Forums >Running 101>Newbie Advice/Help
Hello All ,
I am new to running. Just looking for some advice, suggestions, and even do's and don'ts based on what I am doing now. I will give a quick backdrop. Any advice is most welcome!
I am 39 years old. I recently (May 1st) quit smoking and decided to change a lot in my life and one of the things was exercise. I quickly realized when I quit smoking I had to fill a major void in my life and about a week after I went for a walk and have not looked back. For the past 4 months (minus 1 week i was really sick) I walk 5x/week. Its 3 miles roughly. I started just walking and about a month ago I was up to walking about 35% of it and jogging 65% of it. Endurance seemed to be getting better but lately it seems to have decreased randomly and it has hurt my motivation a little bit. When i started just the walks I was about 300 lbs. I have lost 60 pounds in the 4 months and am currently 240. I am 6-1 in height. Pretty much all my weight now is in my stomach. I wonder if i just went to quick & fast too soon. Not really sure. I enjoy it way more than I ever thought I would and currently have not changed anything in my diet expect limiting soda intake to 1/day -- this was a big issue for me along with smoking. Plan is early next year (Jan 1) to start changing diet habits too , i just feared doing too much too quickly (smoking, soda, eating habits all at once) would be a bad idea for several reasons.
Look forward to some advice, tips, pointers etc very much
thanks !
Congrats on the changes - definitely not easy tasks. Count me as another quitter who filled the void with exercise.
Many times, the answer to "I wonder if i just went to quick & fast too soon." is yes. Maybe back off a little or maybe just go back to walking for a week and then slowly ramp back up. Maybe try the Couch to 5K program to help you start out slower.
Whatever you end up doing, keep moving, it's obviously working for you and sounds like you enjoy it - so win/win.
When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
+1 to what Bonkin said.
Also, you could be on a plateau. It's normal to have a period of no improvement at all. A plateau can last for several months. Just keep up the walking / jogging and good things will follow. Losing 60 lbs in 4 months is a lot of weight in a short time. You might want to back off on the dieting for a couple of months.
Your path of gradual lifestyle change is exactly the right thing to do. Keep in mind that gradual change will get you there, changing too fast will cause burnout, injuries, and other bad things.
#RunEveryDay
The shift in weather can be a factor as well. I don't know where you are and if you've seen much of a shift weather-wise, but as it gets colder, I find I need to adjust to that. (Today's run for me includes snow/slush which changes footing and the cold means a bit more work to stay warm.) Keep going! One tip I will give you is to make sure you have good shoes. That will help with the wear and tear. Good luck!
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