Ian Jones: How to Build a Running Habit Around Real Life

Between work, family and everyday commitments, finding time to exercise can feel easier said than done.

Kiwi rugby legend and AIA Vitality Ambassador, Ian Jones, understands this better than most. Having spent decades balancing the demands of playing elite sport with family, friends, work and everything in between, Ian knows what it actually takes to squeeze exercise into a busy schedule, and make it a priority.

Are you struggling with finding time to work out? Ian shares his best advice for anyone who is keen to start running but can’t quite figure out where to fit it in, from finding a rhythm that works around busy schedules, to the simple everyday habits that make showing up easier, even on the hard days.

As the countdown begins to Auckland’s North Shore Marathon in September, Ian also shares an update on how our financial adviser partners, Jay and Bianca, have been embracing the ‘Couch to 5K with Ian Jones’ programme – Ian’s spin on the popular training plan designed to help even first-time runners get across a 5km finish line.

So often, the people who give up endless hours to help others, such as parents and caregivers, are the same ones who feel guilty about carving out time for themselves to do things like exercise. I want to reframe that thinking.

It’s wonderful to look after yourself, and your actions have a ripple effect on those around you. Taking those brave first steps and then committing to a routine like running actually sets a great example for your family and community.

This is especially true for parents, who have the ability to lay a strong foundation for their families centred around discipline, resilience, and the importance of health and wellbeing.

Your family will become inspired by the journey you’re on, and I encourage you to make them feel part of it by telling them your training schedule, asking them to come along and making them part of your support crew.

If you want to make running part of your lifestyle, you have to make it work around your schedule. Not the other way around. A good starting point is being honest with yourself about where in the day or week you can fit in time to lace up your running shoes and get outdoors.

I believe what sets a runner apart from someone who finds it hard to stay consistent is a structured plan. I completely understand that between work commitments, school runs, social events, and everything else that fills the hours in a day, finding time to exercise can feel like another thing on an already impossible list. This is when it’s important to create a plan that works for you. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to getting fit, and what works for a friend or colleague doesn’t need to work for you.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve embarked on my Couch to 5K training plan which I’ve personalised to our financial advisers, Jay and Bianca. To help weave running into their busy schedules, I’ve tailored this structured plan inspired by the popular programme to help build them up to running a 5K consistently. 

Like having breakfast in the morning or watching telly at night, make running a consistent part of your weekly schedule and at a cadence that suits you – and, eventually, it will turn into a habit. 

I know that some days, finding the motivation to get ready and step out the front door for a run can feel near impossible. I’ve got a couple of methods that I find helpful and would recommend giving a go.

My first tip is to commit to a time and a place that you exercise. I do a lot of training with friends and fitness partners. We have a consistent time and place that we meet in the diary, and having that routine is a powerful motivator to get me out the door. Plus I don’t want to let them down, which also helps!

We have been using this exact method in our version of the Couch to 5K programme, where we meet up on Thursday mornings after school drop-offs, and it has been a great way for Jay and Bianca to get into a weekly running routine.

The other tip I have, is to be as organised as you possibly can. Having your shoes and running gear out on display, especially beside the bed for a morning run, makes it a lot easier to get up and go. That little organisational habit becomes a real motivation.

Once you start getting into that mindset of preparation, it starts to flow naturally.

Training is so much greater than just the activity itself, and so many good things come out of having that structure. Stay consistent, and the rewards will follow.

If you’re reading this and want to learn how to make running work for your schedule, follow how we’re doing my take on the Couch to 5K journey on Instagram where I’ll be training with Jay and Bianca in the lead-up to the Auckland North Shore Marathon 5km run. It has been an incredibly rewarding journey so far - we’re already halfway through our training!

What I really hope to build from this, with Jay and Bianca as the example, is a community and a path to get New Zealand moving. This training plan isn’t exclusive to just them, and I hope other people who are following along can be part of what we’re doing.

Once you’re on a running journey, the rewards of being out in nature, the connection to your environment, really help you be present in other parts of what you do.

When you’ve made that commitment to yourself, organised that time and place, when your shoes and running gear are neatly arranged by the front door - think of those first few steps and get out the door.