Jogging and Running

[LomoLover]

Hello there,

I am a newbie to this site so forgive me if this is posted somewhere else!hehe.

Basically,I want to get fitter. I don't go to the gym-I wish I could,but I have hardly any money as is let alone enough for membership.But the outdoors is free!So I thought about starting jogging on a regular basis to tone up and burn more calories. I had a phase when I went to the gym a couple of years ago and I loved how it made me feel, mentally as well as physically and I really want to get back into it.
I just wanted some advise on how best to approach it.
-How long should a good jog be?I was hoping to aim for a 30 min jog in the morning before work.
-How long should I stretch before and afterwards?
-How reguarly should I jog,and when will I start feeling the results?
-I've heard it's bad for joints,is this only in excesive cases?
-How many callories is burnt in a 30 min jog?

I want to get started tomorrow morning-how do you find the motivation to get up and go out and do it!?

Thanks for reading!

 

[PLB]

Hey Lomo,

That's great that you've decided to take up running! You're right, the outdoors is free - the best way you can go!

I'll try to answer your questions as best I can:

-How long should a good jog be?I was hoping to aim for a 30 min jog in the morning before work.

This depends on your starting point. Some people can only handle 10 or 15 mins or even less when they start off. I would say gradually work up to 30 mins if you don't feel like you can do 30 mins right at the start. Search for 'couch to 5K' programs - these are run/walk programs that are great for getting you into running gradually (& helping to avoid injury).

-How long should I stretch before and afterwards?

I wouldn't recommend stretching before you run. If you walk briskly for about 5 mins, then stretch, it would be better. Then you can do your run and stretch at the end of your run. You want to make sure that your body is warmed up first before you stretch... I know this hasn't always been the case, but it's generally what's practice now based on more current research. As for time, try to find 8 - 10 stretches that cover each major muscle group and hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds... No bouncing!

-How reguarly should I jog,and when will I start feeling the results?

At the start, I would say no more than every other day to allow your body to recover. You may want to even have 2 days in between runs for the first couple of weeks. Results depend on how consistent you are and how often you are jogging. Results are very individual. It should start to feel easier after a few weeks... If you're looking for changes in body shape, that will take a bit longer.

-I've heard it's bad for joints,is this only in excesive cases?

I read an article not to long ago about a study done on arthritis development in runners. It basically said that people who have run consistently for a good part of their lives actually have slower arthritis development than those who didn't run, or those who ran intermittently throughout their lives. The key again is consistency... the more consistent you are, the better off you should be in the long run. That being said, people who are just starting to run can often experience knee, ankle, hip, back pain, etc. Make sure you have properly fitting shoes, that you start off gradually, and that you pay attention to your body!

-How many callories is burnt in a 30 min jog?

This is a tough question because there are so many variables to consider... your age, weight, height, intensity of the jog, terrain. I know there are calculators out there, so if I find a decent one, I'll come back and post it just so that you can get a general idea.

I want to get started tomorrow morning-how do you find the motivation to get up and go out and do it!?

And the toughest question of all... You find the motivation in doing this for YOURSELF! You are making a decision to make yourself healthier and happier which is the best gift that you can give to yourself and the people around you!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[PLB]

Most of the calculators have too many ads on them, so I won't post anything here, but you can google "calories burned jogging" or something like that and you will find a few that should give you a rough idea.

 

[LomoLover]

Hello there PLBfitness, thank you so much for your incredible reply!It was so helpful,you answered everything I needed to know!!
I went out for my first jog on sunday morning!I did find the motivation to do it I think it'll take me a little while to get better at it,I found my pace wasn't brilliant-running too much, too fast and exhausting myself which can't be doing any good!So I've had a days rest,and will have another go this evening before something healthy for dinner.I lasted nearly ten mins,which is a nice bench mark to hopefully better as I do it more oftern.

Are you a keen jogger yourself?
I'll keep you updated! (I hope to find the diary feature of this forum soon so I can update my progress there to!Maybe inspire others to give it a go who haven't before!)

Thanks for looking for a calculator,I did have a look myself (not sure why I didn't before!haha) and found it interesting,although I probably won't look into that until i've actually established a time/pace/route that I like-hopefully by the end of the week!

 

[PLB]

You're welcome!

Great job for already trying it out! It'll take a few times to get into a 'rhythm' that works for you.

I haven't been running in a while due to a back injury, but I hope to get back at it in the spring when it's warm enough to run outside!

Good luck!

P.

 

[Ritcher]

Jog!

Hello there!
About jogging, I can't be more grateful for jogging I once was an obese, only did jogging and rope skipping shranked me down, here's some infos that might get in handy:

1Km run "around 5~7mins" burns around 90~95kcal every 3500kcal = 1lbs "7700kcal = 1kg" i went by that law and got down from 232lbs to 160ish, goodluck!

 

[LomoLover]

Hey there PLBfitness,thanks again for your help! I'm sorry to hear about your back injury,but hopes for running in the sun sound wonderful!I look forward to doing that myself (if I keep it up for that long!) I'm tired of these dark evenings and mornings!

Thanks Ritcher for your advise also-that's so great you lost that much weight all due to jogging!Do you still do it now?I like the idea of getting some skipping rope,I've heard that's very effective indeed!