Walking and Jogging

From being morbidly obese and heavy the majority of my life, I am very apprehensive about jogging or running.  I can walk briskly without any concern but when it comes to jogging, I have a block that I can’t do it.  For the most part, I see myself as my current body size.  However, the lingerings of being heavy prevent me from feeling comfortable and confident that I can push my body to job.  Will my body give way to the activity and pressure of jogging.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to walk.  Walking is my favorite form of activity.  However, I would like to be able to jog for short periods of time to maximize my workout.

So, how do you transition from walking to jogging?  In a word: GRADUALLY. One of the biggest fitness mistakes people make is expecting to achieve too much too soon. Take an incremental approach to increasing your workout challenge, and you’ll revel in the results.

Here’s a general plan:

– Reach the point where you can walk at a brisk pace for 30 minutes easily and comfortably. (If you’re not at that point yet, don’t worry. Simply add on a couple minutes or increase your speed slightly every few workouts, until 30 minutes of brisk walking feels good.)

– Start introducing 30-second “micro-jogs” into your walk. After the 30 seconds, resume walking until you’ve recovered (caught your breath, feel re-energized), then jog for another 30 seconds, recover by walking, etc.

– Gradually increase the length of each jogging interval to 1 minute, 2 minutes, and so on. Before long, the jogging portion of your workout will be longer than the walking part. And beyond that, you’ll be jogging start-to-finish.

Of course, this step-wise plan—often referred to as “interval training” by fitness exerts—will work if you decide you want to advance from jogging to running.  Of course, check with your personal physician before you start or change your current level of activity.

I don’t know that I’ll even be a marathon jogger.  My goal is to continue working out with brisk walks and short periods of jogging.  It feels great to move your body and I look forward to feeling the additional “high” of pushing my body to maximum performance.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, CLC
Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach
Certified Back On Track Facilitator