Running is one of the most common physical activities for weight loss — and it makes sense why. It’s excessively convenient, and you really only need a pair of sneakers to do it. However, if you’ve ever taken off on a jog, motivation at your back, only to feel like stopping just a few yards into your workout, you know how tough it can be. It’s true: Running isn’t always easy, and it can be frustrating. But it’s worth it to stick it out for more than just the potential weight loss benefits.
“Running is so much more than just losing weight,” says Aaptiv trainer Ackeem Emmons. “It’s about uplifting you physically, mentally, and emotionally. A couple steps a day can go a very long way.” He’s right: The benefits run deep. We asked Emmons and other Aaptiv trainers to share why running is more than just a physical workout.
Stress Relief
Running is an effective antidote to the taxing nature of an endlessly trying news cycle and the stress that builds with busy daily schedules. “When you run, you force your body to exert excess energy and hormones, resulting in stress relief,” Emmons says. “After an extremely long week, there’s nothing like a good long run to reflect, release, and rejuvenate.”
Taking time to run can also help create mental space to think about certain tasks or obligations that need our attention. Without the distractions of anything besides the workout, we can get into a productive headspace. “Sometimes I go on runs to work,” says Aaptiv trainer Meghan Takacs. “During my run, I think of things I want to do, cues I want to try in my recordings, and problems I want to solve. Then I use the endorphins to put it all into action post-run.”
Runner’s High
Speaking of endorphins, running triggers our body to release a flood of them. “Running contributes to an increase in endorphins, but also levels of serotonin and norepinephrine,” says Aaptiv trainer Candice Cunningham. These chemicals play a critical role in mood regulation and have been linked to fighting feelings of anxiety and depression.
“The endorphins have a direct impact on your overall mood and state of mind,” says Takacs. “For me, running is moving meditation and, the older I get, the more I realize I’m running for the mental health benefits, not the physical.”
Mental Toughness and Discipline
Running, as we know, has its challenges. Depending on the day, your mood, or the weather, it can take a lot of effort to tackle those miles. But that difficulty fosters something more powerful. “Running is a sport that requires focus and a good mentality,” Cunningham says. “It can get mundane, but pushing through those barriers builds running capacity and a healthier mindset. If you can push through uncomfortable moments during your run, you’ll build that mental toughness to push through challenging moments at work and in your relationships.”
To build that toughness, though, you need to be disciplined. “Runners need to schedule runs and workouts in order to progress,” Cunningham says. “That means running when you don’t want to or think you have better things to do.” That discipline results in a feeling of independence that translates to real life too.
“Running makes you tenacious and independent,” Takacs adds. “It makes you confident in your abilities to handle more difficult tasks in normal life. That self-reliance is critical if you’re an entrepreneur or want to create your own success in general.”
Confidence
Discipline and mental toughness can help you repeatedly make strides in your running progress, which then breeds confidence. “Running is a major confidence boost,” Emmons says. “Hitting your goal — be it a specific distance or length of time — says a lot about you and it makes you feel happy. That attitude correlates to other aspects of your life. You become more self-motivated to achieve more goals outside of running.”
That motivation you get from accomplishing your running goals, big or small, can contribute to a cycle of success. One block quickly becomes one mile, which can eventually become a marathon. It may sound cheesy, but it really all starts with a single step.
What is your favorite benefit of running? Share it with us @Aaptiv and @BritandCo.
(Photo via Getty)
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures