Jogging? How do you begin?

ferrenmariec97
ferrenmariec97 Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So this might be a dumb question but I truly am looking for advice. I was in a car accident 4 years ago and got up my heaviest weight (323lbs) I began walking and hitting the gym. I dropped down to (250lbs) and then life got "hard" and stopped walking and hitting the gym. I am now up to almost my heaviest weight again and have started walking again and doing simple home workouts (with my home gym setup). My boyfriend used to be much heavier than I was and lost all of his weight by jogging. He sings praises for jogging all day in and out. He talks about how good it is for your body, how much freedom it gives you, the "joggers high", ect. I have tried jogging with him a few times in the last couple of years (I might seem like a whiner here) BUT I just cant seem to get into it and it HURTS not in a omg im dying kind of way but in a more intense way then lifting weights ever did. My question is how in the world do you push past that? how do you "get into it"? do you have any advice for beginners?
Thanks!
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Replies

  • k8eekins
    k8eekins Posts: 2,264 Member
    edited November 2018
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    My question is how in the world do you push past that? how do you "get into it"? do you have any advice for beginners?
    Thanks!

    Ease into ... Slow. Jog up an incline, walk down the incline. Jog up a set of stairs, slowly descend those very same stairs. Jog 2 blocks, walk the 3rd block. You need to jog at your own pace. You'll quickly lose interest ("can't seem to get into it") if your man is your pacer, since he has been jogging himself into weight loss and at maintenance for quite some time. At this point, you need to find your rhythm and nail your breathing, before you can join him at his set pace.
  • ferrenmariec97
    ferrenmariec97 Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you! So its not going to backpedal me to walk a block or two and then start jogging again? All the people in my life say that you undo everything you worked for if you stop to walk for a block or so?
  • ferrenmariec97
    ferrenmariec97 Posts: 17 Member
    Thank You! I will look it up!
  • ferrenmariec97
    ferrenmariec97 Posts: 17 Member
    Ok! Thank You! I think Ill start trying this jogging thing by myself using the C25K app, and your advice and see where that gets me! Thank You so much!
  • Bentforkx
    Bentforkx Posts: 69 Member
    The C25K app is awesome, however, be good to yourself. Instead of being pressured to go from one week to the next, advance to the next week when you feel ready for it. I often did four or five sessions at a given "level" (I don't like calling them weeks, it applies pressure to your performance) before I felt ready to advance. Stick with each level until you are comfortable, it's not a race, you are looking to create long term habits.

    The best advice I can give you is get properly fitted for the best running shoes you can afford. Your feet will dictate how your running will turn out. When I finally figure this point out for myself, my knee pains virtually vanished because my feet were working the way they were supposed to, and the rest of my body wasn't compensating for any misalignments.

    Happy trails
  • ferrenmariec97
    ferrenmariec97 Posts: 17 Member
    Properly fitted for the best running shoes I can afford? Another dumb question but cant you just run in your regular shoes? Please educate me!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited November 2018
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    Properly fitted for the best running shoes I can afford? Another dumb question but cant you just run in your regular shoes? Please educate me!

    No, get proper running shoes, go to a shop and get gait analysis
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    Thank you! So its not going to backpedal me to walk a block or two and then start jogging again? All the people in my life say that you undo everything you worked for if you stop to walk for a block or so?

    Are these people thing you this runners?
  • ferrenmariec97
    ferrenmariec97 Posts: 17 Member
    Most of them are not. Most of them run for a little while when trying to get "the perfect summer bod" and then stop once they get to that and then start over the next year.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    edited November 2018
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    Thank you! So its not going to backpedal me to walk a block or two and then start jogging again? All the people in my life say that you undo everything you worked for if you stop to walk for a block or so?

    That is absolute nonsense. No, you're not going to undo everything -- or even anything. I do a run-walk blend, and my fitness now is better than it was when I was a varsity swimmer in high school. I maintain a decent-enough half marathon pace, and tend to land right smack in the middle of my division when I do 5Ks.

    One way to think of it, when evaluating what people are telling you: If that was true, would plans like C25K be as popular and successful as they are?

    Try C25K. See how it goes. If you don't like running, you don't need to run. But if you want to try, that's a good way to get started.
  • ferrenmariec97
    ferrenmariec97 Posts: 17 Member
    Thank You! That actually makes a ton of sense! I definitely will!
  • ghudson92
    ghudson92 Posts: 2,061 Member
    I do two minutes walking, one minute running etc.. Slowly my stamina is increasing and I am running a little longer each week. Just go at your own pace.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,127 Member
    Another vote for C25K - I have a group over on the community for it. It's probably a bit quiet but there is a lot of tips and observations over there. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/120724-c25k-couch-to-5km-2017-beyond-app-users

    I started the program in May 2017, I've been on and off with it around other things but I hadn't run since I was about 15 years old and I'm now 35. I've gone from feeling like I am going to die after 30 seconds of jog/walk intervals to going out for a 4km run just for fun.
  • eleanorhawkins
    eleanorhawkins Posts: 1,659 Member
    Tell people offering advice where to stick it and to mind their own business (in a polite way as they probably think they're helping and it isn't really their fault they don't know they're talking out of their *kitten*). Remember 'you do you'.
    Download C25k, get fitted for good shoes. Be kind to yourself, if you find you can't complete a session on the app, build up to it gradually. Have faith in the process. Run slower than you think you should until you build your stamina up. In fact, run so slowly you think you could walk faster than you're running. Make sure you can hold a conversation while you're running, or sing to yourself. If you can't, slow down. In fact, slow down a bit anyway just in case.
    Prepare to go from "can't get into it" to "hooked for life, someone sign me up for a million races".
    Enjoy!
  • k8eekins
    k8eekins Posts: 2,264 Member
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    Thank you! So its not going to backpedal me to walk a block or two and then start jogging again? All the people in my life say that you undo everything you worked for if you stop to walk for a block or so?

