On burning fast and bright, the long haul and running installment #1...

I have been thinking about some bloggers I've known in the past-- particularly one, who shall remain nameless-- but who was very controversial.  As we all know, there are a fair few of these individuals, so while if you are reading this, I am most likely NOT writing about you-- I still don't want to give away any identifying info to start arguments.  Let's just call this person "Pat."
'Pat' has now ostensibly gone from the blogosphere-- and I think it is one of those cases of 'burning fast and bright' and then 'burning out.'
Without spending too much more time on the story, Pat argued a lot with many bloggers and had strong opinions about how people ought to go about losing weight.  Pat, like many of us, had a life-long struggle with obesity, but during the time that Pat was blogging, Pat was under HEAVY DUTY control of an eating plan-- and was quite impatient with those who could not show the same dedication.

And now Pat is gone in a poof.  My suspicion is that Pat is out there, gaining weight or struggling, but having been so judgmental of others has now been backed into a corner by extreme opinions and judgments that must be logically applied to oneself.

You see: losing weight and keeping it off are NOT about burning fast and bright-- they are about a low and steady flame that keeps burning.  You don't need to throw all of the logs onto the fire at once and make a gigantic bonfire-- that just causes you to run out of proverbial 'fuel.'

Instead: losing weight is a lifestyle-- and that is why I and so many other bloggers abhor the word or the notion 'dieting.'  Dieting suggests burning fast and bright.  Lifestyle implies changes that are lasting... that are ingrained into your day to day and that you don't need to beat the crap out of yourself or anyone else to convince yourself to do make them and keep on going.

And that brings me to RUNNING.

I noticed that our blogger friend, Amanda (I'll try to link her blog, but if I don't have a chance look in my comments for her-- she is a frequent commenter here...) tried running recently and decided that it wasn't for her and was a hateful activity.
I commented back to her and said I'd gladly give some running advice (from my humble perspective) because I am a lifetime lover of running.  I don't always run regularly (and you might call what I do 'jogging' because it is hardly fast..) but whenever I do, I find it to be a simple pleasure.  I've gained a lot of 'running maturity' over the years that I am glad to share.

I definitely think it is too daunting of a task to give all of my advice in one post-- so let's start here:

Running is a lot like losing weight!!
Learning to be a runner (if you're going to do it right, keep away from injuries and enjoy yourself in the process) is a LONG HAUL. There is NO 'burning fast and bright' way to learn to run.

On the plus side, and in my opinion-- the DAY you decide to learn how to run and decide to commit to a running program, you get to call yourself a 'runner.'  You get to own that venerable title and no one can take it from you.  And as you run, your body will thank you with quick progress, provided that you keep on 'low burn' and don't try to throw all of your logs onto the fire in the first few weeks or even months.

So here is my advice for 'beginner running-- weeks 1 and 2.'

Commit to a RUNNING TRAINING program for these 2 weeks.  That means promising yourself 30 minutes THREE times each week for 2 weeks.

Is that so much?

Here's what you do and I am going to keep it VERY simple so as to keep from being overwhelming.

Week 1:
Runs 1, 2, and 3:
First 10 minutes-- Walk for 10 minutes at a comfortable pace to warm up.
Second 10 minutes-- Speed up your walking and interject 30 second 'jogs' whenever you feel you can (count to 30 in your head, you don't need to use a stop watch.)
DO NOT SPRINT.  Just jog at a comfortable pace that is not a walk.
Last 10 minutes-- Walk for 10 minutes at a comfortable pace to cool down.

Week 2:
Runs 4, 5, and 6:

First 10 minutes-- Walk for 10 minutes at a comfortable pace to warm up.

Second 10 minutes-- Speed up your walking and interject 45 second 'jogs' whenever you feel you can (count to 45 in your head, you don't need to use a stop watch.)

DO NOT SPRINT.  Just jog at a comfortable pace that is not a walk. 

Last 10 minutes-- Walk for 10 minutes at a comfortable pace to cool down.

Other notes and RULES:
1) DO NOT extend these 'runs.'  The 30 minutes is meant to be manageable and very easy to fit into almost any lifestyle with just a bit of tweaking.  Who can't find 30 minutes 3 times in a week if she is trying to do something exciting and new?
(Try this suggestion:
Get up 40 minutes earlier-- 10 minutes for coffee and getting dressed and 30 mins to exercise.)
These runs are meant to be success stories for you-- ANYONE who can walk can do as I'm advising, it is all about your own pacing and level.  If you can only manage ONE JOG in the 2nd 10 minutes, that's FINE. Just do it at your level and that is perfectly OK.
2) DO NOT all out run during the jogs.  Most likely, you will feel like this is 'too easy' and 'not enough.' Enjoy that feeling of fitness and succeed. Do not pressure yourself to do more.
3) ENJOY the time you are out on your runs-- and know that this is just the beginning of a great fitness routine!!
4) Feel free to gently stretch before or after or both... you don't have to stretch to do this program because the walking constitutes your stretch, warm up-- but eventually, you'll need to incorporate some stretching into your program.

If anyone is going to do this, please let me know-- and I will give you weeks 3 and 4 once you finish up the first 2 weeks.  Good luck!

Finally-- below are MY commitments to do this week, written the other day... I didn't follow through with everything this week, but did start wearing a pedometer.
Did 9300 steps on Saturday and 11,000 (can't recall exact number) yesterday.

Have already done over 2000 this morning on walk with dog!

Conclusions:  Here are the things that would work best for me-- particularly if focused on during weekdays-- (the weekends are differently challenging):

Eating a tiny dinner
Drinking less or no alcohol during the week
Planning a PREDICTABLE dessert and limiting myself to that only (Like a skinny cow ice cream sandwich-- I can keep those in the house and eat only 1 at a time)
Do a really great brush / floss right after dessert and eat nothing more during the day
Start wearing a pedometer-- and get in 10,000 steps per day-- I believe I am WAY under that.**