How to Start Running, by: Muhammad Raza

 How to Start Running 

Believe it or not, running can be one of the most enjoyable and beneficial forms of exercise for those who chose to pursue it. It improves your cardiovascular system, strengthens your muscles and bones (contrary to what many people believe), and builds a great deal of discipline and mental resilience (Victorian Government Department of Health). In fact, evidence has suggested that running also increases your lifespan, meaning you’ll live both longer and stronger (BaylorScott&White). However, starting one’s running journey is much harder than it appears on the surface, and there are a lot of things you have to take into account when beginning this strenuous hobby. That is why, with my years of running experience and the knowledge I have acquired from pounding hundreds of thousands of miles into legs, I have identified and compiled three actionable steps that you can take in order to start running.

The first step to beginning your running journey is actually to start strength training. That seems contradictory, why would I want to hit the gym or start doing squats if I wanna log miles? The answer to this question is that running specific strength training is great for improving your durability and protecting you against injury. Running, in a manner, is also a weight lifting sport: your tendons, ligaments, muscles, and bones have to support multiples of the weight of your entire body continuously for miles on end. If they are not built to handle this load, you are asking for an injury. One of the reasons why so many new runners quit the sport is because they can’t string together training without getting hurt, and strength training is one of the best ways to prevent that.

Now that you’ve started to get stronger legs, the next step to getting into running is actually doing walk-jog intervals. Walk-jog intervals, as the name implies, are workouts consisting of you walking for a specified period of time, and jogging for a specified period of time (eg: 1’ walk -> 30’’ jog, or 2’ walk-> 2’ jog). This is a great way to introduce your body and mind to the action of running in a somewhat easy and non-strenous manner. In fact, this type of training is also used by seasoned athletes who want to get back into running after a tough injury, meaning it definitely can apply to beginners. The other benefits of this type of training are that you can stack up much more training volume by weaving walks between your runs rather than straight up running, and also progress easily by decreasing the walk to jog ratio. Over time, this walk-jog can transition to straight up running as you progress in a manageable way.

The last piece of advice for those wanting to start running is that you need to realize the importance of consistency. While this is cliche advice, the fact is that so many of the adaptations that take place once you start running occur over weeks and months of consistent effort. Every runner who you see casually trotting out 8 mile easy runs and 4 mile hard efforts have built up to that over months and years of consistent training, and everyone has to do this. Also, consistency doesn’t have to be running everyday as far as you can; for a beginner, it can just look like running every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for a moderate amount of time. Overall, running is extremely rewarding, but only if you take the time and energy to follow these actionable steps and continue to do them as you further progress in this sport. 

Citations:

Jones, Bradley. “An Hour of Running Could Add 7 Hours to Your Life.” Scrubbing in by BSWHealth, 18 June 2017, www.bswhealth.com/blog/running-hour-add-7-hours-life.

‌Better Health. “Running and Jogging - Health Benefits.” Vic.gov.au, Victorian Government, 25 May 2022, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/running-and-jogging-health-benefits. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.

Books by Krisha Shah

 Books

Reading is important. Books give us knowledge, but everyone already knows this. What people do not understand is how reading strengthens the mind and that each book and different genre strengthens a different part of our brain. Through reading, individuals learn about reading between the lines. This is a common theme across all book genres, but can be displayed in various situations. It could include understanding emotions, sparking creativity, improving critical thinking, and so much more. For instance, if we use the Harry Potter series as an example, readers learn about Harry Potter's difficult family situation, and how he has to cope with being introduced to a new world. All of a sudden, everything he knows and is familiar with has changed. When I first read this book, I saw each emotion he felt. He never explicitly said that he was confused or awe struck, but through each action he portrayed, I could tell that he was displaying these different emotions. In the beginning, he was overwhelmed and could not understand what was going on. His entire life was a lie. He was lied about how his parents died and who he truly was. Although he never explicitly said this, I was able to interpret these emotions by reading between the lines. I was able to use what I learned by reading this book and translate it into my life. I understood my family and friends better. In this situation, reading taught me empathy. It gave me the ability to understand my friends emotions, and changed the way I dealt with different situations.  

Works Cited

“Why Is Reading Important? 13 Benefits for Readers.” 95 Percent Group, 

19 Jan. 2024, 

www.95percentgroup.com/insights/reading-importance/?srsltid=AfmBOopniMCofDHB3DT_BXY1z4LUYNnwM6gWgvNPxdexHMVx4TpXTjCa. Accessed 25 Sept. 2025.

