Jogging/Running tips

I've just been for a jog in the park, and much to my dismay I am horribly unfit. I am starting to run in order to lose weight [which I desperately need to do, at the risk of my health], and so I would like advice on the matter. Some things I've noticed are:
- I get stitches very easily [sharp pains in my side], and they are undearably painful. Is there any way to stop this?
- My legs are in pain; most likely from supporting my weight. Is this natural? I hope this will gradually go away over time.
- I didn't manage to run very far, due to my poor stamina. Will this increase over time?

Other than this, my general aim is to lose weight. Are there any specific drills or running patters designed for weight loss?

I would greatly appreciate any advice given, as I am at my wits end, and aim to lose this weight over the summer.
thanks

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Reply 1

Appanouki

If you are trying to lose weight, then it is better to run slowly for a long time, just try to find the pace that you can keep up for as long as possible. The muscle pains are normal and can be helped by rubbing/stretching, these pains will also disappear after your third time or so. The stitches are annoying, the best way to avoid them is to run in the morning before you've eaten anything and if you do get them stretch your torso forwards or backwards to get rid of it.

The idea behind weight loss is very simple. All you need to do is do regular high-energy activities and eat proper food. The easiest way to know your body is consuming alot of energy is your heart rate, try to keep it up for as long as possible. When you eat, don't be shy of carbohydrates, just steer clear of junk food. Do not starve yourself on a diet, that's the dumbest way to lose weight after taking pills. Starving yourself works temporarily for about 3-5 days, after which your body adjusts its metabolism to function at a lower energy level and you will stop losing weight, AND THEN when you start eating normally again you will put all of that weight right back on again! Dieting is stupid, nuff said.

Just do exercise and don't eat ****ty food.

Reply 2

friendsfreak88

I agree with everything that Appanouki has said and just wanted to add that as you start exercising regularly your fitness level will increase pretty quickly, especially with something like jogging that really builds stamina.

Stick at it and you will get results!

Reply 3

Jen2327

Jogging can be a great way to help burn calories.

You could try, walk at a goodpace for 10 mins jog 2 mins x 4!
that way your walking for a good 40 mins and gettin 8 mins jogging in.
Which is a good lot of exercise, if you continue to do it often then youll soon find yourself finding it a lot easier, and then you can increase the jogging or do some hill work. (IMPROVING YOUR STAMINIA)

This should stop the stitches, as it will give you time to catch your breathe back whilst walking make sure you breathe deeply.

Give you legs a good stretch before hand, and after (make sure you stretch all your body but esp your legs).

The idea is that over time as you find it easier (as you progress) you increase the frequency, intentisity.

Try and opt for a healthier diet! Drink plenty of water!

There are small things you can do to improve you diet:

swap cokes for diet cokes (applies to all fizzy drinks)!
ditch the butter !
have more salads and vegis!
opt for healthier cereals / yougurts
swtich the cripss for better lowcalories ones or better still just ditch them!
mayo - for extra light!

theres many ways you can help urself along the way without ruining your life!

the weather is now hot and sunny, so why not try a spot of swimming, many pools do ladies / mens only.

xxxx good luck xxxx

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Thanks for all you're replies, especially the first one. I will stick at it from now on and follow your advice.

Reply 5

Trangulor

main thing to watch out for when jogging is shin splints. you'll feel like your shins have been under incredible stress and are about to snap (which they will if you continue).

your stamina will increase as long as you are committed enough to push yourself hard; if you can find someone you are comfortable running with, run with a partner, some competition will help you push yourself harder.

just be careful, if you have a stitch or other injury, wait until you recover. you won't get anywhere if you can't walk.

you could also try sprinting. this will bulk up your fast twitch fibres in your legs, giving you greater strength.

when i go running, i normally jog for the uphill parts, and sprint on the flats and downhill. (oh, and i walk when i'm tired)

Reply 6

stratomaster

Get someone you can run with. You end up doing more and its more enjoyable.