    AnvilHead has more than adequately confirmed that you're to not pay these mentalities any mind.
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    So its not going to backpedal me to walk a block or two and then start jogging again?

    No. Not in the least.
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    All the people in my life say that you undo everything you worked for if you stop to walk for a block or so?
    Those people in your life should stop offering fitness advice, because they don't have the slightest idea what they're talking about.

  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    So this might be a dumb question but I truly am looking for advice. I was in a car accident 4 years ago and got up my heaviest weight (323lbs) I began walking and hitting the gym. I dropped down to (250lbs) and then life got "hard" and stopped walking and hitting the gym. I am now up to almost my heaviest weight again and have started walking again and doing simple home workouts (with my home gym setup). My boyfriend used to be much heavier than I was and lost all of his weight by jogging. He sings praises for jogging all day in and out. He talks about how good it is for your body, how much freedom it gives you, the "joggers high", ect. I have tried jogging with him a few times in the last couple of years (I might seem like a whiner here) BUT I just cant seem to get into it and it HURTS not in a omg im dying kind of way but in a more intense way then lifting weights ever did. My question is how in the world do you push past that? how do you "get into it"? do you have any advice for beginners?
    Thanks!

    You may want to consider power walking until you get to a safer weight before starting to run. I think this will do 2 things for you.

    1. it will prepare your joints for running without risking injury due to the weight.
    2. if you do it at a fast pace, you can get a good cardio which will also prepare you for running.

    Your husband can walk with you on his recovery days, or run along at a slower pace on his long slow days.

    Trying to run with him now would not be a good idea, and you could wind up injuring yourself in the process.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    Also remember that weight loss is about eating less calories than you burn. Your boyfriend didn't lose all his weight because he was jogging, he lost weight because he was in a calorie deficit, which exercise did help him achieve. As anyone will tell you, "you can't out exercise a bad diet." I'm not a runner so other than this I have no advice other than you need to be you and do this your way.
  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,033 Member
    You have gotten some great advice here. I thought I would never be a runner again after an accident and multiple surgeries. I recently started again after watching a documentary called From Fat to Finish Line on Amazon Prime. It's a story of 12 runners who collectively lost 1200 pounds and ran a Ragnar relay together. It's not the best documentary ever but it is inspiring that people of all fitness levels, shapes and sizes can become runners.

    They have a program called Fat to First Mile (it's free) that I am following and it is really helpful. I am in week 5 and doing very well. It's similar to a couch to 5k program but a little less aggressive plus you can get a running mentor to talk to and get advice from. My mentor is an ultramarathoner and triathlete. They have a Facebook support group and on Sundays, they have a trainer (Rik who is featured in the documentary) go live for an hour so you can ask questions.

    Jogging/running alone will not help you lose weight. Having a calorie deficit will. The running contributes to calorie burn which in turn, helps with weight loss as long you are properly tracking your calories. You will never be able to outrun poor diet choices. It also helps you build better heart and lung endurance. My resting heart beat has gone down considerably since I began. If your boyfriend is a fast runner and not comfortable running slowly, run alone until you build some endurance. If he is running longer and faster, he will probably have days with slow recovery runs - run with him then.

    Things that have helped me start running again that might help you:
    • Being fitted for good quality running shoes. This is extremely important. Poor fitting shoes or ones that don't give you proper support can lead to injury. Note: after I lost my first 25 pounds, I had to be refitted.
    • Watching YouTube videos on proper form. Some might think this is silly but it helped me. I discovered the reason my knees and hips hurt when I tried to run before was because I was taking much too long of strides. With a 36 inch inseam, long strides felt natural but they were anything but when running. Having your foot fall out in front of you as you run puts unneeded stress on your joints. Your feet should fall directly below your body as you jog/run, not out in front of you. It took some practice but helped so much.
    • Going slow. No matter how slow you think you're going, you can always go slower. You can run slower than you walk. At first, you are just learning how to run without pain and with good form. The speed can come later.
    • Incorporating yoga into my training. This has increased my mobility and my flexibility which help me be a better runner. This is not required for running, just something that has helped me personally.

  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    looks like you've gotten good advice here.
    i used c25k, then b210k
    the right shoes are the difference between running comfortably and an injury creating expensive medical bills
    rest days are essential. let your body recover.

    good luck and have fun
  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,033 Member
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    I cant wait for my next running day!

    Yay! You are now officially a runner!!! You should come join us in the monthly running accountability thread. They have great advice for newbies like us.
  • ferrenmariec97
    ferrenmariec97 Posts: 17 Member
    where is that found at?
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    jessebowen492 wrote: »
    Jogging isnt that great, you can burn the same amount of calories walking. Try high intensity interval training. Also, I ran almost full time and got no where. I switched to lifting, and weight just fell over me.

    Keep in mind, I see overweight people that are able to run 10 miles no problem. Being overweight doesnt mean you're out of shape, being overweight just means excess fat cells.

    I see people all the time, a term I call skinny fat, they appear lean but have a belly. They're in shape in a sense, but their bodies hold onto those fat cells for energy reserve for distance running. Google sprinter vs marathon runner body. You'll know what I mean. Good luck, any questions, PM me I'll be glad to help!

    I see people all the time, a term I call uninformed, they appear to know that they are talking about but they're mostly clueless.

    iyxinhdyvbc3.png

    I know. Him, and Shalene, and Des are *really* potbellied.

    Except for that they're not.
  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,033 Member
    ferrenmariec97 wrote: »
    where is that found at?

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/42909589#Comment_42909589

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