I'd like to take up jogging. Help please!

[Elenaki]

Hello to all you seasoned mn joggers out there. You're far more virtuous than I've been! Can you help me follow in your foot-steps?

After a stressful time a couple of years back I lost quite a bit of weight and didn't have the energy to do much exercise. Fast forward a year and I'm a stone heavier (now 'normal' for my height) but relatively unfit. So a bit of a beginner. I'd really appreciate your recommendations regarding starting from scratch and running for general fitness and tone.

How did you get into it?
Do you know of any root planning tools?
How do you motivate yourself to stick at it?
What trainers do you recommend?

I was a sporty child, but in the team games sense as opposed to stamina and am worried that I won't be able to get to the end of the road without rolling around in a sweaty heap. How long did it take you to break that barrier?

Sorry for all the questions! Advice on any of that or anything else you think of would be much appreciated!

P.s I live in London (currently West but soon to be North) so any tips for nice jogs around either of the two would be great too

WOoh hoo exciting steps!! Go for it.
A good route planner is WALKIT.com although you can obviously run and jog it instead.

This is mega sad but to get into it---I cut out some inspiring pictures of healthy complexions, healthy looking running women and some clothes I wanted to fit into and it motivates me to keep going.
Also I sort out some great running tracks on a loop.
Dont really know anything about good trainers.
When I first started running i was mega fat (haa not saying you are !!!) and always hid behind sunglasses it was like a barrier from the world laughing at me-it really was effective. I also avoid running at rush-hours a.m and p.m so less blokes call out annoying stuff at me :-)

bushy park/richmond park/osterley park are lovely to run around. you could join parkrun.com---5km runs in lots of parks each sunday I think.

Thanks Peeling! The walkit.com idea is genius - I've used walkit.com before but hadn't thought of using it for jogging routes. I've found their circular route planner which is perfect to start and finish at home!

Liking the motivational cut-outs idea too. Sounds therapeutic in a kind of torturous way, if that's not too much of a contradiction!

How long did it take you to notice your stamina building? Also, how long did you jog for at a go, to start with?

Excellent resource Good luck

these podcasts

Can I just say it's well worth IMO buying some nice kit to run in.

I have a Nike top and shorts (long shorts!) which cost £50 or soemthing, I was but in fact they are good; the top doesn't get sweaty and heavy, it is long so covers bum/tum, shorts come in four different slimnesses so you can go baggy if you like and all in all they are much better than manky joggers and any old T shirt you have.

And decent shoes. DD goes to a local shop every now and then that check her gait and advise her on shoes, running/jogging is a high impact exercise and it is very easy to injure yourself. Shoes are expensive but worthwhile. Most of her running clothes come from Aldi, their kit seems quite good.

ooh those podcasts look good Bella.

OP you'll notice stamina building by day three I swear. 2 minutes walk two minutes run type thing like what it probably says in that couch to 5km thing.

OMG my worst fear is to leave my "motivational cut-outs" book at work or something.

YY decent shoes of course! Runnign kit is more vanity than safety but I just wanted to make point that it is nice, but good shoes are a must.

i used couch to 5k app on my phone to start with, i did go over the first stage a few times as i was very unfit and also 7 stone overweight.
Now i know my routes and vary them from time to time and just stick on my ipod, lace up my trainers and im off. much easier now 8 stone down.

Im lucky in that we walk the dogs lots round here and there are several big lakes with smaller ones around them, so could start with the smallest lake and work my way up. It means there are no cars to worry about or people shouting silly things.

To start with i brought a decent sports bra and just wore leggings and a long mans t-shirt. I went to decathlon and tried on every pair of trainers in my size walking up and down the aisles until i found ones that felt right.

Another thing i recommend is one of those water bottles with the hole in for you to hold onto, a few sips of water really does refresh you and help you carry on for longer. My friend swears by a camelbak but i think thats excessive for an hours run/jog/walk.

Cto5k. Do it! I was a long-distance runner until injuries and laziness put pay to that. I couldn't get back into it no matter how often I tried but the Cto5k podcasts have been amazing. Now running 25 mins non-stop which is a fantastic start.

Re clothes - running shoes and bra are essential. The rest is not essential to start with. Nice to have maybe but don't let yourself be put off because you don't have the full kit.

