[neveragainbabe]

Hey ladies! I've been doing really good eating wise- but I need some advice about exercise and I'm hoping you all can help me!

I realized, that when it comes to exercising, I am completely naive. I'll run my butt off for 15 mins and I'm absolutely dying in the end. Then I go shower and I'm all proud of myself because my body really felt the burn.

Then **NEWSFLASH** I see people who go on runs for an hour, or people who are at the gym for two hours and stuff. And here I am all stupidly happy that I actually run for 15 mins every day. Because other people do SO much more, is my workout not doing anything? I absolutely collapse of tiredness and boredom after 15-20 mins.

Thanks!

[Petite Powerhouse]

You don't have to eat the elephant. In fact, you don't want to eat the elephant. You'll set yourself up for failure if you do. Take exercise at your pace. The fact that you're getting out there and running for 15 minutes is great. As you get stronger, who knows? You may turn into one of those people who runs for an hour. But you won't for certain if you try to do more right now than you feel up to.

That said, if the problem is more one of boredom than exhaustion, you might want to try to find something you really like to do. It's hard to commit long term to something you don't enjoy.

[m3rma1d]

15 minutes is about 14 minutes longer than I can run, so good for you!
Why not add an hour of walking to that?

[pinkflower]

Try some HIIT or intervals, then you could go longer if you give yourself breaks, and you won't kill yourself or drop out because youre pushing too hard. It also makes it more interesting. IE 5 min warm up (slowish walking), fast run for 60 seconds, 2 minute recovery/slow walking, 1 minute fast run, 2 min recovery etc etc., or you could increase your high intensity and decrease recovery if youre in better shape

[TJFitnessDiva]

I started off doing like only 10-15 minutes but slowly built my time up. When I found myself doing that time with ease I took it as my cue to push a little more now I'm doing about 1 1/2 hours

[JoJoJo2]

Do what you can.

Don't compare yourself to anyone else.

You are an individual.

You are YOU!!!

[Hamoco350]

I guess the best advice I could possibly give is - don't compare yourself to other people. That is singlehandedly my biggest obstacle, so I completely relate to you. I am training for a 5k right now and my walking partner is much more fit than I am. She goes at my pace because she is doing this, not just with me, but FOR me. However, I sometimes compare myself to her when I get insecure.

The point I'm trying to make is, you are kicking butt! I mean, could you always run for 15 minutes? I couldn't always walk 3 miles, and now I can do that with jogging intervals. We are all becoming better and stronger every single day, so don't let other people running longer than you make your workout feel worthless. It counts just as much as theirs.

You are doing awesome, just remember that.

[neveragainbabe]

thanks everyone!

i guess i just get discouraged because every book and magazine and trainer in the world forever always says (even to old men!) "try to fit 30 mins of exercise in each day!" And I can't even do 20 mins! On top of that, people say that to people who arent even TRYING to lose weight. Just people who are trying to stay healthy. So what are the rest of us supposed to do? Run a mile each day just to make a dent in our weight?

[WarMaiden]

Originally Posted by neveragainbabe

So what are the rest of us supposed to do? Run a mile each day just to make a dent in our weight?

You don't have to run at all in order to lose weight. And there are successful maintainers around here who have never really exercised regularly, or didn't while losing weight--Glory comes to mind. I certainly have done my share of losing weight while not exercising, probably about 45 of the 95 pounds I've lost so far.

I think PetitePowerhouse's recommendation is a good one, you should be looking for a movement activity that you love doing. Running is advanced exercise, not really for fitness newbies. And if you don't like doing it, there's about 1000 other types of movement you could be doing instead.

[Heather]

The place you start isn't the place you end! This is what you can do NOW, but you can build on it. I started walking on a treadmill for 15 or 20 min and now can do so much more!!!

[Aubrey87]

First off, congrats for running for 15 minutes! i started at 5min and am now at 35 - working for a 10K next summer!

I read today on Jillian's website to try to fit in 1 hr a day if you're trying to lose weight... you could break that up into two session or take it at an easier pace. Personally, if i'm going to go at a slower pace for an hour, i'd rather pound it out in a 1/2 hour, i just feel like i've accomplished more and worked harder. Everyone is different and you have to find a system that works for you! good luck!

[Shmead]

You can actually break it into 10 sessions if you want to: sustained exercise helps with the cardiovascular aspect, but motion burns calories, period.

Think, too, of the exercise you do now as an investment. When I first started exercising, I could only do FIVE minutes at a time. It wasn't just physical, but mental as well: I would get bored and anxious and just really, really hated every second. So I did 5 minutes twice a day every day. I doubt I burned 50 calories a day total through exercise. However, I did do two important things 1) I established a routine and got used to prioritizing it. I only went 5 minutes, but I never missed those minutes and I put that ahead of everything else and 2) I improved my mental and physical conditioning. Not only did my legs and lungs and heart got stronger, my brain learned how to amuse itself with a TV show while my body got the job done. I learned how to use the time to reflect, and so I wasn't anxious.

I just kept increasing both sessions of exercise by baby steps--a couple minutes every couple weeks, in the beginning. Now I am up to over 2 hours a day of total exercise and it is less painful, mentally and physically, than those first 5 minutes were. And I know now that daily exercise can always be a part of my life.

So think of the time you spend exercising today as an investment in your ability to be healthy later. It's well worth it!

[sacha]

You've got to get such a negative attitude out of your head!

Okay, I can now run a 7 minute mile and have passed multiple police fitness entrance physicals, including ones that make large strong men vomit.

When I first STARTED this journey, I ran a 20 minute mile. When I first started, I cried after a slow 10 minute jog. I wandered around the gym and left in tears because I was so embarrassed! Now I can teach others..

It is wrong to think that people who run for miles & miles or spend hours at the gym came out of the womb knowing this stuff. They didn't. They might just be 3FChicks who have a few more years on this than you do We all started somewhere...

[HoneyMustard]

First off, Congrats on even being able to run!! I can't even run for a minute and I fear getting a fat lip from my own "rack"! So congrats on being able to control those puppies too!

I think for weight loss, at least for me, we need to get our heart rate up for and extended period of time. Where did I hear..."you start burning fat after keeping your heart rate up after 20mins." Some workout video I think. The first 20mins, the body is burning sugar, not fat. This has always worked for me, and I just walk!

Keep up the good work!

[Petite Powerhouse]

I was never a runner before I started using the StairMaster StepMill. I kid you not, after a year of working out on that machine, I decided to try running again, and I ran seven miles my very first time out, in under an hour. I ran eight miles the next day. I had a woman talking to me about running marathons after I'd only been running for one week, and I have been consistently running as far as I want for as long as I want since then. Before that the best I ever did running was two miles, and that was more than 15 years ago.

So, who knows? Maybe you'll find something else you like to do, and without realizing it, it'll turn you into a runner. I didn't even like running before, but now that I can do it with ease, I really enjoy it.