Need Some Advice

[ArJay]

Okay here's the deal. I am a 52 year old overwieght male who wants to start running to improve my health. I am 5'6" tall and weigh 178 lbs, down from 184. A few weeks ago my wife and I committed to improving our health by making some lifestyle changes. Since then we have begun eating healthier food (fruits, veggies, whole grain products, etc.) and I have lost weight as mentioned earlier. My goal is to get down to 150 lbs by losing around 1 pound/week. So far so good. Now I haven't jogged since high school, so I'm at square one. My wife and I have been walking about three miles/day at a decent pace for the last three weeks. So today I started running. Bought new sneakers and some decent running gear. I intended to run 2 minutes and then walk 4. I couldn't run more than 30 seconds at a time. Ran out of breath. So, here are my questions: Should I lose more weight prior to taking up running? Should I just accept the fact that I can't run more than 30 seconds at a time right now and just keep at it? Thanks.

[deevon-dudley]

certainly dont give up the running. nothing is worse for losing weight than getting into a comfort zone. Although it is always great to see somebody overweight taking up running, all to often they seem to give up or take a step back once it gets hard. dont do this,count to 30 now- hopefully youll see how small an amount of time this is. Even if you cant do more than this without stopping, always finish in the knowledge you ran your best. If you accompany this with some very light cardio such as a cross trainer youll find yourself running longer every day without fail. good luck

[CoachLevi]

Keep doing the mix of running and walking (in the same workout.) Just start slow and pretty soon you'll be running the whole time.