I Can't Run

[SlightlyJaded]

I need to lose weight. I don't have scales in the house anymore but have - in the past couple of years - crept up from a size 12 to a size 16. I am going through the menopause and finding it harder to lose weight than I used to. I have been doing 5:2 religiously for about 4 months and the weight is shifting slightly, but very slowly.

I feel heavy and unfit but have always tried to keep moving a bit. I walk the dog for at least an hour a day, play tennis about once a week and cycle if out and about locally - but that's it. I feel like I should be running. Everyone I know runs, all my female friends are endlessly running and it seems like an easy thing to do, but I just can't run. I tried again yesterday and the minute I started, my shins felt heavy and sore, my chest felt tight, my hips hurt and I remembered how much I hate it. I ran for about a minute, stopped, caught my breath and tried again and then gave up. I just can't run and I don't know why. I know you have to build up stamina but I feel like I am not built for it - is that a thing or am I just lazy? I can happily cycle about 10K in a stretch, play tennis for a couple of hours, walk the dog up hills, but I can't run for a minute and I really want think I need to. Help!

OP I find 16:8 works far better than 5:2. I do it 5 days a week and never feel hungry. I lost a stone in 3 months.

Ha! Im 48 and I DID think I could run 5k. I was going to give a bloody parkrun a go last year, despite not having run since school. I meam why not? I can walk any distance with no bother so surely I could run?

Erm, no. Luckily I had to run back home (about 100 yards) to fetch something and copped on to myself.

Anyway, dh & I started c25k as a lockdown thing, and because Ive got a history of osteoporosis in the family so I want to work on my bone density (better late than never).

I'm only just over half way through, but I ran for 20 minutes today and I enjoyed it . Week 1 felt harder than today.

I'm liking running because I feel like I can achieve a lot in a fairly short period of time so I can fit it into my daily life pretty easily.

Bit yes, there are lots of other ways to get fit so no point doing something you don't enjoy just because other people are doing it.

I think running is shit and I wish I hadn't wasted 15 years of my life doing it because I felt I ought to. In the process I buggered ip my back and knees. I ran 10ks (starting by being unable to run even 100m) sometimes and a few miles a few times each week but, looking back, I never liked it at all.

Although I was very unfit when I started I 'look like' a runner and am thin, so I don't think it necessarily has anything at all to do with weight. Some people just don't enjoy it! Walking briskly is, imho, much more civilised and, at least where I live, you can pop into the shops and run some errands as you go. An hour a day of brisk walking is excellent and you'll be able to keep it up for many years.

@buckleten

If your 5k will be outdoors, it's best to train outdoors. But running on a treadmill will definitely help you progress towards your goal, and you could train for it entirely on the treadmill, if you had to. You just won't get used to things like running with the wind against you, or other adverse conditions you may have to run your 5k in.

Treadmills train slightly different muscles, as your body is trying to stay vertical on a moving surface, rather than propel itself forward. You can use a tiny incline on the treadmill to better mimic outdoor running.

Good luck, and enjoy progressing!

I think its better to run outside if you can because it's more interesting, but ask me again in the winter!

I run, couldn't do 100m 5y ago and now can do a slow 5k.
But it doesn't do anything for weight loss. Seriously.
Doing HIIT and weights will have a waaay bigger impact on your size than running or swimming (swimming is even worse because the cold water makes people eat more). They're great for cardio health though, and wellbeing.

@MondayYogurt I can take several pounds off my weight in a week by going on a few long runs. Everybody's different. Careful what 'facts' you give to beginners.

Sounds to me that you are trying to go too fast too soon. I always start with 5 minutes of walking then running at a pace I feel comfortable with for about another 10 minutes. If you're not used to it this can be really slow to begin with, with walking breaks if you need to. The important thing is to keep going and just push yourself a little bit each time. I have run on and off since my late 20's but it's still taken me over a year to get up to a decent (for me) pace this time. I'm 46 now and I think running makes me look and feel younger, but I suppose any regularly exercise could do the same. I burn more than 100 calories per mile, as I'm fairly heavy. I do 7.5-10km 3 times a week and burn about 600 calories on the shorter distance, 800+ on the longer distance.

I am going to think about downloading the C25K app. If I start and give up, I will hate myself so I am going to make sure I really plan to do it.