Oooo great advice ladies, thank you! Really encouraging. Will check out the couch to 5k links, get my motivation book ready, grab some trainers and get running!

Yay, go for it! I started running at New Year and love it now. I was rather ambitious and decided to sign up for a 10k in March. I used a c25k app to start with on my phone then moved up to 'ease' into 10k though sadly I was too ill to take part in the end and will do another one when I get better . I liked using 'mapmyrun' to track my routes/distance and if you register - for free - it also shows where other people have run.
I agree re footwear but they often come in rather pricey mine set me back £85 I'd suggest running in trainers that fit ok and if you get the bug then get a proper gait analysis.
Get some upbeat music - there's albums like 'songs to run to' and '100 running anthems' to motivate you. My favourite is Tuna Turner 'Proud Mary'!
My best advice would be simply go.for it! When I started, I struggled to run for one minute/walk for 1.5 minutes intervals, by mid March I could run 7k without stopping :)

Yes! I started with Couch to 5K but found the music a bit annoying so now i just use my own, but its a great way to ease you into it. Each time you think "I couldn't possibly run any further than that" but the next time YOU DO!

Sports Direct sell really cheap Karrimor running gear, but as others say, don't scrimp on shoes as they're the most important part (along with a good bra!)

Music is also really important to me - I often get to the point where I think I'll stop at the end of the next song, but then one I love comes on and it motivates me to keep going through it and out the other end.

Good luck, it will really make you feel better about yourself and life in general.

yep, second all of the C25K stuff above. Get a good bra and a good app that talks you thru it and some good motivating tunes and then no excuses! My dh saw me faffing around and his words "why don't you just put on some trainers and do it now?" are what started me off. Now I can do 30 mins, and I am overweight but getting there. Good luck

One other thing I'd add is to pick which days/times you're going to run and stick to it (every other day is a good way to start).

Whilst I love it and enjoy it once I'm out, I sometimes find it hard to motivate myself in the mornings, so if I know this is a 'running day' then its harder to talk myself out of it with other jobs to do etc. It might also help to have a running buddy to make sure you both stick to your days. You're less likely to wimp out if you know you'll be letting someone down.

If you're planning to go in the mornings put your running gear on as soon as you get up (if you have to get changed its one more obstacle!) and get your stuff ready in advance (water, music etc) so its as easy as possible to just walk out of the door.

During the hols it hasn't been so easy to stick to a routine, but the rest of the time it really helps.

Ooh, I want to start jogging too.

My question is: how do you carry an iPod around? None of my manky jogging trousers, which I will be wearing until I've slimmed down enough to get some hot leggings, have a pocket suitable for the task.

I wouldn't waste money on clothes etc til you know you are going to stick with it. I used my normal trainers til I got to week 6 of C25K then went to a running shop.

The podcasts are great, really easy to use and good to motivate you. The music is naff but that's all part of the experience I find.

I am currently starting again after a 6 month break and find it helpful to set aside some time in the morning before everyone else is up. There are fewer people in the park etc too. I've never had any nasty comments whilst running and I am overweight and sweaty whilst out and about. Go for it!

Jean I got a holder from Sports direct. Not too expensive - I got a bumbag thing for a fiver. You can get wrist or arm bands. Have a look on sportsdirect.com or amazon.

I had one teenage lad make I presume an idiotic comment but I had my headphones in so I shrugged and carried on! I know I'm doing right for my health. Actually I generally find it very positive, other runners tend to smile and encourage. I even had kids wave and give me thumbs up from the back of a car!

Yeah everyone round here runs and I always smile at runners, whether i am running too or not

I nick DS1's MP3 player which has a clip so it just clips on to your clothes. It's just a cheap one tho, yy holders available for Ipod etc.

Can I second or third the bra advice, can't believe I droned on about clothes first! Of course a good sports bra is essential, I use Berlei shock absorber the highest level they do and it's fab.

Good advice re the bra. I stuff my mp3 in it as I run. I bought mine (new) on Ebay and it is doing sterliing service. Worth it if you have big
boobs!

Thanks, Faith, have found one on Amazon. Also some sports headphones - yet another product that I didn't know existed, but which I clearly need now I have seen it on the Amazon website.

Glad to help! :)