Self Conscious ...

widetobride

Hi Dawn,

am no expert- in fact, I am rubbish. However, I love jogging, and I now go every day. My ex used to try to train me, but it just made me really angry. I felt as though everybody was laughing at me! Then I got dogs. I had to walk them every morning before work. So at first I just walked them for half an hour and then came home. Eventually, I started putting tracksuit and trainers on, and running to a lampost, then walking to one. Now I jog very slowly, for five miles. My tips for making it more fun are:
:flowerforyou: Get a dog, or borrow one. they are good company, love to run, and are very patient if you are rubbish.
:flowerforyou: Get music you love. i listen to everything from New Kids, to Country, to Rock. I would recommend creating at least 5 play lists, so that you don't get bored. This distracts you from random people walking by.
:flowerforyou: Use www.walkjogrun.net, to plan your routes. it is a fansatic site. you put in your route, and how long it took, and it tells you your speed, calories, how high the hills were- everything. It really encourages me to be faster next time. It also helps to find quiet roads, and avoid crowded areas.
:flowerforyou: Don't worry about how you look. If it is safe, go at 0400hrs. I go really early because of my shifts, but it also feels less intimidating, because nobody sees me- even in my flourescent clothes.
:flowerforyou: Don't expect miracles. Nobody is paying that much attention to you. They don't know if you have already done 1km or 30kms, so it doesn't matter if you are slow, or red faced, or breathless.
:flowerforyou: On days when you cannot be bothered, or the embarassment gets to you, just put your running stuff on anyway, and go for a walk. Often, you will end up jogging anyway, but even if you don't, it will keep you in the habit of moving every day, rather than getting out of a good habit, and the longer you leave it, the harder it gets.

Good luck and have fun xx