Who Run The World?

Exercise is not always just about physical fitness and cardio burn. For Compass' very own Genna Miller, it's about clarity, mental health and the all-important happy hormones. 

 Running is a means to take a break from your day for a moment. To take time for yourself and to take time to think. It's an essential part of our psychological tool box and as a means of getting some clarity of thought, it's second to none. 

 Who hasn't made plans to take on the world during a 20 minute jog? Or just concentrated on the breathing and the playlist for half an hour while the hamster wheel of your to-do list took a back seat? 

Jog On by Bella Mackie illustrated perfectly why exercise and your mental health are so closely linked, and for anyone out there who is wondering about how to wrestle their own focus, reading it is an excellent place to start. 

For better or worse our brains can be our nemeses. Intrusive thoughts that pop out of nowhere. The constant ticker tape of the tasks required for the day, for the week, for the month. The worries that mushroom with no tether and molehills become mountains. The best combat we can use sometimes is to block it out and there is nothing better for that than the pure physical distraction of your feet pounding the pavement. There is nothing to think about other than putting one foot in front of the other, than checking the traffic, than shuffling to the next tune and waiting for the beat to DROP. 

Running can be frustrating. It can be tiring, tiresome and terrible. But those endorphins. Those endorphins can be the difference between a good day and bad. They can slap a smile on through the sweat and they can make you feel like you won Olympic gold. If you’re taking that feeling home with you after a few miles, then the tickertape loses its fearsome clatter. Your brain has had a break and you can take what comes next in your stride. Our Gen also has a ridiculously fast pace, inhumanly calm heart rate and a labyrinthine knowledge of the Glasgow pavements. All very handy life skills, let me tell you.

So, our advice? Tie up your trainers and head outside, what have you got to lose?