Silence by Krisha Shah

 Silence

Silence is so rare nowadays. Technology has grown so much over time, that moments of complete science are rare. People are always calling, facetime, or messaging that there is no time for complete silence. Time where we can just spend reflecting on everything that has occurred and to give ourselves time to breathe before moving to the next task or assignment. Moments of silence help our brains rest and allow us to tackle the next task with a better mindset and more focus. Throughout the day, I am at school or completing school work so I barely have the chance to rest my mind. At times, it gets so tiring that I start making silly mistakes when solving math problems or confusing names when reading a text. Allowing myself moments of quiet where I just sit in silence for a bit, or go on a walk around my community allows me to complete my homework faster and with a higher accuracy than before. The importance of silence is not spoken enough about and should be given more attention to. Silence enables us to do our best in every task we take on. 

Works Cited

Garone, Sarah. “8 Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Silence, plus How 

to Get More 

of It.” Healthline, 24 Sept. 2021, www.healthline.com/health/mind-body/physical-and-mental-health-benefits-of-silence.

Dark Chocolate- Krisha Shah

 Dark Chocolate

I hate dark chocolate. I hate the bitterness of it and the after taste that it leaves behind, but overtime I have learned that there are so many benefits behind it. Studies have shown that it improves blood flow through your entire body. In other words, it improves blood flow to your brian. It is also much healthier than regular milk chocolate. Although it has a bitter aftertaste behind it and is not as tasty as regular milk chocolate,I make it a habit to eat dark chocolate a few times a week instead of chocolate. Not only is this a healthier alternative, but I believe that it improves my critical thinking skills and allows me to stay focused for longer stretches. Personally, I love eating dark chocolate before tests as I am able to stay more focused during the long period and am able to put my best foot forward.  

Works Cited

“The 7 Benefits of Dark Chocolate.” Cleveland Clinic, 9 Mar. 2022, health.clevelandclinic.org/dark-chocolate-health-benefits.

Saying "no" by Krisha Shah

 What Does it Mean to Say “no”?

For the longest time, I thought saying “no” was wrong. I did not want to let people down or disappoint anybody, so my answer to everything was always “yes”. The answer to going to events, joining clubs, or participating in activities was always “yes” because I did not want to let anyone down. Over time, I realized that saying “no” does not always have a negative connotation and it does not mean that you are letting someone down, but it means that you are creating healthy boundaries. You are not focused on participating in activities that you are in the right mindset for or would enjoy, rather than pushing yourself to do something that you are not ready for or just joining because you were too afraid to say “no” in fear of disappointing anybody. It is essential to create these boundaries as it helps us focus on creating healthy relationships and increases our confidence. 

Works Cited

“The Power of No.” Mike Robbins | Infusing Life and Business with Authenticity and Appreciation, 23 May 2024, mike-robbins.com/the-power-of-no/.

Writing - by Krisha Shah

 Writing

With the growth of technology, everything has become digital. Instead of writing, everyone types on their computer. In schools, students type essays on computers instead of writing them. In work places, everyone completes their tasks through spreadsheets and documents. Technology has become so widespread that it is the common means by which everyone completes their tasks. However, studies have shown that technology has detrimental effects. Writing is better for humans as it stimulates the brain. Writing is a complex motor skill that combines the brain and your fingers. They are working together to display the note on the paper. Writing is extremely important and it pushes us to use our motor skills. I believe that writing should be used throughout our twelve years of education. From the moment we start writing to 12th grade where we are writing large papers, as it helps us think and grow. The skills we retain from the simple act of writing are essential and an extremely important part of our education that it should continue to be a part of our curriculum as we grow older. 

Works Cited

Lambert, Jonathan. “Why Writing by Hand Beats Typing for Thinking and Learning.” NPR, 11 May 2024, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/05/11/1250529661/handwriting-cursive-typing-schools-learning-brain.

Importance of Playing a Instrument - Krisha Shah

 Importance of Playing an Instrument

The simple act of clicking or plucking notes for fun and to create different songs is vital, but the importance of playing these instruments stretches far beyond the simple act of having fun. The process of learning another instrument causes our brains to stretch and develop various processes. The process of learning an instrument is similar to learning another language as it requires a lot of thought, patience, and forces the individual to change their entire thought process. As a pianist, I love to play around and create different melodies, but I hate the process of learning new songs. It pushes me to exercise my brain and think about songs in an entirely different language. Instead of words, I have to read different notes. The act of reading various notes is tiring as it strays from the way I normally communicate throughout the day. However, I have seen that on the days I play the piano, I am able to complete my school work more efficiently. I am able to get my tasks done quicker and have more time in my day, rather than the days that I do not play the piano. I have recognized the importance of playing music through my personal experiences as a pianist. Music pushes me to think outside of my comfort zone. In fact, it alters the way I think entirely, which benefits me in other activities as it stimulates various parts of my brain. 

Works Cited

Battista, Mike. “What Research Says about How Playing an Instrument 

Benefits Your

Brain.” Creyos.com, Creyos, 13 Dec. 2024, creyos.com/blog/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain.