Time for another edition of Fit Five Friday! with with your FIVE amazing hosts – me, My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Runs with Pugs, Zenaida ! Feel free to join in on the fun!
This week we are cleaning up for spring! These are my 5 things I would focus on when spring cleaning for running and fitness.
Your Shoes
From what I’ve read and heard from others, you should change your shoes every 500 – 800KM’s (I think that’s 300 – 500 miles). Your shoes can start to lose the support they give you (depending on the type of shoe you use) and without that support there is a a possibility of injury.
I think many of us have two or more pairs of shoes we keep in rotation. But how do you know how many kilometers you’ve put on your shoes? Garmin definitely can help you keep track as well as Strava. I am not sure about Nike Running or other apps out there, but I would bet money all these running apps have a way to help you track. You could also do it the old fashioned way, like keeping a journal or even putting your mileage and your shoe on an excel sheet.
What to do with your shoes that have reached their max? Many running stores have recycling programs for used shoes. Get in contact with your local shop to see if they have suggestions!
Your Clothes
We all have favourite running leggings, tops, tanks and shorts that we feel like we couldn’t bear to get rid of, but … sometimes it’s good to make some decisions about the running clothes you actually have. Sometimes…there is an aroma that just doesn’t come out of your clothes, no matter how much you wash them. So it could be time to part ways.
Also, check your bras! After a while your sports bras are also not so supportive! And what about race shirts from 2009 that you never wear anymore, but “might” one day. If you haven’t worn your stuff for a year or more, it’s time to say goodbye.
Or, if you can’t part ways, put them in storage cubbies. Go back next year whilst spring cleaning and if you didn’t miss them… get rid of them.
Your Gear
As a runner we tend to have a lot of gadgets and bottles and other gizmos and it’s really important we CLEAN these items well. Every once in a while my wrist gets irritated under my watch and then I look at the watch band to find it’s kind of rank… I mean, I am a clean person, I shower, how does it get so dirty. I do wear it all the time and it’s pretty normal for this to happen. I actually just use a disinfectant wipe on mine and then rinse.
Lets not forget water bottles. waist packs. hydration packs and bladders, hats, headlamps – the list goes on!
Your Nutrition
No, I’m not talking about changing your diet! However, if you are like me (in the past) you have a collection of gels, sports bars, chews, and other items that *may* have expired if you haven’t been training for a longer distance in a while. We sadly had to throw away a ton of gels and chews because we just didn’t use them. I mean if they were just a little bit over the expiry date, maybe I’d keep them if I needed them. However, there was just no opportunity to use them up.
Your Mind
Yes, spring clean your mind! MANY people suffer in the winter and can’t bring themselves to train like they would the rest of the year. Feeling down, unmotivated of even having negative thoughts can really spiral out of control. You don’t have to feel positive and great all the time, but now that the weather is (hopefully) changing a bit and the days are getting a little longer, how about picking up again and releasing that negative energy?
What other things would you clear out in your running and fitness spring cleaning?
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Here are the guidelines:
- Your link should center around some kind of fitness (exercise, wellness, mental health, nutrition… the possibilities are endless!)
- Please link back to your hosts! It’s the right thing to do!
- Share the link-up love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!
- Feel free to share about Fit Five Friday on your social media! Tag #FitFiveFriday to get the word out!
The mental aspect is truly one of the most important. We would all do well to remember that.
I like that you added the mental aspect to you list! Spring can be a time of changing our perspective
so many good ideas here… I need to get working. As others have said… the mental aspect is so important…. (Mine now is down in the dumps.
Releasing the energy – I love that! The weather does make a huge difference in attitude and perspective.