Jogging Tips

Below are some jogging tips -- little tidbits of information you may find useful whether you're a beginner or veteran jogger. The jogging tips provided cover some of the jogging basics such as how long to jog, how far, how to jog safely, etc. Remember jogging should be fun, easy and enjoyable!

Before Beginning a Jogging Routine

• Always consult your doctor. This is an important step since your weight, current fitness level and pre-existing health conditions all factor into your ability to begin a jogging routine.

• Each jog should begin with an exercise warm up with light stretching to prepare the muscles for the work out you demand of them. Walk for a few minutes and then do light, static stretches -- no bouncing. This is particularly important if the weather is cooler since your muscles need time to warm up.

• Conversely, each jog should end with an exercise cool-down also with light stretching so the muscles have an opportunity to relax.

• Eat light. An important jogging tip to consider is don't run on an empty stomach but don't overload yourself either. Eat a banana, a serving of oatmeal or power bar to give you energy.

Distance Jogging Tips?

• Start slowly. If you've never laced up a pair of jogging shoes before, than take your time as you build distance. You should start jogging and/or walking a mile until you're able to jog your entire goal distance.

• Build endurance. After you've been jogging regularly, begin adding distance each week to your jog in 10% increments. So if you're jogging 30 minutes daily begin adding three minutes the following week. This is a good jogging tip to practice since you want to safely build endurance without risking injury.

• Spit. Whenever you feel that your mouth is just full of saliva from all the breathing you're doing, then try spitting it out. It'll help you breathe easier to not have to breathe around all the excess in your mouth. Just be careful where you spit so you don't hit anyone!

• Power bars. There are a lot of power bars on the market. The best power bar for endurance, I find is the Clif bar. I enjoy the taste, texture and variety. Experiment and find a power bar that suits your taste.

• Purchase a notebook or log into a website to track your progress, distance, calories burned as well as miles logged on your jogging shoes.

Jogging Safely

• Listen to your body. If you're breathing heavy slow down. A good rule of thumb is being able to talk while jogging. If you're able to sing (that's great if your practicing for American Idol!) you may not be challenging yourself enough.

• Stay within your target heart rate zone to burn fat efficiently. to learn about calculating your target heart rate. This is an important jogging tip if weight loss is your goal.

• Wear identification. It's cumbersome to carry a wallet, but it's extremely important to utilize a wrist band, shoe tag or ankle band with your identifying information and who to call in case of emergency. As jogging tips go this is an important one to practice for you and your family's peace of mind.

• Whenever you're jogging alone let a friend/family member know where you're going and how long you'll be in case they need to locate you.
  
  
• Carry pepper spray. In case you come across an aggressive dog or someone with bad intentions, keep the pepper spray handy. You can purchase a small container of pepper spray that has a Velcro strap that goes around your hand so you can quickly press the spray button if you need to. If you're not comfortable with pepper spray than carry a dog whistle in the event you're confronted by a not-so-friendly Fido.

• Morning jogs are best because you get your exercise done early and have the rest of the day to enjoy. This is an important jogging tip to consider because a morning jog also jump starts your metabolism so you burn calories throughout the day!

• Jogging at sunset is a beautiful time to be out, but consider the air quality and safety in your area.

Balance Your Routine

• Cross-train. Walk, swim or ride a bike on days you're not jogging. Cross-training exercises different muscles and lets your jogging muscles rest.

• Strength train. Jogging builds endurance while strength training builds flexibility, balance and muscle definition.

Where to Jog?

• Jog where you will be motivated to get out an exercise preferably on a mostly flat surface. If that means along the beach, in your neighborhood, along a jogging trail (one that's not remote) or down city streets, jog where you'll feel invigorated and excited to get your exercise done.

• Consider the treadmill. We can't always jog outside because of inclement weather or other reasons, so make use of a treadmill. Change up your jog with intervals, hill runs, etc., to challenge yourself and keep it interesting.

Top of Jogging Tips

Where Would You Like to Go Next?

How about jogging in place if you don't have time to fit a 30 minute jog into your daily routine. This can be a good way to still burn calories and squeeze some exercise in your day.

If you have a dog consider jogging with your pet since you need the exercise and they need to stay in shape, too. This is an enjoyable way to improve your fitness and your dog's.

Always keep in mind your personal jogging safety whether you're out by yourself, with friends or even with your pet. Stay aware of your surroundings.

If it's not summer where you are don't despair winter jogging is still a viable option to consider. It also gets you outside when you need a break from the cabin fever.

There are great benefits for women jogging since we're the ones who have the babies and gain the extra pounds along the way. Jogging is a good way to keep the weight off and maintain your fitness.

You'll find that many people enjoy jogging alone because they can fit this exercise into their schedules whenever it works such as in the morning, at lunch or after the work day has ended.

If you're expecting a baby you may not have thought about jogging and pregnancy but you can jog even while you're pregnant. You need listen to your body and keep your doctor informed so everything goes smoothly for you.

Of course, jogging may not be for you so think about alternatives to jogging that will still allow you to challenge yourself and stay in shape.

Jogging has been around for awhile, you can read about the history of jogging and how this fitness exercise came to be so popular.

Read about the jogging basics and learn some ideas involved in getting off to a good start with this exercise.

Of course, don't forget about jogging properly this is not only important for building your jogging foundation, but also necessary to minimize injuries and make your jogs productive.

You may be thinking about your jogging speed and what pace you should be jogging.

Consider jogging vs running which one is better for you? Or you may consider jogging vs walking depending on your fitness level, pre-existing health conditions or injuries you may be recovering from.

Think about the physical fitness components and how incorporating them into your fitness plan will make for a more comprehensive fitness routine.

Naturally, there are disadvantages of jogging to weigh that may not be apparent in other exercise routines.

Involve your dog with a pet jogging stroller so he/she can join you on your exercise excursions!

Read about the hype or hope that jogging in a jug offers and you decide.

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