Learn to Run/Walk Mindfully. A self-guided mindful running and walking program to help you to keep physically and mentally healthy
This self-guided program offers students the opportunity to take a break, get outside, and run/walk using the basic principles of mindfulness (being present in a non-judgmental mindset). On this page you can access weekly mindful meditations to consider prior to each run/walk. All you have to do is set the time aside to do it!
If you are interested in an in-person group option, check out the Mind Body Run program for the Fall term.
When?
On your own time.
Where?
Choose a location that suits you and what you are looking for in a walk/run.
Who?
Yourself, a friend, a pet.
What do I need?
Dress according to weather, running shoes, water bottle.
Weekly Reflections
Week 1: Mindfulness & Running (or Walking!)
Welcome to Mind Body Run!
Welcome to the Mind Body Run program at UWaterloo! We are very excited to offer this as a virtual resource that supports physical and mental health in our UWaterloo community.
As you are aware, our focus in this program will be on enhancing physical, mental, and emotional health through the practice of mindful running (or walking). Each week you you can access a mindful reflection and some other information to consider for your run/walk. This is meant to help give you some guidance and focus as you engage in exercise. Additionally, we hope that this group also provides a great opportunity to spend some time outside, soaking in the fresh air.
Week 1 - Mindfulness and Running (or walking)
To be mindful means to pay attention, in the present moment, on purpose, without judgement. This might include what is happening within you (physical sensations, internal thoughts). Or what is happening externally- what you hear, see, or smell.
An Introduction to Mindfulness
To be mindful means to pay attention, in the present moment, on purpose, without judgement. If you are new to mindfulness, here is a great video from Jon Kabat Zin that offers some basic information to help you get started.
How can I use this in everyday life?
When we are mindful this helps us to stay more present instead of getting caught up in internal thoughts and feelings which tend to make us feel worse. Today we are going to practice mindfulness as we run.
Weekly Reflection
Today we are going to focus on understanding the basic principles of mindfulness and focusing on being present in your run or walk. Try to let go of any expectations, worries, or stressors you are carrying by focusing on being present in your movement today. A good place to start? While you run/walk, consider your senses:
- What sounds do you hear?
- What sights do you notice (anything you have missed before while rushing to class)?
- What scents do you smell?
- What sensations do you feel? Internal to your body (i.e., heart, lungs), external (feet on the ground, wind on your skin)?
Week 2: Focus on Your Breath
Why Pay Attention to Your Breath?
One of the unique things about your breath is that it is always with you. Because this is true, it is an excellent resource to have to bring you back to the present moment. This can be helpful when you may experience uncomfortable emotions (such as anxiety of stress) or thoughts (such as worry or rumination). Simply focusing your attention on your breath can be a way to ground yourself in the moment you are in, which is the only moment you have control over.
Another interesting thing about your breath is that it is both voluntary and involuntary. That is, if you stop thinking about breathing, you will keep breathing automatically or unconsciously, but if you choose to focus your attention on it, you can also exercise control over the way that you breathe.
Running and Breathing
Running is a great way to bring your breath into your conscious awareness, mostly because your rate of breathing increases as you exercise.
Demonstration of breath:
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Breathe into your belly, not your chest.
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Breathe in a way that is comfortable for you.
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Keep your shoulders back and relaxed, not slouched forward and tense.
- Everyone is at different fitness levels and so our breathing might be different; some will find it harder; others will find it easier to breathe. Remind yourself to keep practicing and as your fitness improves your breathing will become easier.
How can I use this in everyday life?
Learning how to deep breathe can be helpful to reduce the sensations we have when we become anxious (increased heart rate, shallow breath).
Practicing breathing while running can help you to manage intrusive thoughts in your everyday life; intrusive thoughts can include worries or regrets.
When you are practicing paying attention to your breath while running this is also a form of mindfulness. We can notice anything distracting keeping you from paying attention to your breath; we can notice those distractions and let them go and come back to the breath.
Weekly Reflection
This week, when you are running (or walking), consider paying attention to your breath by using it as a grounding point for your awareness.
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What do you notice about about your breath?
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Rate?
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Depth (Stomach? Chest?)
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Are you breathing through your nose? Mouth? Can I slow my breath down a little bit?
- Become aware of the rate of breathing and start to play with it and then the takeaway is you practice deep breathing in a crisis (6 breaths over 60s)
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How difficult/easy is it?
