is how I refill my tank so

3:43

that I can do all those other

3:45

things without resentment and running a self

3:47

care, not selfishness. Those are three super

3:49

powerful thoughts that are way more helpful

3:52

to you than I should be doing

3:54

something more productive. And

3:56

here's a wild thought. Imagine

3:58

your best friend said she was going to take 30

4:00

minutes to go for a walk or a jog. Would

4:02

you tell her she was being selfish? No.

4:05

You'd say, go get it, girl. You

4:07

deserve the same kindness you would

4:09

offer anyone else. Number

4:12

two, be honest about the trade off. So

4:14

let's say you skip your run to do

4:16

laundry or respond to emails. All right, cool.

4:19

Those things got done. But how do you

4:21

feel afterwards? Now

4:23

imagine that you do go on the

4:25

run, you get fresh air, your body

4:27

moves, your brain clears a little bit,

4:30

you get less small boost of endorphins

4:32

or a tiny boost of confidence. When

4:35

you come back, okay, yeah, the laundry

4:37

is still there, but so are you,

4:39

and now you're in a better headspace

4:41

to handle all of it. So

4:44

the trade -off is not between

4:46

productive and lazy, it's

4:48

between feeling resentful and drained,

4:51

versus feeling recharged and

4:54

present. That's a

4:56

powerful trade -off. Number

4:58

three, I want you to normalize some boundaries.

5:01

So if you live with a partner or

5:03

kids, you got to do this, right?

5:05

You are not a bad mom or

5:07

a bad spouse for saying, I need 30

5:10

minutes to myself. That is

5:12

a powerful example to set. especially

5:14

for your daughters, my friends, and

5:16

your sons. You are

5:18

showing them that self -care matters, that

5:21

your needs matter, that you are important

5:23

too. You don't have to explain it

5:25

or justify it. You can just say,

5:27

this is my time. I

5:29

need this run. I'll be back

5:31

in a better mood. You're welcome. So

5:34

set the boundary. Keep it simple.

5:37

Repeat as needed. Number

5:39

four, you're going to start

5:42

small if you need to. All right,

5:44

we're going to minimum baseline this shit.

5:46

If 30 minutes feels overwhelming or indulgent,

5:48

okay, shrink the window. Give yourself 10

5:50

minutes. Run down the block and back.

5:52

Hell, run around the house if that's

5:54

all you've got today. It's

5:56

not about checking a box on a training

5:58

plan. It is about showing your brain

6:01

and your schedule and

6:03

your family that you

6:06

Matter. And once you start

6:08

building that habit, your brain is going

6:10

to see it as normal. Okay. It's

6:12

going to see it as a non

6:14

-negotiable and that's powerful. And

6:16

finally, number five, celebrate what running actually

6:19

gives you. Okay. This is your permission

6:21

to shift the way you think about

6:23

it. It's not about losing weight. It's

6:25

not about hitting a PR. It's not

6:27

about earning your dinner. It's

6:30

about your mental health. your

6:32

joy, your strength, your

6:35

boundaries. It is about

6:37

claiming space in your life

6:39

that belongs to you without

6:42

guilt and without apology. So

6:45

the next time that guilty voice shows

6:47

up, and it will, right? Do not

6:49

tell yourself that something has gone wrong.

6:51

If you've listened to this podcast and

6:53

you're like, yes, I get it. I'm

6:55

not going to feel guilty anymore. And

6:58

then tomorrow you feel guilty. All right.

7:00

That's normal, right? When that happens, I

7:02

want you to picture me gently putting

7:04

my hand on your shoulder and looking

7:06

you in the eye and saying,

7:08

you're not selfish. You're not lazy.

7:10

You're not letting anyone down. You're

7:13

taking care of yourself and that

7:15

matters. All right. You

7:18

deserve time. You deserve joy and

7:20

you deserve to run because it

7:22

fills your soul. That's

7:25

all I got for you today. Short and sweet. And

7:28

hey, if this episode hit home, please come

7:30

hang out with me over on Instagram. I'm

7:32

at Not Your Average Runner and over there

7:34

you will find a lot of sass, a

7:37

lot of motivation, maybe sometimes a little bit

7:39

of tough love, but mostly sass. And

7:41

hey, I will be back right here

7:43

next week with more tips to help

7:46

you rung strong, run happy and run

7:48

your way. Until next time, go

7:50

prioritize yourself. Unapologetically, you've

7:53

got this. Mwah. Real

7:56

quick before you go, I've got a fun

7:58

challenge for you. Take my exercise personality

8:01

quiz to find out exactly what

8:03

kind of exercise you are and

8:05

how to make running feel easier

8:07

and more enjoyable. Just

8:09

head over to

8:12

notyouraveragerunner .com/quiz to take

8:14

it and get

8:16

your results. That's notyouraveragerunner

8:18

.com slash quiz.