Tis' the Weather to Jog Outside!

Jogging is a great way of burning calories

I'm entering a new phase of my workout activities: working out outside. I walked/jogged outside yesterday and today.  

I'm trying to get into this running thing so I changed up my normal routine in the gym and took it outdoors. Maybe being in the fresh air and seeing a change of scenery instead of just a bunch of gym equipment will make me want to jog a little more.

Benefits to Jogging and physical exercise:

• Lose weight
• Beneficial to the heart and lungs
• Reduce stress/tension
• Adequate sleep  
• More energy/better mood
• Increases your life span 

Jogging is easier than running, it means running but at a brisk pace. I'm not a runner, in fact I hate running. My boobs bounce, my thighs feel like they weigh a ton and I feel winded afterwards. I'm using jogging to eventually work up to running.  


In the beginning, I wasn't able to control my breathing while jogging and I would run out of breath. Now, I inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth, trying to keep a normal breathing routine no matter how fast I'm jogging.  
 
My ultimate goal is to jog/run one mile. For advanced runners, one mile seems like nothing. To me, one mile is eternity! 

I can run/walk one mile with no problem. But, I want to run one straight mile without any breaks. The most I can run now, without stopping, is five minutes. I worked my way up from one minute.

Yesterday and today, I broke up jogging and walking. I started off with stretching... of course. Then, left out the house, with my headphones on (gotta have my tunes) and water bottle in my hand, walked for about five minutes to warm up, then I picked up my pace and started jogging... keeping my back straight, arms up, by the sides of my boobs and not picking up my feet too high.  

When I got tired I stopped and started to walk a block, then jog a block, walk a block... you get the point... until I was done.

To me, October is a great month to run. It's not too hot - although the sun was beaming down on me this morning - and that cold winter weather hasn't come yet. Yesterday and today were both perfect weather days for me and I took advantage of it.

I hope to jog more in the future, walk less and workout for a full hour.

CAUTION: Beginners should start off slow and build their intensity gradually.

All physical activities are bound to strain your body, and when done in excess, or through an improper form, can lead to injuries – jogging is no different. 

If you are a beginner at jogging, like me, you need to be extra careful the first couple of weeks, allowing the body to start adapting to the strain of this activity. If you overdo this work out, before your body is ready, you are likely to acquire an unnecessary injury which may take time to heal. 

It’s also suggested that jogging, being a “high impact” work out, puts a lot of strain on your knees, ankles and hip joints – which can lead to damage in the long run. But, if you continue jogging with the right form, in slow progression, without over straining yourself, your body will adapt itself to this routine without any injury to its body structure. 

In fact, your body will develop a stronger bone structure around the areas that are facing the highest impact, if you allow it the time to do so. That’s why it’s so important to start off slow and build the intensity gradually.

And, make sure to warm-up and stretch beforehand to avoid cramps or any other injuries. It is also a good idea to stretch afterwards while unwinding. 

See my food and exercise diary for today HERE.