If you don’t find running fun, don’t. You’re more likely to stick with an aerobic activity you enjoy.
Try cycling, swimming aerobic dance/classes, fast walking. Indoors there are several machines for home use or at the gym.
Why are there sometimes 3 weird tips/rules I must obey? And is this the same local mom with the tooth-whitening tips and the at-home job that pays 87k/year?
Um, to the op: what **EmAnJ **said.
Give up the idea that you can spot-reduce. You can’t, at least not without surgery.
Eat less. There are various ways to do this. I’m on the No S Diet and the Nine Inch Diet. In No S, you don’t eat sweets, snacks, or seconds at meals, except on days that start with S (Saturdays, Sundays, and Special days). In the Nine Inch Diet, you replace your plates with 9" plates (which are smaller than the plates most Americans use now). I like these plans, because they don’t require me to weigh or measure food or count calories, fat grams, carbs, or anything, or to write down what I eat. Maybe if you don’t hate writing stuff down or doing arithmetic as much as I do, those other diets would work better for you. But remember, unless you actually eat less, no diet is going to work. How much you eat is at least as important as what you eat, if not more so.
Brian Wansink’s book, Mindless Eating, is good. It talks about cues other than hunger that tell us to eat. It has a lot of tips on how to eat less without spending a lot of time or effort thinking about it.
If you eat out a lot, reducing the number of times per week you eat out is probably a good idea. Restaurants tend to put lots of butter, oil, salt, and sugar in their food, and tend to serve larger portions than you should be eating. You can also save some money this way.
Those indoor machines are just as boring as running, and you have to spend more time on them to achieve similar results.
As a newbie runner myself, I would like to know Marxxx’s running routine. Just out of curiosity.
I used to run on treadmills, but now that I’m running longer distances I almost exclusively run outdoors. Even in nasty, cold, wet weather it’s more enjoyable than running for an hour on the treadmill.
I have an MP3 player, but running outside, especially on trails, keeps me interested and alert most days. I do medium distance (4-6 miles) during the week, usually Mon/Tue/Thu and then a longer (10+ miles) on Saturday. That’ll change as ski season starts up and I’m training for my first marathon in April so I’ll have much longer runs (up to 20 miles) coming up. Adding a race every month (5K to half marathon) spices things up a bit, and I don’t really care about my finish times for those. Throw in some trail running and interval training to shake things up and it doesn’t stay boring for long.
I run outside as well, even in the winter when there are a few feet of snow on the ground and it’s -20C. I can’t stand running on a treadmill and will avoid it at all costs.
I used to listen to music but got out of that habit and now listen to the silence around me, the sound of my feet, and my breathing. It’s very peaceful and zen like.
ETA: Also, having goals, like running a 5k or 10k race is a good method to get yourself working towards running consistently.
I do try and make goals for myself, this does help me! I try making it to the gym, at least 2-3 times a week, sometimes 4.
I started running in April for my first time ever really (as exercise), I used to only bike and lift weights before that. Since I started running, I’ve lost about 25 pounds, but I think I’ve gain some weight back from lifting weights too.
I bought some running shoes around the time I started running. I’ve just recently noticed that my muscles above my ankles are starting to hurt(I think its call the Peroneus Longus or Tibialis anterior, or even the soleus). I don’t know exactly why either, I stretch every time before I start jogging. Do you guys think it could be from my shoes getting too used?
My goal is to run a 5k one day or even a 10k would be amazing for me : ]
…I know one thing for sure about exercising, it has been rewarding ever since I’ve started doing it constantly ; )
Woman actually notice me!
Ok, first of all, you aren’t supposed to stretch BEFORE running, you’re supposed to stretch after. Think of your muscles like a rubber band. If a rubber band is cold and you stretch it, it’ll break. If you work it in your hands and warm it up, it’ll stretch and not break.
Secondly, running shoes should generally be replaced after 500 kms or so (depending on your source). If you’ve been running pretty consistently since April, you probably need to replace them.
