10-week Walk/Jog Beginner Program

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Set yourself a REALISTIC goal, preferably in 3 parts:

• Promise yourself you will stick at your new fitness programme for AT LEAST 3 months. You need that much time to build up your cardiovascular fitness base.
• Given that you're now in for the long-haul, pace yourself and start out EASY - then ease back a little! Don't try to do too much too fast, or you may get too tired, injured, run-down and sick, or all of the above.
• Begin by walking, or walking and jogging combined. Maybe start with walk a minute, jog a minute, then gradually build up to walk a minute/jog 2 minutes, walk a minute/jog three or 4 minutes, until you feel comfortable gradually eliminating the walk parts, perhaps first one day a week, then a couple of days a week, until you're jogging every day!!
• Learn to run RELAXED - arms down, unlocking your elbows with hands unclenched and flicking your hips as they help propel you forward.
• Keep your breathing easy and your cheeks jiggling! If you start to feel yourself breathing too hard and panting, SLOW down or walk to recover, then gradually press forward again. Stay calm and relaxed. And remember that when your cheeks are jiggling, your face, neck and shoulders are all relaxed.
• Make sure you get as much sleep as you can, and good nutrition. If your goal is to lose weight, do so through a balanced plan of diet and exercise.
• Get some decent running shoes (no cross-trainers or tennis sneakers, please), and a runners' WATCH. The watch will really set you free. Run by time, as the programme suggests, and you can go anywhere you fancy. Make your routes varied and different all the time. There is nothing more soul-destroying than doing the same loop around the block every time out. AND that produces not only mega-boredom, but too much watch-watching and racing/potential crises - "Oh my god, I was 18 seconds faster when I passed this tree last week". If you like parks, run in the park; if you like shopping, run past some of your favourite stores or restaurants, & have fun with it!
• Similarly, run whenever you want (mornings, noons, or nights), it makes little/no difference. Just make sure you make a FIRM appointment with yourself or a friend to run at a particular time and place - "later" never comes.
• Get some company - run with a friend, a run group or clinic at least once a week to get some contact/company. Compare notes, ask each other questions, and get lots of peer support. Just make sure that you end up running with others of similar abilities/fitness levels, or it can be more than discouraging.
• Let CONSISTENCY and PERSISTENCE BE YOUR WATCHWORDS. Do a little bit regularly. Get out the door (or onto the treadmill) at least 4 times a week, if you want to have a "training effect".
• Conversely, there is NOTHING that better demonstrates the "what you get out is what you put in" rule more than running. Get out there, and you WILL get fitter!
• Keep a log or notes in your diary of what you do. It's fun to look back on after, you can graphically see what you've done (and not done!), and it's easier to keep track of your progress
  MOST OF ALL, HAVE FUN ON THE RUN!