California attorney Loren Zitomersky plans to run Monday's Boston Marathon — all 26.2 miles of it — backward.
He's done this sort of thing before. In fact, he qualified for Boston at the Los Angeles Marathon, which he also ran facing the wrong way.
His original goal was to raise money and awareness about epilepsy — a neurological disorder that claimed the life of his brother, Brian. But he discovered something along the way: Not only is running backward physically and mentally more taxing than conventional running, but the body uses more muscle groups and, studies have shown, burns 20 to 30 percent more calories.
Plus, it added a new challenge to his training that excited him. "Unlike running forward, you can't sort of zone out," he said. "You have to be really self-aware."
Adding innovative twists is a great way to renew your motivation for workouts that have grown stale. Melissa Perlman experienced this firsthand. A former collegiate runner and high school cross-country and track coach in Boca Raton, Fla., she lost her interest in training runs. She often had to "drag myself outside to do solo runs."
Then she came up with several creative tips for exercise enthusiasts to reignite their motivation to sweat:
Make social media part of your workouts. "I post a lot on my Instagram page," Perlman said. "I like sharing with my friends what I'm up to, where I am running, and sometimes how far or fast I've gone. I take pictures of the sights, or I take selfies of me and my running partners. It keeps it fun, and it gets others involved."
Give your training session a "theme." "On International Women's Day, I wore Wonder Woman socks, and during a Christmas run, I wore a headband with bells," she said.
