|
|
5 Great Reasons to Start Jogging Today
You'll have no excuses by the end of this article.
1. It's a wonderful life experience. How often do you get to experience nature's splendor in person? No, you can't experience it going 60mph sitting in a car; no you can't get all the detail zooming down on a bike; no you can't experience it when your running (out of breath) in a state of zen-like pain; and how far can you travel while walking? Jogging is simply, bar none, the most economical way to get in touch with our natural environment.
I love the the taste, and the touch of clean, uncontaminated air in my lungs, the smell of cool morning air up through my nose. When I run, I can't enjoy any of this — I'm too focused on pain-management and keeping myself from collapsing from exhaustion. Jogging demands that you should be able to carry on a conversation while jogging. This allows for an effective workout while maintaining enough comfort to enjoy your surroundings.
2. It's FREE. Pound-for-pound, jogging is one of the most economical forms of exercise. No gym fees, no swimming pool membership costs, no heavy equipment to lug around or take care of... nothing. All you need is a pair of running shoes and, optionally, a T-shirt and shorts (heck, some people even forgo these items.) No need for expensive apparel or training. Just pop your shoes on and you're all set.
3. It's good for you. There are so many benefits to jogging that I could spend the rest of the article listing them all.
Firstly, there's the therapeutic benefit. Jogging is a great way to clear your mind after a hectic day. Pop on your runners and go jog for an hour to unwind and relieve all that stress. Jogging is not only beneficial to your physical health, but also your mental health!
In addition, there are countless physical benefits. If you make an effort to jog regularly, your aerobic capacity increases. What this means is that oxygen travels inside your body more efficiently — between all your vital organs and even your brain.
Jogging is also an effective means to lose weight. Every time you push your body with a high-impact workout like jogging, your muscles use the fat stores in your body as energy. Jogging literally melts away the fat.
And when the general physical effects of regular jogging take effect — increase in aerobic capacity, the loss of inessential fat stores, the muscle and joint growth that occurs from regular high-impact stress — the long-term benefits start to come into play. Heart conditions, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol. All of these illnesses contribute to the major diseases that are killing so many of us in our society.
4. It's convenient. You can do it anywhere, anytime. You're not tied to any one location. For example, if you have a swimming routine, but you're on holiday or away from home for some reason, then you can get your workout done. You can literally jog anywhere. Up and down stairs, on grass, on the pavement, in the rain, inside your room, inside hallways. Literally anywhere. (You can even jog on the spot if you're pressed for space!)
5. The overhead to start is zero — you can start RIGHT NOW! No long, drawn-out learning process is required. There's no equipment usage you have to learn. There are no obscure techniques or complex strategies like other sports. You don't need other people to get your workout done. You can just start immediately. Like, right now.
Just a quick tip: you're not going to make much progress if you try to do too much too soon. You'll either injure yourself or go through so much pain that you won't want to jog again for a long time. The tendency of most beginners is to try to "make up for the lost time", which ends up becoming totally self-defeating.
Starting slow will help ease the pain, but make no mistake, there is going to be pain. Just acknowledge this and ask your mind to accept it. Like we've advised before, start by walking, then vigorous walking, then light trotting over short distances, until you can jog at a constant pace for your entire workout. Practice bursts of speed and intensity during your "break-in" walking period. This will help communicate to your body and mind what is to come.
The greatest resistance most joggers face is maintaining consistency. Many experienced joggers admit that keeping to their regular workout schedule is an effort. As we've said before at The Jog Guide, consistency before performance. It's better to be too cautious and jog at a low intensity regularly than it is to push hard only to burn out soon after.
Just keep developing the habit of enjoying a casual jog until you feel good enough to stick with it long-term. As your body grows accustomed to the physical stress, you'll be developing a pattern to follow regularly.
(Well, what are you waiting for?)