I am too embarrassed to go to the gym and even struggled doing Adrienne's Yoga in lockdown. Just felt so stiff and inflexible. If I WAS to decide that running wasn't for me (I haven't given up and have, in fact, taken great encouragement from this thread) what would be the best thing for weight loss / toning that I could realistically achieve at home?

I have always been slightly pear shaped but managed to have a completely flat stomach and lean arms and upper body. Suddenly I have a tummy that I didn't even have post babies, fat upper arms and I still have the thighs/hips/bottom that I always had, so I am just wobbly shaped now. I hate it and could feel myself becoming 'resigned' to it and I don't want to.

Do you mean 'at home' as in 'in the house', or as in 'without going to gym/pool/other exercise facility'?

@Eckhart. Good point. In the house/pool/park - just not a gym where I feel judged and fat.

I'm hopelessly inflexible, but I reached my peace with it a long time ago. I love Adriene because she's about the process and the feel, rather than the shape, and when there's minimal difference between your standing forward bend and your chair, that matters

Exercise is about the doing and the benefits, not the performance. Don't overthink it.

Well, it sounds like you'd benefit from building a bit of muscle. Muscle burns calories, so the more you have, the faster you metabolise calories. You can do a lot in the privacy of your house, so there's no threat of feeling judged. Go for exercises that use either big muscles (thigh muscles are the biggest) and groups of muscles. Doing things like lunging instead of just walking when you go from room to room is a good start. If you do that each time you move around the house this evening, you'll feel it tomorrow, and that feeling will be the feeling of your muscles repairing themselves, and using lots of calories to do it. (It will make you say 'ow', though!)

You can adapt press ups/squats to your level - google bodyweight exercises and adaptations.

Lots of brisk walking. Preferably carrying something of substance (5l bottle of water in a backpack?) Get some music on and keep the pace up - you'll work up a sweat in no time, and that's exactly where you want to be.

Swimming with sprint intervals? Swim at normal pace for a few lengths, then do THE fastest length you've ever done in your life, then back to normal pace until you recover, then do it again.

There's tons you can do. You might be a runner, or you might not; that's not a thing to feel good or bad about. Finding a thing you can consistently do is the only goal here, and for that, you'll have to try a bunch of stuff and find you don't like it before you find the thing you do like. Don't beat yourself up about going through this process. The fact you're on the journey and you're determined is something to be proud of.

[quote Eckhart]@MondayYogurt I can take several pounds off my weight in a week by going on a few long runs. Everybody's different. Careful what 'facts' you give to beginners.[/quote]
OP wasn't talking about long runs. If someone doesn't like running I don't think it's unreasonable to offer alternatives.
I know people who run marathons while technically overweight.
And I'm sure your weight loss never ever coincides with consuming fewer calories?
It's easy enough to google "does running make you lose weight" and judge the search results.

Here's a top hit hit that talks about it in a straightforward way:

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2016/nov/02/why-dont-people-always-lose-weight-when-they-run

The cool water/calorie intake thing with swimming is also well known.

Good luck OP. The best exercise is one you can happily do for the rest of your life, because you want to.

If i can run, anyone can run.
C25k is your friend.

I started C25K on September the 4th last year. I just did a 7 mile run today. I’d run before - I did a 10k in 2013 and it was fine, but I didn’t keep it up. But this time I’ve found a true love for it. I was meant to be doing a half marathon in October which has been cancelled, but I’m planning to get up to half marathon distance by the end of the year anyway, just for the hell of it.

On 4th September last year, I couldn’t imagine being able to run continuously for 5km either...! Today 7 miles just because I fancied it. I own a hydration pack, for the love of god! Had you told me that a year ago, I do believe I would have laughed in your face.

If you feel stiff and inflexible, give Pilates a go - but try to find an instructor so you're doing it right if you've not done it before.

I can't run - leastwise, I can't on hard surfaces, it really hurt my hips, it was making walking uncomfortable so definitely not a good idea for me. The only place I could do it was the unpaved canal towpath but that's too narrow and popular for social distancing.

But I can walk, and if you do it fast enough and especially if you can get some hills in it's excellent.

And I'm sure your weight loss never ever coincides with consuming fewer calories

I'm sure, too @MondayYogurt. Or was that a passive aggressive remark?

