I decided recently to start running.
Here we are. Physical fitness in the time of Covid. Like most of you, my family and I are socially distancing ourselves due to the Corona virus, so I am trying to stay healthy and also use this time to focus on my fitness.
I needed something easy, something that would cost no extra money, and something I could do at home while maintaining the social distancing safety. Running seemed to fit the bill perfectly. It also would give me a good excuse to leave the house in between the dirty diapers, homeschool coloring sheets, and endless meal preps. I love being home with my boys. But I also crave the freedom of those minutes each afternoon to myself.
So I started running. At first I was miserable. It felt forced and I wasn’t having fun. I made excuses. Or I would start my run and after three songs on my iPod, I was already rerouting myself back home. Until I made one big change to my routine: podcasts.
I started listening to podcasts instead of music when I run and it has become my daily addiction. I found myself wanting to run further so I could finish an episode and even looking forward to my afternoon run to I could cue it back up again!
The first podcast that always has me coming back for more is Wine and Crime. Their tag line is: “three best friends who drink wine, chat crime, and unleash their worst Minnesotan accents.” As I dig deeper into each episode, I start to feel as if instead of running, I’m actually sitting around with three friends talking about murders and bank robbery. Sometimes I even catching myself laughing out loud as I run which I’m sure is to the delight and confusion to all my neighbors.
A few other podcasts I really love/have loved include:
- The Sleeping At Last Podcast -behind the scene from a musician and how he writes and produces his music, including the popular Enneagram songs.
- Absolutely Not – my favorite comedy podcast from comedian Heather MacMahon
- How I Built This – interviews with innovators and entrepreneurs from some of my favorite brands and the story behind how they got started.
- Matt and Dorree’s Eggcellent Adventure – a couple going through infertility discuss how long it takes to go though IVF and all the funny and not so funny things that happen along the way. I recommend this for ANYONE going through infertility who needs a support group.
- S-Town – the craziest true story that takes a wild, unexpected turn.
- The Daily – from the New York Times. I usually don’t listen to this one as I run because it can be a tad depressing but I should still mention it as it is my favorite news source at the moment.
They are all very different from each other and but each serve a purpose to my soul 🙂
Others I have listened to and enjoy include Chasing Cosby (allll the real facts about the Bill Cosby trials), Missing Richard Simmons (another interesting celebrity story I had no idea about), Serial (the OG original true crime podcast), Dr. Death (another true crime story), In the Dark (but only season one), Are You For Real (real chats with Sarah Frick, my yoga instructor here in Charleston), and Naked on Cashmere (poetry that me and the boys listen to in the car when we drive around preparing for nap time).
I love that they have given me an excuse to get up, put on my sneakers, and take better care of my physical health during this strange moment in time.
If you have a favorite podcasts you think I should check out, comment with them below. I’m always looking for new ones!
I’m off now to lace up my sneakers, go for a run, and not think or talk about COVID19 for half an hour or so. Today’s podcast topic is cartel crimes. Sound be a good time! xx
