Sedentary to jogging?

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josarahm
josarahm Posts: 48
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been walking since April and regularly do one hour walks but my pace is only 3 miles per hour and my legs just don,t seem to go any faster. I think the next step would be to jog but I have knee pain and it hurts! Do you think this will abate as I lose weight. Anybody out there who went from sedentary with knee pain to jogging?

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  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    That is a good question. Hopefully someone who has had knee pain can answer this for you. Ultimately you might want to look into trying an interval program like Couch to 5k that has you do walking and jogging/running intervals to build up your endurance.
  • igotabulletproofheart
    igotabulletproofheart Posts: 104 Member
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    Do you know what's causing you knee pain?

    I read something yesterday (can't remember where so I can't link it!) which said that jogging strengthens you knees, as opposed to the popular belief that it worsens them.

    If you can't jog then I highly recommend taking up yoga and cycling.
  • BelleVegan77
    BelleVegan77 Posts: 70 Member
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    That is awesome good for you! I am sure your knees will feel better as your weight drops.
  • Chellebear01
    Chellebear01 Posts: 21 Member
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    The knee pain may abate as you lose weight. If not definitely have it checked out. Is your kneecap loose? I know that sounds like a strange question, however if it is loose the pain could be cause by weak muscles around the knee. There are exercises you can do to strengthen the area. Look up Patella Femoral Syndrome (my issue with loose kneecaps) the exercises do help.
    As for getting into running Couch to 5K is a great program. You can also try incorporating a slow run into your walk; every 5 or 10 minutes run 1 or 2. Just make sure you can still talk during your running portion and that you cool down and stretch afterwards.

    Good luck!
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    First of all, you probably should find out what is wrong with your knee so you don't damage it more with exercise. In most cases exercise will help the issue.
    I did exactly that! I started out walking 10 minutes on my treadmill at a veryyy slow pace of 2mph @180lbs, 5ft 3 inches tall, with horrible, crunching knee pain when walking upstairs. Eventually I picked up the speed to 3mph. When I started jogging, I actually only jogged at 3mph. I know! It sounds horribly slow and I probably looked hideous, but I don't care what other people think. You don't have to go fast to jog, in fact, when you start out its best to go as slow as you can until you build endurance. I thought so anyway, because I wasn't gasping for air! Well most of the time anyway and it made it 'more enjoyable'.
    As far as the knee issue, I had the same problem and ended up using an exercise bike on my non-runnind days to build up the strength in my knees first. It made a big difference. Now, I don't know if it will help you but you can try it. Also, it gets much easier on your knees as the weight comes off. If you have trails with moderate hills, maybe you can try walking them if you're used to flat terrain? That may help build strength.
    I still only jog at 3.5-4mph and even slower if on trails, but I love it. I honestly think that if I can go from sedentary to jogging, anyone can! Try one of the couch to 5k programs and if a week seems too difficult, repeat it or even repeat the previous week until its easier to run.
  • ktliu
    ktliu Posts: 334 Member
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    Yeah, I'm exactly that. What I found out for me is there are 3 things that makes you have knee pain.
    1, your weight. it's like jogging with a backpack on. it's going to hurt you.
    2 Your quad muscles are weak, So I rectify that by doing leg presses, I started off 90-120 lbs and now I'm pressing 330-370 lbs. I got that in the matter of 3 months time about twice a weak and 3 set of 10-15 reps each times
    3 Archilles Tendon, After I ran the first pavement for a mile, My achilles tendon hurt for a week. So I use the calf raise machine, same story. I started at 240lbs both legs to 390lbs in a matter of 2 months

    If you strenthen the muscle around the knee, the knee will take less stress. Now I have no pain after running.

    I also do Zumba 3 times a week. and I have currently lose 43 lbs from 213 to 170 lbs in 7 months. After your weigh drop to a certain extent, you will find running enjoyable. and I just ran a 5k pavement this week for the first time in my life and I'm 48 years old. and because of this 5k run, I've decided to push my weight back to 155lbs for my new goal.

    Hope this helps, friend me if you want more info.
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,638 Member
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    Try the elliptical? Low impact on the knees but still aerobic :)
  • josarahm
    josarahm Posts: 48
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    Thanks for the advice. I have mild osteo arthritis but don't think jogging would be out of the question medically.

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