This: 'But it doesn't do anything for weight loss. Seriously.' is a blanket statement and not true for everybody. Your Guardian article you used to illustrate your point actually disproves it, even in it's title, which is 'why don't people always lose weight when they run', rather than 'why don't people ever lose weight when they run'. This is because running is an excellent weight loss tool for many.

Running doesn't do anything for your weight loss.

running (or other exercise) itself burn astonishingly few extra calories. but I can't eat whilst exercising and before a run I can't eat for a good couple of ours or there is more than one run happening,

I'm just about to start my 4th attempt at c25k ..I do a bit better each time...but I'm no fan if running...
The things that have helped have been.
Decent sports bra bought the one recommended on here ...really helped
Reasonable trainers
Making sure I had was hydrated before...
Going very slowly....I got to the 20 min run ....but no further...then heatwave and health issues...so after op will be trying again....as am in touching distance...am nowhere near 5k and won't be in 30min but am definitely noticing the fitness benefits ..

One of the few things I’ve salvaged from lockdown life is learning to run properly, by that I mean good posture and gait rather than going fast. I am definitely not speedy. Someone on a mobility scooter overtook me recently (in my defence the blighter was speeding). It took time and patience and an awful lot of walk/jog/walk/sprint routines until my strength and stamina picked up. It’s better to focus on keeping your head up, arms relaxed but not flapping and taking strides that aren’t too long. At first my muscles burned, my face was red, it hurt. If I can do it, reckon you can.

Also, whilst I was in peri’meno’ I got a lot of sore muscles and tendons, so some stiffness could be down to that?

A couple of things from what you’ve posted so far -

1. starting to run, you need to go REALLY SLOWLY. I mean, getting overtaken by walkers. I know it sounds ridiculous but if you start C25K and struggle in the first week or two, SLOW IT RIGHT DOWN.
   If it helps, on my third week of C25K I overheard (I had headphones on but only for the app instructions, not music) a child say to its father, ‘daddy, why is that woman running so slowly?’

2. if you’ve never done yoga before then yes you will feel very inflexible. You’re not meant to be able to get into the positions Adriene does. Don’t watch the screen - listen to her instructions. Only look at the screen when you’re confused about her instructions. And stick to the ‘yoga for beginners’ sessions which will be more clearly explained. When she references positions, there are specific 10-min tutorials on her channel which explain them to you - that will help too. As she often says, you need to do what’s comfortable for you - not seek the ideal position. Don’t put yourself into a position of strain and pressure, just gently stretch. Over time you will experience progress and more flexibility - but it takes time, be patient and put the work in.

I'm another C25k fan. I was always the kid who was last to be picked for teams at school, absolutely loathed PE at school and avoided exercise most of my adult life.

I struggled with the first run, thought there was no way I'd ever run 5k but now really enjoy running. During the summer holidays, I've been going every other day and generally run between 6 and 8k.

For weight loss, I'd recommend cutting down on carbs and trying 16/8 fasting. According to my BMI, I was (just about) the right weight but I'm flabbier than I feel happy with. I've only been doing 16/8 for 3 weeks, but have lost 8 pounds. I'm alternating my runs with workouts (started this before the dieting) and am increasing muscle mass so must have lost more than 8 pounds of actual fat. I've gone from 3 meals a day plus snacks to 2 meals a day and no snacks. I've genuinely not felt hungry; my stomach just got used to it really quickly.

I can't run either. I am really really bad at it. But I had to do SOMETHING, the weight was piling on and I was getting lazier and lazier. I already walked with my dog and a runner friend (a really serious race runner) told me to start really small. Run just a few steps. The next day run just a few more. Give yourself permission to walk if you feel you really need to.

Well. I lost four stone and earlier this year I ran my first half marathon. I'm nearly 60 and NEVER thought I'd lose the weight or be able to run.

I still don't LOVE running, but I'm fit, keeping the weight off, and have a dog that's a solid lump of well-exercised muscle!

This is all so helpful. I am carefully working my way through all the responses by my main take-outs so far are:

I am not, after all, the only person who struggles to run
There is hope from me but i need to take it more slowly than I thought
There are good alternatives, including walking
Diet will impact 80% of my weight loss - the exercise is for cadio and toning.

The more nuanced and specific suggestions of exercises/good bra/which apps to use etc are especially helpful. Thank you - I'm feeling encouraged. The thought that I might not feel like a ridgid plant of wood for ever is a big deal!