I'll be honest, I may or may not have been the type of student who purposefully tripped and skinned her knee in gym class to avoid running the mile. That's because I am one of the people who detest running. I would rather poke my eyes out with a plastic spoon than subjecting myself to that type of torture. And I always roll my eyes at the people who say how "relaxing" the sport is (since I typically contemplate my death while doing it).

But that being said, I run. It might take a little more motivation than most, but I do lace up my tennis shoes three or four times a week and raise my heart rate- and here's why you should too.

Now is the best time to make healthy habits.

We're young, we're fit, and we can eat an entire order of cheese fries by ourselves with minimal damage. But that will not always be the case. And in order to prepare for that day when our youth is no longer our natural metabolism, you need to start implementing healthy choices in your life *cough* like running.

You don't need to be training for a marathon.

What matters is that you're putting forth an effort. So whether that means running one mile or 26, the distance is up to you and you should be proud of yourself no matter what.

Everyone's running habits are different.

So comparing yourself to others is a waste of time. There will always be someone faster than you, someone who can run farther than you, and someone who is thinner than you. Focus on breaking personal goals and you'll be much more successful.

You don't need to dedicate a lot of time to it.

Studies say that a fifteen minute run is enough to start making a positive, healthy difference in your life. So just because your neighbor can run for hours on end, doesn't mean that you need to pencil in your running time into your agenda.

You will notice changes.

In your mood, in your skin, and in your weight. Your body will thank you for it.