Why would anyone ever want to jog anywhere at anytime?

Hi Cham!

I feel your pain! My Mother and my sister run FOR FUN! They are always running marathons, Grandmas, twin cites marathon, etc. my Mother usual work out is a 6 mile jog. RIGHT!

I love walking on ther treadmille - I do brisk walk at 4.0 then very my incline level every 4 minute..2.0, 4.0, 5.0, back to zero then all over again.

I like jogging. I ENJOY it. I wouldn't say it;s more beneficial than cycling but I just like it. I jog in intervals- jog 10 mins, walk 5, jog 10 etc. I find it relaxing.

-- A runner's high is the best antidepressant!
-- I love the feeling of physical power and strength in my legs.
-- Every run completed is a challenge and an accomplishment.
-- Sometimes I feel like I can almost fly.
-- It's a form of meditation.
-- I love the positive community. Races welcome all levels and everyone gets cheered on.
-- It keeps me feeling young.
-- It actually makes your joints stronger because they have to adapt to the pounding.
-- Running to music feels like dancing.
-- It's a simple and relatively inexpensive sport. All you need is a good pair of shoes and your own body.
-- The first couple of runs are the worst, but once you find your stride, you know it, and then you're hooked!

i used to feel the same way as you did! I still am not a great at running, but I've only started a few months ago. i was on the treadmill one day and decided to just see what it would be like to try and run & I did it! I did it for a whole 8 minutes!! I literally cried and cried at the gym that day!! haha, I do it now because it's been the most rewarding achievement of my weightloss, being able to run for the first time since I was a tiny tiny kid! So, I know how you feel now, but you'll come around!

Best of luck!

everyone just remember that running is harder on your body if your older , so be careful and always stretch well before, during , and after, and drink plenty of water. I'm recovering from anterior knee pain from running to far to soon. just be careful and be smart. I wish I had. I really liked the high and hope that I 'll be able to work my way up to it again. just a lot more careful this time. Dr. says maybe 4 weeks or so.

-- A runner's high is the best antidepressant!
-- I love the feeling of physical power and strength in my legs.
-- Every run completed is a challenge and an accomplishment.
-- Sometimes I feel like I can almost fly.
-- It's a form of meditation.
-- I love the positive community. Races welcome all levels and everyone gets cheered on.
-- It keeps me feeling young.
-- It actually makes your joints stronger because they have to adapt to the pounding.
-- Running to music feels like dancing.
-- It's a simple and relatively inexpensive sport. All you need is a good pair of shoes and your own body.
-- The first couple of runs are the worst, but once you find your stride, you know it, and then you're hooked!

Couldn't agree more! In addition, running, more so than walking, is a whole body work-out. It's going to do more for you in terms of athleticism, if that's an aspiration. I think it is much more enjoyable if you are running somewhere (preferably scenic) as opposed to just a treadmill. And the outdoor air is good for you.

I do, sometimes, see people 1/2 jogging & 1/2 walking - or kind of plodding along half-heartedly. This could be only slightly more beneficial than walking because it's not a very natural motion. But running, after you've acclimated yourself to it for a few runs, should have a comfortable stride that will only do good things for you. The only other reason you'd have more joint/bone problems is if you're not running on a decent surface or have bad shoes. I've been running for about 17 years (sometimes not enough) and I can honestly say that it has been a huge strength to my joints and tissue strength. I play a reasonable amount of sports and I see others at my age hurting much more and getting hurt much more easily than I do.

Just MHO.

