Running for Obese People

The best way for you to begin achieving any weight-loss goals is to start running. Yes, the effort of running is hard, but that is where the benefits lie, and the results are calories burned and pounds shed. As you stick to your running, it becomes easier because you are hauling less weight. As you begin to run regularly and progressively increase the amount you're running, the leaner and healthier you will become.

Stay Motivated

So you've set your weight loss goals and decided to start running--now it's time to take that first step. Weight Watchers offers a success testimonial called "From Depressed to Distance Runner" by Andrea Cotell. By going to the local track and gradually increasing from a walk to a run, she dropped from 195 lbs. to 153 lbs. Andrea offers these motivational tips: Do it for yourself and not for anyone else. Set small goals you can achieve, and some long-term goals. Get a pedometer to measure the distance you run. Take progress pictures and body measurements.

Build Up Gradually

One of the biggest mistakes any beginning runner can make, overweight or not, is trying to run too much too soon. You may be excited about your new goals, but you may not even be able to run at all at first, especially if you haven't done any exercise in a long time. Try the FrontRunner 10-week beginner runner program to start. Week No. 1, you walk only for 30 minutes three to five days a week. Starting in week No. 2, you add 30-second intervals of running with the sets of walking. As the next eight weeks go by, you add more and more running and less walking until you are running for 30 minutes.

Pose Method

One technique to help you get started is the Pose Method. The article "Pose Method for Overweight People" says this method teaches you to use your body weight to move you forward. If you go out and immediately try to run after being sedentary for so long, your heart rate will go crazy, and you will be out of breath quickly. The Pose Method teaches that during one single step, while falling forward on support, you have to manage to pull your own foot from the ground and to not push your heavy body up and forward. This movement reduces the stress on your tendons, joints and ligaments.

Correct Running Shoes

Because you're overweight as you start running, it is essential to get the right type of running shoe. Joe Puleo and Dr. Patrick Milroy in "Running Anatomy" say that when you run, every foot strike represents three to four times your body weight on impact. In your current pre-weight-loss state, you need to go to a running specialty store and have an experienced, running retail specialist recommend the right shoes for you. Good cushioning is essential, but you also need the correct shoe for your foot type to help keep you injury-free.

Don't Give Up

Again, yes, running is hard, and sometimes you want to give up, but remember why you are putting the work in now, and that's to live a healthier, more vibrant life. As Andrea Cotell says, "Don't do it just to look better; that's a bonus. Do it for your overall well-being." The reward waits in the mirror when you see the new, thinner, leaner, healthier you, and you will have done it by running.