The Student Room Group

Running/Jogging

I've taken up jogging in the mornings, I do about twenty minutes a day at the momemt and have been for a few days, I'm planning on increasing this upto around thirty minutes (with another lap). I jog/run before breakfast and then eat after I've showered so usually about half an hour after the jog has finished, its not exactly jogging per se, but rather sprinting for 75% of the distance with 25% joggin dotted around each lap to help me recover.

My legs don't hurt too much at the moment, they do ache a little when I'm climbing stairs or walking fast, but aside from that they're okay. I'm mainly into this to lose some weight and tone up and someone has now told me that I should eat before going out in the mornings instead of afterwards if I want to lose weight. And I'm not too sure which method is better?

Also, how long will it be before my leg muscles begin to build up, my legs do hurt a lot after the run and I know this means that the muscle has been broken and is being repaired (and becoming stronger?) but this pain dies away after a few hours.

Any other advice to help speed up my toning? I don't really have time to go much over 30 minutes a day, but I'm hoping that as my legs get stronger I can fit an extra lap into that 30 minutes somewhere.
Reply 1
Wouldn't you get a stitch or something if you ran straight after eating? I usually try and run on an empty stomach (but keep well hydrated), so my body doesn't have much blood sugar to burn so it nukes all the nasty fat. Not sure if it's true or not, but it's what I do.
Reply 2
parag
Wouldn't you get a stitch or something if you ran straight after eating? I usually try and run on an empty stomach (but keep well hydrated), so my body doesn't have much blood sugar to burn so it nukes all the nasty fat. Not sure if it's true or not, but it's what I do.


Well I can eat and run, I've done it before and it doesn't really effect me too much, but I thought running before breakfast was good for the reasons you mentioned. But a medic friend says it could be dangerous if I overstress myself as my body has been starved for about 8 hours during sleep already.
Reply 3
I can never run after having eaten.

Personally, I go for a jog at a consistent pace for around 45-60 mins 3 times a week. High endurance, low impact work like this, or swimming, or cycling is the best way to build up general aerobic fitness and lose weight. Does the trick for me anyway. (It's all about getting your heart rate up to 140ish and keeping it there for as long as possible)
Reply 4
Well I don't think it matters really but the thing is if you eat then go for a jog about 30 mins later you burn off the food you have already eaten. The other method means you aren't really burning off any food at all.

But I'm no scientist so I may be wrong.
Reply 5
maybe try having a cup of piece of fruit pre-run as this will kick your metabolism and make your run more effective, then have a proper breakfast afterwards?

also, you might wanna be wary of running everyday... i used to be a bit of a runaholic and i completely did my shins in. also, your leg muscles will pay the price if it's a daily thing... maybe try varying the exercise programme a bit so you exert different muscles?

if you've got access to a cross trainer, thats the best plan - they minimise all impact on your knees and shins so that you can run further without screwing up joints in process.

best of luck!
Reply 6
lauren47
maybe try having a cup of piece of fruit pre-run as this will kick your metabolism and make your run more effective, then have a proper breakfast afterwards?

also, you might wanna be wary of running everyday... i used to be a bit of a runaholic and i completely did my shins in. also, your leg muscles will pay the price if it's a daily thing... maybe try varying the exercise programme a bit so you exert different muscles?

if you've got access to a cross trainer, thats the best plan - they minimise all impact on your knees and shins so that you can run further without screwing up joints in process.

best of luck!


:eek: You make it sound quite scary. Can I really damage my shins/knees from half an hour of running a day :eek: ?
Reply 7
I think running on roads too much can have nasty effects on your knees but I think that it needs months/years to become problematic
Reply 8
www.leehayward.com
Fasted early morning cardio is still controversial in academic circles, and some people are concerned that it might be too catabolic and you may break down muscle along with the fat. However, my experience and research has shown that while there are risks, fasted early morning does work and the potential benefits outweigh those risks when maximum fat loss is your goal.

But don't take my word for it - examine the facts, test it while carefully monitoring body composition and lean body mass, and decide for yourself.

The argument in favour of fasted early morning cardio goes something like this:

1. After an overnight 8-12 hour fast, your body's stores of glycogen are depleted and you burn more fat when glycogen is low.

2. Eating causes a release of insulin. Insulin interferes with the mobilization of body fat. Less insulin is present in the morning; so more body fat is burned when cardio is done in the morning.

3. There is less carbohydrate (glucose) in the bloodstream when you wake up after an overnight fast. With less glucose available, you burn more fat.

4. If you eat immediately before a workout, you have to burn off what you just ate first before tapping into stored body fat (and insulin is elevated after a meal.)

5. When you do cardio in the morning, your metabolism stays elevated for a period of time after the workout is over. If you do cardio in the evening, you burn calories during the session, but you fail to take advantage of the "after-burn" effect because your metabolic rate drops dramatically as soon as you go to sleep.



I hope this helps a little :smile:.
Reply 9
yep, if its fat loss you're after do morning running on an empty stomach.

also, your leg muscles won't quite 'build up' from it. they may strengthen slightly, but you won't notice any gain in size.
AFAIK hun you're meant to eat after jogging, preferably in the morning, but don't eat heavy foods - stick to lighter meals :smile:

Most important remember to stretch before and after for at least 5-10 minutes. Less than 3 minutes is out of the ball park :wink: You're doing well though, from what I can tell.
bis432
yep, if its fat loss you're after do morning running on an empty stomach.

also, your leg muscles won't quite 'build up' from it. they may strengthen slightly, but you won't notice any gain in size.
Precisely :wink: :biggrin:
Reply 12
You're doing things fine, but don't expect any gain in leg size or strength, your body adapts to the stress placed upon it ie. running around a park, this doesn't require massive quads.
I always have to eat quite a considerable amount at least 2 hours before I go for a run, because otherwise I feel really sick and faint. It's like a car with no petrol in it. I at least have a banana (slow release energy).
Reply 14
With eating before exercise you run the risk of being sick if you over exert yourself. However fruit only takes about 15 - 30 minutes to clear out of your system so you could have some, wait a bit, then go for a run. On the other hand, meat can take a few hours to digest.
Reply 15
GemmaLS
With eating before exercise you run the risk of being sick if you over exert yourself. However fruit only takes about 15 - 30 minutes to clear out of your system so you could have some, wait a bit, then go for a run.

Yep. I think you should have a little bit of something to 'wake up' your body after the night. I'd suggest fruit either fresh or as juice. Even just a glass of water would be better than nothing, although I'd suppose you're drinking water anyway. :smile:

Also, instead of running every day you might be better off taking a break every now and then. Your body needs time to heal. Especially when you've just recently started jogging, you shoud exercise say every other day instead of every day. By exercising every day you're subjecting your body and muscles to far more stress than they have been used to.
So start of slowly and increase the amount of exercise once you're a bit more used to it.
I always thought you were supposed to eat as soon as possible after exercising because your metabolism is working at a faster pace and so burns more calories( this mightn't be true, its just what i heard)
Reply 17
roxy potter
I always thought you were supposed to eat as soon as possible after exercising because your metabolism is working at a faster pace and so burns more calories( this mightn't be true, its just what i heard)


Your metabolism speeds up to get the nutrients you lost whilst running back into your system faster.
Reply 18
if you eat and then excersise then isnt the body using up the calories in your food instead of your fat? this would mean that you are better jogging on an empty stomach.
also you should do different excersise not only jogging eg lunges, you can do them at different speeds you can hold them etc and they tone up your legs really fast, also squats