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Is it hard to keep your attention on your breath? What is distracting you? Can you notice when you are distracted and shift your attention back to your breath?
Week 3: Mind Your Thoughts
What is Taking You Away from This Moment?
Your thoughts are the filter through which you interpret the world around you, they also influence and are influenced by your emotions. Therefore, the thoughts that fill your mind play an extremely important role in your experience of the present moment.
Often, your body may be physically present, but your mind may be time traveling back into the past (rumination), or ahead into the future (worry). Your emotions and actions will largely reflect what is going on in your mind, therefore, it is important to pay attention to the thoughts that take up space in your head!
Running and Your Mind
Many people avoid exercise and running specifically because of the negative labels they associate with this type of activity. They may have certain expectations or ideas about what it means to run. For example: "Running is hard", "I am not a runner", "I hate running", "I'm not very fast", and so on. These thoughts and beliefs can influence how you experience your run. If you think running is a horrible, painful experience, it will likely be one. However, if you keep an open mind, specifically noticing the judgments and assumptions you may have, and then choose to just observe versus believe them, you may be surprised at how your experience of running changes.
(Example: Running in the rain can be something you dread, or it can be seen as a challenge to try something hard that may boost your confidence)
How can I use this in my everyday life?
When we are anxious our minds tend to get stuck on the problem which makes it hard to be present. It’s helpful to notice the thoughts your mind is coming up and decide which ones do you want to pay attention to, and which ones do you want to let go of.
Weekly Reflection:
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Notice what thoughts are trying to take up space in your mind as you run (or walk). Acknowledge that they are there and try to observe vs believe your thoughts and the emotions that come along with them.
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Notice if there are any assumptions or expectations you have about running. What are they? How do you notice these thoughts impact your experience? Are there other thoughts that might be gentler and motivating?
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Continue to use your breath as a grounding point in the present, as your thoughts wander to other places and times, do not judge yourself, just notice that this has happened and come back to the present moment and your breath.
Week 4: Noticing Sensations
Pay Attention to How You Feel
There are often so many distractions in our external world that we neglect to pay attention to the feelings and sensations that are present inside our own bodies. We tend to ignore early indicators that we are stressed or sick because we are not attuned to the small shifts that may be occuring inside us. This is often how we end up becoming ill, getting injured, and experiencing a major break-down in our mental health.
Practice Doing a Body Scan
A great way to practice noticing the sensations in your body is to try a guided body scan. The purpose of doing a body scan is to turn attention inward to your body in an intentional, non-judgmental way. This is something you can try prior to going for your run this week.
Even just sitting or standing here today, I would invite you to notice the sensations showing up in your body. Let’s notice our head and face; Do you feel your hat on your head? Do you feel your hair? Is there any tension in your scalp? Are you holding any tightness in your neck and shoulders.
This is just an example of how you would do a body scan. Below is a video of a short body scan if you would like more experience practicing this strategy:
How can I use this in everyday life?
When you practice connecting with your body’s sensations you can become more in tune with your body’s internal cues. This can help you learn to understand what you are feeling and what you might need.
Weekly Reflection
As you run or walk this week, try to incorporate in informal body scan, moving through your body (head to toes, or vice versa) noticing the different internal sensations you feel. Remember to practice non-judgement, trying your best not to label sensations as good or bad, instead describing them in a more objective way. Here are some things to consider:
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What sensations seem to keep demanding your attention?
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Do you notice certain sensations that you tend to want to label as good/bad? What are they?
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How easy/difficult was it to pay attention to your body in a non-judgmental way?
Week 5: Are You Aware of Your Feet?
Are Your Aware of Your Feet?
Our feet literally carry us through the day, from point A to point B. But how often do we take the time to notice and experience the sensations we have in our feet as we move, step by step? Likely, your feet are the last thing on your mind as you are walking or running around. Take a moment, when you have one, and remove your shoes and socks. Walk around in your bare feet and notice what sensations you feel on different surfaces - grass, concrete, dirt, carpet, tile, wood. Notice the temperature, the firmness, texture, and other properties of the ground against your feet. Sense the ground against different parts of each foot, your heels, the balls of your feet, and each individual toe.’
How can I use this in everyday life?