Reply 7

Appanouki

Running with someone else is a good idea. You can't talk to them while running really, but their company keeps you motivated all the way from start to finish which is really good. It helps you push yourself as far as possible, if you don't have someone to run with try setting distance goals like I'm not going to walk until I've run a whole mile first. You will find that it's easier to just keep on running and ignore any pain than stopping and walking as this will break you out of the 'zone' and you will start over again.

Reply 8

crema

If you are overweight it is best if you don't start running until you have lost it and are closer to normal weight. What I find helps avoiding stiches is a regular breathing pace, say one breath in during three running steps and one breath out during another three steps. Helps you get to the zone as well.

Reply 9

cullmac

Make sure you warm up well first, you may regret it if you dont. Oh and dont try pushing yourself too far, i ended up 7 miles out of town and i was in too much pain to run back, oh the memories.

Reply 10

anony

i used to row a lot, and stitches were a common thing. my coach told me a way to get through them and i still swear by it! if you feel a stitch coming on, its because there is a build up of lactic acid and a lack of oxygen. to fight this, simply put more emphasis on breathing out (ie getting rid of the carbon dioxide) and less on taking a breath. you will breath naturally, but you really need to get rid of the bad stuff by really breathing out! hope that makes sense! and good for you for getting yourself in shape!

Reply 11

BlackHawk

If you are unfit, then you shouldn't just start jogging anyway. You'll be putting a lot of stress on your joints and muscles. You should always get a bit fitter by walking first, then doing short jogs in the middle of a walk (I don't mean a leisurely stroll, but a proper walk) and build up from there until you can jog continously. Shin splints and stress fractures are common injuries among people who run too much and/or inncorrectly.

Reply 12

Anonymous #2

Play football, you will lose weight faster. Do not eat alot of rice,potatoes, or french fries. anything that has carbohydrates, take a bit of carbos only. :smile:

I used to weigh like 65 kg+, then I played football, and now I weight 59KG (1 year?) I did this without effort, I guess just twice a week on average.

it is not tiring, just take a break, run a bit, then you can stop.

Reply 13

zav

Anonymous

Play football, you will lose weight faster. Do not eat alot of rice,potatoes, or french fries. anything that has carbohydrates, take a bit of carbos only. :smile:

No if you are working out you should be eating these foods to provide you with energy.
You will not put this on as fat aslong as you work out.

Reply 14

Appanouki

Walking up and down stairs or swimming is a good way to start getting into shape if you are genuinely too large to run. Frankly, you shouldn't have let yourself get so fat you can't run in the first place, but atleast you are doing something about it now.

Reply 15

Appanouki

Yeah, people's obsession with carbs is really quite ignorant. Carbohydrates are your staple source of energy and it is really quite difficult to get fat from them without over-eating. It's fat/grease and simple sugars which are the problem, not rice and pasta for ****sake.

Reply 16

Anonymous #1

lol I'm not too big to jog or even run, but my stamina is terrible atm so I'm looking to build on it. But thanks for your tips.

Reply 17

loggins

If you're finding running through the park difficult (which I myself do), try joining a gym which has treadmills. The thing about treadmills is that because they're constantly going, there's less of a tempation to stop/walk. Also, with most treadmills you can see exactly how long you've been running for and what kind of distance you've covered. Another thing which helps is taking a water bottle, and taking regular gulps of water as they rehydrate you and keep your energy up. Hope this helps!

Reply 18

aleathiel

Ive been going walking with my neighbour. I would jog but I know Im not fit so Im starting off with walking then I'll move on to jogging but slowly so try that just go for walks a couple of times a day, build up your strength and then carry on with the jogging. You'll lose plenty of water weight in this heat though just make sure you drink plenty though!

Reply 19

Bigbrotherjx

In the long term, jogging can put a lot of stress on your knees if you are running on concrete pavements, although I wouldn't recommend running on a treadmill either since the belt does too much work for you.

I'd start with jogging and then switch over to an HIIT programme when you have gained some more fitness.

A balanced diet is all important. Good carbs and protein are essential.