White Orchid Melody

“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing.  You have to make the mind run the body.  Never let the body tell the mind what to do.  The body will always give up.  It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night.  But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.”

     - George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

One of the biggest problems facing America today is obesity.  Much of the problem can be contributed to our diets, but modern conveniences also play a part.  We drive everywhere, take the elevator or escalator, sit at a desk all day.  It is no wonder our bodies can’t process all the food we eat!  Doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.  This could mean a gym membership; but in the quest for simple living, how about simple exercise?  What is easier than putting on shoes and going outside?  No fancy equipment necessary.  Your outside enjoyment could come from walking the dog or kids around the neighborhood.  But for those looking to get more of a cardio workout or even lose fat, jogging is a better option.

“I only run if someone is chasing me!”

That used to be my motto, and I’ve heard it from plenty of other people.  Jogging or running can seem very painful and out of your range of possibility.  But I’m here to tell you, it can be done!  As with any other quest for personal development, it is best to take baby steps. 

I’d always been intrigued by the idea of running, and after reaching my all time high weight back in 2004, I figured it was a good time to give it a shot!  I found an article in Prevention Magazine that outlined how to go from a couch potato to a 5K in a few months.  Basically, the system was this:

Level 1: 3x week, walk to warm up for 5 minutes, then walk 4 minutes, jog 1 minute, repeat 4 times, cool down for 5 minutes (total workout 30 minutes)

Level 2: 3x week, walk to warm up for 5 minutes, then walk 3 minutes, jog 2 minutes, repeat 4 times, cool down for 5 minutes (total workout 30 minutes)

Level 3: 3x week, walk to warm up for 5 minutes, then walk 2 minutes, jog 3 minutes, repeat 4 times, cool down for 5 minutes (total workout 30 minutes)

Level 4: 3x week, walk to warm up for 5 minutes, then walk 1 minute, jog 4 minutes, repeat 4 times, cool down for 5 minutes (total workout 30 minutes)

Level 5: 3x week, walk to warm up for 5 minutes, then walk 1 minute, jog 9 minutes, repeat 3 times, cool down for 5 minutes (total workout 40 minutes)

So the idea is that after acclimating to level 5, you could run a 5K, which is about 3 miles. 

The amount of time you spend at each level is up to you.  You have to listen to your body so as not to get hurt, but push yourself at the same time (see quote at top).  I would say a couple weeks at each level should be sufficient.  If you want to progress more gently, increase the number of days a week you do each run before progressing to the next level.  For example:

Week 1: Level 1, 3x week
Week 2: Level 1, 5x week
Week 3: Level 2, 3x week

….and so on.  I found that I had to take it slower in the beginning, but once I got up to 1 minute of walking with 4 minutes of jogging, moving to 9 minutes of jogging wasn’t much of a leap.  And then I progressed to being able to run around my local park without stopping (1.5 mi or 15 minutes).  Then, one day, I felt energetic and did two laps for a total of 3 miles.  Much of it was working through mental, not physical barriers.  The body will acclimate to anything you throw at it, given time.  I found this out last year when I decided to train for a marathon, but that’s a whole other can of worms.  (Couch Potato to Marathon Training Plan, coming soon!)  You have to be a bit masochistic to go there! 

I challenge you to give jogging a try, and autumn is a great time for it.  What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.  And you might even find that you enjoy it!  A morning jog around the park is a great way for me to clear my mind.  When I had a corporate job, it was an essential part of my day.  Those days I didn’t jog in the mornings, I could tell a huge difference in my outlook and attitude.  I was much more irritable.

If you find it difficult to get out the door, find a time in your day that you can commit to your exercise.  I found the best time was morning.  If I waited until later in the day, I’d be too busy, or too tired, or would have eaten something weird and just not feel like it…all sorts of excuses!  But if I just got up a half hour early, the reward lasted all day.  So, if morning is your time, set out your clothes and shoes the night before, so that everything is ready to go when the alarm goes off.  Put the alarm across the room, and put the clothes next to it.  That way, you get up, turn off the alarm, and get ready.  No thinking required (and no opportunity for excuses).  If you aren’t jogging everyday, get up early anyway, just to establish the habit. 

If you are still lacking in motivation, find a buddy to jog with you.  This is fairly easy if you are both new to jogging.  Start the plan together, and enjoy the moral support!  It is much easier to get up and get out of the house if you know someone is waiting on you.  If you go it alone for the training plan and then want someone to jog with on a regular basis, check out local running clubs or running websites.  They usually have buddy lists set up for people looking to partner up.  The listings are based on speed (min/mi), so you can find someone close to your pace. 

Speaking of pace, don’t even worry about how fast you are going when learning to jog.  It doesn’t matter.  You get the benefit of 3 miles no matter your pace, so just do it!  I’m incredibly slow, but found out that I can go for a really long time at that pace.  You only have yourself to compete with (unless you just want to race).  If you get to a certain distance and don’t want to increase further, then you could work on picking up speed.  It is good to keep challenging yourself.  And if you are trying to lose weight, it is essential to change up the routine so as not to plateau.  But remember, baby steps!  Don’t try to run really fast and really far right from the start.  It won’t be fun and you won’t get very far, literally.