A technique that can be helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed is pressing your feet against the ground and noticing the sensations, and how your feet feel against the surface. Noticing that your feet are on the ground, in this room, and you are OK. This can be used outside of your run as a grounding strategy.
Weekly Reflection
This week, as you run or walk, bring the richness of the sensations in your feet to the forefront of your mind. Notice as you move at different paces and across different surfaces how your feet feel. To help with this process, imagine your feet are as sensitive as your hands and experience all the nerve endings coming to life with every step. What do you notice? Does your run/walk feel different as you keep this imagery in mind?
Week 6: A Sense of Curiosity
When we approach a challenge from either a judgmental mindset, or from a curious mindset, it changes the way we talk to ourselves about the challenge. And the way we talk to ourselves about the challenge has an impact not only on how, but even if we tackle the challenge. For example, when I’m running, if I tell myself, “This is too hard for me to keep going”, I’m likely to focus on the fact that I’m tired and breathing hard, and then just stop. Whereas if I ask myself, “Is this too hard for me to keep going?”, I’m likely to check in with my breathing and my body to see if there’s anything I can do to make myself comfortable enough to keep going: maybe I should slow down, stand up straighter to open up more lung capacity, take smaller steps, unzip my jacket, sip some water, take a walk break before continuing, etc.
How can I use this in everyday life?
Perhaps the next time you face a challenge, you might experiment with shifting from a mindset of judgment to a mindset of curiosity and see if it makes a difference for you.
Weekly Reflection
This week, as you run or walk, bring a sense of curiosity with you and apply it to both yourself and the environment around you. Be curious about sensations, events, experiences, both inside and outside of your body. Notice when you want to assume or make a judgment and see if you can re-phrase it in the form of a question. What new things caught your attention and what did you discover during your run/walk today?
Week 7: Your Cadence
What is Cadence?
For runners (and walkers), it can be helpful to familiarize yourself with your cadence. What is cadence? The term cadence refers to the number of revolutions per minute (RPM) that your feet turn over as you move. For those looking to improve their running speed, generally a higher cadence (i.e., more, smaller steps, versus less, larger steps) means preservation of energy at a faster pace. However, it is not always a helpful or necessary goal to run fast. In fact, often it can help to focus on slowing your cadence if you are looking for a more relaxing, enjoyable run. Paying attention to your cadence, as with your breath, can also help you get into a rhythm physically, and even give you an audible, rhythmic sound to focus on.
Running experts suggest that the perfect Candance is 180 steps per minute.
Fun Fact: If you run to the rhythm of the song 03’ Bonnie & Clyde – JAY-Z, Beyonce, this likely will put you at 180 steps per minute; you can also find playlists that encourage a 180 cadence. This likely will put you at 180 steps per minute; you can also find playlists that encourage a 180 cadence.
When we get tired, we tend to take longer strides which can be harder on your body. Taking shorter strides and getting into a rhythm with your cadence can help with your form and be less demanding on your muscles.
Check out the video below for some additional information on cadence and running.
How can I use this in everyday life?
Pay attention to your body getting into a rhythm; and paying attention to your rhythm is a form of mindful and being present in the moment and getting your mind off other things.
Weekly Reflection
This week, as you run or walk, notice the cadence of your feet. Consider taking smaller strides and allowing your ears to attune to the rhythmic sound of your feet at a pace you are comfortable at. Go as slow as you need to, there is no pressure to achieve speed. Also, notice what feels different as you consciously pay attention to taking smaller steps with an even pace. Is this challenging? Easy? Do you have the natural tendency to want to speed up? Take bigger strides? Also notice how your breath matches your stride. How many steps do you take for each inhale/exhale?
Week 8: Pain vs. Suffering
Stop Struggling With Yourself
Often, life can feel like a big struggle. This can certainly be true when it comes to being physically active, whether walking, running, or something else, the effort and discomfort associated with physical movement can sometimes be a deterrent from being active. This week, our focus is on acceptance of the sensations and, sometimes, discomforts (physical or emotional) that we feel.
Pain vs. Suffering
Inevitably, when we exercise, there is bound to be some level of discomfort, otherwise most of us would exercise a lot more than we do! With running, you may find you experience unpleasant sensations in your body, or even in your emotions if you are feeling bored, anxious, disappointed, or something else. These initial sensations and/or emotions are part of the human experience. Pain, in this sense, is inevitable, and not always a bad thing. Pain can draw your attention to something that is important in your body or in your life in general. For example, pain in your hand when you touch a hot stove means you will remove your hand from the stove. This protects you from further injury. In this case, pain, or an uncomfortable sensation, is a good thing.
