Friday, July 3, 2009

Getting Started with Jogging

By Macy Toguchi

A great aerobic activity to strengthen your mind and body is jogging. Jogging is an appropriate exercise for anyone regardless of size or fitness level.

Before you begin jogging as a sport, it is important that you invest in a good pair of running shoes. Running shoes should fit well and have good support. Other than the need for a good pair of shoes, you should be ready to hit the road jogging. Keep in mind that the first day of any exercise routine is usually the hardest. Set your mind that you will stick with jogging and keep on trying. You will improve in time.

You will find yourself encouraged if you have a way to measure your progress. Each method of measuring progress has its own pros and cons. Choose the means of measuring progress that is easiest for you. Keep everything simple in order to keep you encouraged to jog. A treadmill will measure speed and distance, but many people find a treadmill monotonous and boring over time.

Choose a location like a well-known road or a park on which to jog. It will provide visible landmarks that will help you measure distance and time, but it will not indicate speed. A stopwatch will come in handy to measure minutes that have passed while you jog. An iPod also comes in handy when jogging. It can help alleviate boredom. A jogging partner will also prove beneficial. A partner helps goad you along even on those days when you don't feel like jogging. A partner also helps keep you accountable to your fitness plan.

It is best to warm up before you begin jogging. Start at a walk of around two to three minutes long. Once you are warmed up, begin jogging. Your initial goals should be to cover a given distance within a certain amount of time. You may have to start out slow. It isn't unusual for a beginning jogger to run a fifteen to twenty minute mile. As you work on jogging, you can vary your routine and figure out what works best for you. Some people run more comfortably with a longer stride others run with a shorter stride.

You will find that jogging takes more mental will than physical energy. Your mind will tell you that you cannot do it, but you have to convince yourself that you can. Your mind is weak when it comes to exercises you have not tried before. Take control of your mind. Calm your mind and concentrate on breathing. This will help you motivate yourself to go on. Remember the old adage, slow and steady wins the race. Jog as long as you can. Then, take time to cool down with a walk. Finish up your exercise with easy stretching. - 23802

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