Learn How to Jog with These Simple Jogging Tips

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What Level of Fitness is Acceptable to You?

This is a question each one of us must answer. For many the ability to accomplish the "base-level" will be sufficient. For others this achievement will mark the first accomplishment on the road to far more extensive training that may lead to competition and perhaps to championships. Whatever your training goals are, write them down.

How much do you weigh now? How much would you like to change? Which muscles would you like better defined? How many miles would you like to be able to jog? What increased range of motion would you like? When you think about "feeling better", what do you mean? More vitality? Less depression? When you think about increasing your strength, does that mean you'd end the day with less fatigue? The more clearly and specifically you're able to answer these questions the better picture you'll have of who you are and where you want to go. Through wise training and reflection upon your goals an increasingly realistic picture of your potential will appear. It's through an ongoing realization of this potential that the well-being of jogging and fitness training will show. This is when you'll know, "This is what I've been looking for. This is what I was missing."

Jogging Tips and Guidelines

The schedules and recommendations developed in these pages do not need to be strictly followed. There are certain basic principles which must be learned, but you and you alone must learn to make intelligent decisions regarding your training. These are not "hard and fast" rules, but guides that must be bent to fulfill each individual's needs. Follow an unyielding and inflexible schedule and you're courting failure.

1. The fact is, jogging takes work, and — especially at first — hard work. But not all that hard. You'll be surprised if you're able to develop the discipline necessary to get you through the first 8 or 12 weeks. And you are able. Jogging isn't a sport for supermen, but for all the people, similar to yourself, you notice jogging every day.

2. "Sure, but I've tried jogging, and it's just boring. It's the boredom that defeats me, I just don't like it, no matter how much I'd like to be in better shape." Boredom isn't the real culprit. The real enemies are those things always associated with boredom: fatigue and anxiety. Fatigue from insisting on pushing too hard and watching the clock, anxiety created from the fear of being defeated by this new undertaking. The only way to beat fatigue is by learning to take it easy. This, in turn, will reduce anxiety.

3. How much time are you going to need? Including a quick shower, at least a full hour four times a week. That is the minimum.

4. Always have enough breath to be able to converse with a jogging companion. Jogging is not racing. If a slow jog is too fast for conversation you should be walking instead.

5. From day one, keep a fitness-training diary. This can be your most important coach, as it can force you to go slowly enough to be able to adapt successfully to new stress. Record your short-term and long-term goals. What are you going to do during the next week? How did last week go?

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