On the other hand, suffering occurs when you judge yourself for the pain you are experiencing. Ruminating or lamenting over it, getting upset or angry with yourself for experiencing it, creating additional negative thoughts and/or emotions about it. The level of suffering you experience because of unavoidable pain is something that is much more in your control. Trying to embrace it, understand it, explore it (be curious!), versus reacting negatively to it can be an initial step in acceptance of pain.
Check out this video to learn more about pain versus suffering:
How can I use this in everyday life?
You can practice this in your run and consider bringing this into your everyday life; for example, tolerating the discomfort of having to learn something new that you do not understand; notice the pain and discomfort attached to this and be aware of any judgements that come up and how that affects your overall experience as you learn.
Weekly Reflection
This week, as you run or walk, focus on accepting and embracing uncomfortable sensations and emotions you might be experiencing. Notice when you struggle to do this and then re-focus on descriptive (i.e., "I feel a throbbing in my leg") rather than evaluative (i.e., "Ugh, this sucks") reactions. Consider how hard or easy this process is for you. What impact did it have on your experience of running/walking?
Week 9: Are You Listening?
Are You Listening?
Have you ever really just stopped and listened? Were you surprised at the sounds you heard once you did? We can often tune out many sounds in our environment quite easily, and this is important sometimes since attuning to every little noise we hear throughout the day could get very distracting! However, it can be a great practice in mindfulness, especially during a run or a walk, to tune your ears back in to the sounds around you and inside of you. There are many benefits to practicing mindful listening, from helping you to attune to your environment, your internal self, to being more present in the relationships in your life. Listening and being present in the sound around you can strengthen your connection with the experiences and relationships that make up your life.
How can I use this in everyday life?
Consider practice mindful listening; this can include internally, what is happening within you. This can help you notice your thoughts, feelings and body sensations more. It could also be with others around you and tuning into what they are saying. This can allow you to let go of ongoing distractions and be more present.
Weekly Reflection
This week, as you run or walk, your challenge is to leave your phone/music behind. Instead, try to focus on the sounds that you hear both in your external environment and internally in your body (i.e. your breath, your heartbeat). What do you notice? Are certain sounds connected to specific thoughts? Emotions? Sensations?
Week 10: The Power of Now - Attending to the Present
We have talked a lot in this program already about being mindful. Today we are going to focus on revisiting the basic principles of mindfulness and focusing on being present in your run or walk. Mindfulness allows us to be fully engaged in the present moment. When we are mindful, we shift from “doing” to “noticing” That is, being aware of your thoughts, or noticing body sensations all without judgement. Try to let go of any expectations, worries, or stressors you are carrying by focusing on being present in your movement today.
When you go out to your run; you can focus your breath, your sensations, your cadence, feet, thoughts (acceptance and letting go), body scan.
How can I use this in everyday life?
Mindfulness allows for a new way to navigate our relationship with life, other people, our feelings, and our bodies. For example, think about the thought “I am not good enough.” When we relate to that thought in a mindful way we are simply just “noticing” the thought as opposed to getting “caught up” in it or seeing it as the truth. This can especially be helpful when dealing with life stressors or challenges that might show up.
Reflection:
- What is your experience incorporating mindfulness into your run; what did you notice? Anything surprise you? Any challenges?
- If you have participated in one of the previous weeks, was their one exercise that you especially found useful? Is so, what impact did it have on you?
About the Facilitator:
Melissa Zettel (she/her) is a Registered Social Worker (MSW) with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She currently works as a Counsellor with the University of Waterloo within Campus Wellness. Melissa’s love for running started later in life. As someone who never considered herself to be athletic but saw the value in movement and exercise, she became curious about finding ways to build confidence in this area. Running became that avenue and has been a place where she has gained significant confidence in herself while also having the opportunity to connect with her body, thoughts and emotions in a new way. Running has also been a place Melissa has found peace and steadiness especially during periods of her life where those things have felt less evident. Melissa brings running into her life regularly and enjoys training for races. She has run 2 half marathons and one day hopes to train for a marathon.