Can jog for only 2 mins! Need help,advice

[Elleski]

Hi,

I am a 25yrs old female and stand 4 feet 11 inches tall. At present i weigh 116 pounds (52.4kg). I have decided to lose a good few pounds and do this by jogging.

The only problem is that I can jog for only a maximum of 2 mins! I get out of breath and experience severe pain in my calves. Is this normal or is something wrong with me?

This is the first time that I am trying to lose weight by exercising. I have never been the outdoor kind and have never played any sport.

I have since stopped jogging, but I have been going for 2 km walks the past week.

Any advice or tips will be much appreciated!

I have realised that I am leading an unhealthy lifestyle and want to put an end to it.

Thanks a million!

[cassiegose]

If you have never been active then its probably normal. If youre concerned you could go see your dr and have him give you the clear... however i would guess that its just from being a bit out of shape. Getting in shape can be painful.

My advice... if you can only jog for 2 minutes then jog for 2 minutes, then walk for 2, then jog, then walk and so on. Make sure the walk is fairly fast though.

Good job on taking the steps to adopt a healthier lifestyle! It can be hard.. and painful... but in the end its ALL worth it!

Cassie

[Boopster]

Hello and welcome to the forum Hopefully, you are stretching before and after you are running. Elongating the muscles through stretching will alleviate some of the tenderness and pain you are experiencing. These are some common stretches you should be doing both before and after you run:

http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/Stretch.htm

If your having calf pain, really work on stretching that calf muscle. In due time and with regular exercise, you should see an improvement in your flexibility and increase in your running time. Good luck to you and all your endeavors!

[nsbmsk]

Hi, just wanted to let you know that you can find a program entitled "Couch to 5K" for beginners at the website www.coolrunnings.com It's the one that I use and if you need to repeat a week you can.

Advance at your own pace and don't feel bad if you do need to repeat a week.

Best of luck.

[Elleski]

Thanks so much for the replies! They are much appreciated!

Boopster, I had not been doing any stretching until I got your link. I did not realise that it was important, now that I have, I include it in my routine! Thanks a ton for them!

Cassie, I have been doing the run for 2 mins, walk for 2 mins routine and it has been working...! Thanks for that!

Nsbmsk, I did visit the website and it is so so so helpful! Thanksssss!

Thanks a ton for all the support and the wishes...! I hope I can keep it up!

Thanks a million!

[Boss Man]

If you can find a way to overcome the stiffness in your legs, when you start jogging, you could try this.

Week 1.

Walk for 2 minutes 50 seconds, jog for 10 seconds. Repeat until you've done 30 minutes. This could be done 5 times a week, splitting the sessions with a 3 days on, 1 off, 2 on system.

Week 2.

Walk for 2 minutes 40 seconds, jog for 20 seconds. Repeat until you've done 30 minutes.

Week 3.

Walk for 2 minutes 30 seconds, jog for 30 seconds. Repeat until you've done 30 minutes.

You can see a pattern emerging. hopefully after several weeks, you'll be able to jog for 30 minutes non-stop.

I'd use a flat surface firstly, don't go for undulating routes, as it will make your ability to adapt harder.

Once you're dong the 30 minute mark, you can go for a more up and down course, try jogging for longer, or maybe faster as you'll be at a good enough level to experiment with it.

Hopefully that gives you some food for thought.

[puma9000]

Elleski,

First of all congratulations on deciding to start working out. I know it can be tough. I am a regular runner and also sometimes use the run, walk, run, walk method when I am extra tired from my day. As long as you are keeping your heart rate above a certain level you are burning calories and therefore moving forward toward your weight loss goal.

I also wanted to suggest that if your muscles are sore you should soak in a pepsom sports epsom salt bath. it is formulated for relief of exercise related muscle pain and I have found it to be both helpful and very soothing. I take 3-4 baths a week (sometimes just as a way to get 20 minutes of "me time"). You just dissolve 2 cups in a warm bath and lay back for 15-30 minutes and relax. It will help to immediately relieve the muscle soreness and help you wake up feeling better and ready to work out the next day.

Good luck in your exercise endeavor and keep us posted on your progress!

[arely26]

Aside from stretching, make sure you drink lots of water throughout the day. I usually will drink about a liter of water 1 hour prior to my run so my muscles will be well hydrated. I can tell when I don't have enough water, my legs start hurting until I have to stop.

Maybe doing some sprints will help your breathing. Pushing your body, lungs and heart definately develops endurance. Your body will realize that if you can do sprints, then you can jog.

[Lif]

I agree with arely, sprinting has helped me a lot with running. I used to just max out after a couple minutes, but now I can run for much longer after just doing sprints. Also, for me listening to music always helps me to get past that point where I think I should stop jogging and start walking. It helps to empty your mind. I know that sounds a little weird, but whether it's music or silence, it always helps me to take my mind off being tired or sore and to think about the benefits of if I push myself a little bit harder. Within reason of course

[Elleski]

Bossman,Pum9000,Arely26 and Lif...

Thanks a million for your advice and tips!

For some weird reason, I did not receive any notification saying that I had new replies! Hence the late response...!

Both the sprinting and drinking water throughout the day especially before running is something that I haven't been doing, I will definitely include them in my routine from tomorrow..!

Thanks again for all the tips and advice..!