Finally, did you get fitted for your shoes, or just go in to a sports store and buy whatever looked cool? People have different strides. Some people roll their feet out or in, so need a shoe to help balance that. If you buy a shoe that isn’t really for running, you aren’t going to get the right support or cushion.
Also, where do you land with your foot when you run. Do you tend to run more towards your toes? That could by why your calves hurt (is it your calves or the shin? I got calves from your post for some reason).
If you want to start moving forward with your running goals, google Couch to 5K and go from there. If you’re less interested in distance but more interested in increasing your calories burn during shorter runs, consider doing hill intervals or fartleks (you can google that too).
I tend to stretch before and after running…
I did get fitted for my running shoes, and those damn things where about 120 bucks! (In ATX).
The pain starts about 20mins into the run , this doesn’t happen all the though. It’s more in the calves.
I try to run more toward my toes, but I think I’m more running in the up motion, not leaning forward so much, …since I’m running 95% on a treadmill.
Female, 41, with six pack abs, checking in.
I got 'em from pole dancing. I wasn’t overweight before I started, but I was soft. No muscle really, just fat. A bit of a poochy stomach (which I’m still working on). Seriously, most major cities have pole fitness classes. Take some cardio while you’re at it; Zumba is really great for that. I found, as I advanced in the difficulty of the tricks I learned, the cardio just sort of naturally came along. I think any sort of dance fitness will give you the cardio, but pole requires you to lift your own body weight at angles you never before considered. It works your core, upper arms, biceps, triceps, quads, back… pole works everything.
Downsides to pole fitness:
•It hurts. I am constantly covered in bruises. I look like a trailer park hooker on a Sunday morning. 
Learning pole tricks is 10% figuring out what you need to do, 30% building up the strength to do it and 60% getting used to the pain. It never doesn’t hurt; you just get used to it.
•You can’t spot tone, as mentioned upthread. My entire body is ripped, not just my abs. But how silly would that look anyway, if you had six-pack abs, but the rest of you was soft and doughy? Silliness! Might as well work your entire body. You’re gonna have to anyway.
•Not everyone likes the 6’ plastic hooker heels. Just sayin’.
Advantages:
• You end up with a tight, ripped stripper body. Nuff said.
Yes, good shoes are expensive, but so worth it.
You shouldn’t be running towards your toes, you should be landing mid-foot. That could be what’s causing the pain. Do you have the treadmill on an incline at all? Try to minimize any up and down movement as it’s inefficient.
All I can say is: CITE!
When I was running, that was pretty much all I ever focussed on with every step was training myself to hit in the middle. On the days when I focussed, I had no pain. On my distracted days, I had lots of pain. (I have since injured my knee and am now walking but try to focus on the same thing.)
Not without a tip. (Another valuable lesson learned from pole: never give up the skills for free.)
Do you take PayPal?
(Why does this remind me of the recent Desperate Housewives?)
This.
I started with the goal of losing weight, which I have, although I’m not there yet. Now, I’m much more focused on the results of my efforts which is how good I feel and how far I can run or how much stronger I am, as opposed to all the little numbers.
Well, I watch my cholesterol numbers and my BP, but as long as they are in a good range, no worries.
The infomercials tell me I can get a belt to go around my abs and I don’t have to diet or exercise. I put on belt, sit on couch, watch TV, and in 10 minutes I’ve done the equivalent of 10 million crunches. Why run/diet/exercise when you can buy a magic belt?
How do you do this? I can run in most temperatures (within reason… not below 20F preferrably) if I bundle up but I have a really hard time with snow/ice. I worry about falling and I hate getting my feet wet from the snow neighbors have neglected to shovel. Are you just made of sterner stuff?
I hate the treadmill, too, and running in circles around the track at the Y. Usually in the winter I use the elliptical, but I can only do that for 30 minutes before I’m just so bored. While I can run outdoors happily for 60-90 minutes several times a week.
*bolding mine
There are a few shoes made of Gore-Tex(mostly trail shoes), wool socks and various snap-on/strap-on devices to give you spikes on your soles.
If you have normal circulation, your feet move enough to stay warm.
Do you have a particular product that you’ve used before? Do Yaktrax work well?
Or should I just go with these?