Complete beginner

[laurenpw1234]

Hey everyone!

I have recently in the past couple of weeks started to eat really healthily and have started to go jogging. I am currently very unfit and overweight..

So today I went for my 6th jog and have been using an app that gradually gets you into jogging. It start at running 1 minute walking 2 minutes but it has now gone up to running for 2 minutes and walking for 1.5 minutes. I really struggled on my run today and couldn't jog for the whole 2 minutes. I know you should take it slow but it doesn't feel like its getting any easier, I find it quite difficult to jog for 1 minute and need the full 2 minutes to recover to be able to jog again.

Just wanted some advice as to how to increase my fitness and make the jogs slightly easier!!

Thanks

[misswobble Graduate]

Just stick at it! Run nice and slow 🙂 Carry on eating healthily, for life! 🙂

It's easier to run as the weight comes off . As you progress through the runs your fitness will improve.

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Smaller steps can help if you feel yourself struggling. Are you doing the NHS/OneYou presentation of Couch to 5k?

It's difficult to explain about the 'getting easier' thing. All runners have tough runs from time to time anyway, but if you really are doing 'a running motion' (not necessarily faster than a walk) rather than what is for you a sprint, then you will eventually have moments where you forget about it being a struggle, forget your legs are moving and dare I say it, just enjoy.

It's honestly no biggie if you can't run the whole of a run section... you just have your day off running as usual and then do the session again. It's the getting out there that counts most and will contribute most to you being able to complete the sessions in full. You're doing well - out there 6 times.

(Do make sure that 'eating really healthily' includes eating *enough* - the running isn't burning that many calories yet but if you are eating a lot less than you did, that might be making the struggle harder than it needs to be... the idea is that this is a permanent long haul change rather than a flash in the pan)

[laurenpw1234 in reply to GoogleMe]

I was doing a different app but I'm now gonna switch to the NHS couch to 5k and start again.

I'm using my fitness pal and have cut down to 1200 calories per day with eating lots of fruit and veg.

Thanks for the advice! Made me fee a lot better

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to laurenpw1234]

1200 is not a lot (although I entirely accept it might well be the figure to produce the deficit for weight loss) and might be a factor in you struggling, although maybe you could tweak what you eat when.

The running really does help, over time.