Jogging is a vigorous cardiovascular exercise that improves your heart health, burns calories at a rapid clip, builds your endurance and helps you attain or maintain a healthy weight. The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults do about 30 minutes of intense aerobic exercise daily. If you are new to exercise, recovering from an injury or out of shape, meeting this minimum goal with jogging may require gradually building your strength and endurance. As with any new exercise program, speak with your doctor before starting a new jogging regimen.
Step 1
Warm up by doing light cardiovascular activity for five to 10 minutes. Avoid stretching stiff muscles and joints; walk, march in place or do some light calisthenics instead.
Step 2
Pick a safe route, one with a flat surface or one at a light grade. If you jog outdoors, pick a place with sufficient foot traffic but less car traffic. Night joggers should run with a buddy, wear reflective tape and stick to areas with ample lighting.
Step 3
Combine jogging with walking. You do not need to run fast to elevate your heart rate enough to burn calories. Vary your pace by spending four minutes walking and one minute jogging. After one week, you should feel strong enough to add one to two minutes to your jogging time and subtract one to two minutes from your walking time.
Step 4
Alternate the types of jogging workouts you do. Spend one day race-walking, in which you move as briskly as possible while always keeping one foot in contact with the ground. Devote another day doing a one-hour jog at a slower pace, such as a 15-minute mile. On a different day, jog on a route that has you climbing hills. Jogging on a grade builds muscle in your calves, thighs and glutes.
Step 5
Schedule a rest day after intense workouts. If you do speed intervals or jog more than five miles in one workout, plan a walk or swim instead for the next day.
Step 6
Keep your jogging routine interesting. Listen to music, join a jogging group, compete in fun runs or add new challenges like pumping hand weights while jogging.
Tips and Warnings
- Drink plain water to stay hydrated while jogging.
- Avoid injury by wearing comfortable, sturdy shoes designed for walking or running.
Things You'll Need
- Good running shoes
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