I jog on the treadmill to give the people behind me something to giggle about.:blushing:

it's the best way to lost weight fast.

of COURSE the military dude says this!! You guys think running is the answer to everything!!:laugh:

it's the best way to lost weight fast.

of COURSE the military dude says this!! You guys think running is the answer to everything!!:laugh:

it does break things down, out for a run for a few hours and everything seams to work itself out

not for me!! I can only run for 3 min.....but that is 3 more than I could a month ago! I am not a fan of running, at all. My body mechanics are all off and I look like a total doof. That and I am so afraid of falling on the treadmill:blushing:

it's the best way to lost weight fast.

of COURSE the military dude says this!! You guys think running is the answer to everything!!:laugh:

it does break things down, out for a run for a few hours and everything seams to work itself out

not for me!! I can only run for 3 min.....but that is 3 more than I could a month ago! I am not a fan of running, at all. My body mechanics are all off and I look like a total doof. That and I am so afraid of falling on the treadmill:blushing:

I don't run on the treadmil, I run on the road, put on my IPOD I try to keep it 5 miles or less, but we are headed to south america so I'm looking forward to hitting the road.

I bet. If you are ever running and see this funny chick running like a chicken down the road..........thats ME!!:laugh:

-- A runner's high is the best antidepressant!
-- I love the feeling of physical power and strength in my legs.
-- Every run completed is a challenge and an accomplishment.
-- Sometimes I feel like I can almost fly.
-- It's a form of meditation.
-- I love the positive community. Races welcome all levels and everyone gets cheered on.
-- It keeps me feeling young.
-- It actually makes your joints stronger because they have to adapt to the pounding.
-- Running to music feels like dancing.
-- It's a simple and relatively inexpensive sport. All you need is a good pair of shoes and your own body.
-- The first couple of runs are the worst, but once you find your stride, you know it, and then you're hooked!

Loved this list! Thank you for writing it out. I totally agree.

And the outdoor air is good for you.

How could I have forgotten the fresh air?!

Well, I hate running, but I'm going to be working on a couch to 5k program here so I can do it with my sister in May.

My reasons? Totally superficial.

#1. johnblake is right--it's hands down the fastest way to lose weight. I ran everyday one summer that I was under-employed for something cheap to do and I was SO SKINNY, it was fabulous. And only took a few months to achieve.

#2. Because I have major motivation--my 10 yr hs reunion is this summer and I was everything opposite of an athlete in high school, so I want to "show" people I'm a different person.

#3. Because it's cheap. Requires no equipment and no gym cost.

Are they the best reasons ever? Absolutely freakin' not. But, they are *my* reasons. I hate running, but it works, so I'm going to suck it up and do it.

Good luck if you decide to try to take it up. And get yourself some music or a running partner--I tend to count my steps, which gets VERY depressing, LOL.

The last time I ran was in high school when we used to have to do the 12 minute run as part of our curriculum. I HATED it. I used to walk a lot and one day when I was walking I had this strange urge to run. So next time I went out, I went for a jog instead. I can't explain it but it was the most exhillerating and freeing thing ever. When I got home I was so exhausted and was on this HIGH from just feeling soooooo depleated if that makes sense. That was it, I was hooked. So far I can run 3 k and signed up for my first 5 k in May. I NEVER considered myself a runner but I love it now!

There are ups and downs to running.

This is coming from someone who has had surgury on both knees (not running or impact related, bone growth problems in my teens) and has enough weight to have to be consious of impact exercises.

The down side to running is the full body impact that happens (especially when running on asphalt or concrete). This can be especially bad on the neck, lower back, ankles, and knees. BUT if you run correctly, wear the right kind of running shoes, and are concious of what your body tells you, you shouldn't have any long term affects (assuming no pre-existing medical conditions). A place like runnersworld.com or coolrunnings.com both have great tutorials and examples of correct form, how to start running, and where to run to maximize the benefits and minimize the drawbacks.

NOW the upsides to running are great, you get cardio work as well as lower body toning. If done at a brisk pace there are very few other pure cardio routines that will give you a better workout. Comparing calorie burn to walking is pointless because it depends on how hard you run, and how hard you walk. Both provide calorie burn, but running has the potential for far higher rate of burn. Another upside is the ability to track your increases very easilly and set goals that are achieveable yet still difficult.

and yeah, the runners high is real, and it's pretty cool.