Hey all........well, did something the other day on the tmill that I have never done before (and where did your mind go?! LOL) I didn't choose a program walk/run this time. I just wanted to see what I could do at a slow jog. GET THIS! I managed to run 3 miles no stopping at 43 min. YAY! I will confess, I had a "moment", teared up and kept telling myself, I did it! So, went upstairs and told my hubby what just happened and started crying a bit. WOW! I know...weirdo. I have been exercising off and on with diff. programs, zumba, tae bo...for years and CANNOT lose the fat in my lower half..still big legs and hips. I am pear-shaped and graced with the funny sense of humor from the good dear Lord and have them' child bearing hips and don't have any kids! LOL So, thought if I can just try jogging at a slow pace, where will it get me? WOWOWOWOW! Tammy jogged more than she ever thought she could do.

Now, what do I do? Do I just keep at 3 miles or go a bit further each time? I am not too worried with speed right now. Want to lose weight (10-15lbs. would be great...127 right now). I know this is good cardio and it hopefully, will happen in a couple of months going at it 4-5 times a week I hope?

My jeans are getting tighter and tighter the more I do lower half exercises but am trying to just tell myself, muscles are growing right? : ( I get discouraged with that thought though. Really trying to keep a happy frame of mind even though I just accomplished that 3 miles. Oh, well..can't have it all...you know, thinner lower half and being a pear-shaped gal. At least I am healthy and ran this at 45
Your thoughts! Thank you all!

Awesome job! I'd suggest for you to sign up for a 5k race in a few weeks and run it. Keep up with training, start doing intervals to work on increasing your speed, then start upping your distance if you enjoy it.

Running a 5k was a bucket list item for me, thought I'd do it once and be done with it- well, along the way I discovered the power of my mind, the strength of my body, the beauty of running, and the feeling of pride that comes with commitment and dedication. I'm running my 3rd half marathon on Sunday and my first full will be in October.

Fair warning- running is addictive, but in the very best possible way.

I don't know what your diet looks like but it really isn't possible to be gaining that much muscle to make your pants tighter and tighter...perhaps look at creating a calorie deficit to help lose some weight

exercise is good for your heart etc and for toning up and also helps some people stick to their diet better but really, for losing weight, a calorie deficit is needed first and foremost

I run too...and I love it...I run short distances and I don't run very fast but I've been running for over a year and I enjoy it...it's cardio that can get a good calorie burn in a short time...

but as good as it is for my heart, lungs and muscle strength...I wont lose weight unless I watch how much i'm eating too

Congratulations. 43 minutes is a long time--meaning your endurance is building.

Thank you all....SIGH............this is hard. LOL

Congrats!

I good rule of thumb when it comes to running is to not increase your time or distance by more than 10% a week.... So say you are running a total of 10 miles in a week... then the next week you could up it to 11 miles if you felt like it... Or if you're running say a total of 90 minutes a week... say three 30 minute runs... then the next week you could add 9 minutes of running to that (although I would just round that up and add 10 minutes... lol.. ) and of course if you don't feel like upping your time/mileage that week that's fine too...

Now I haven't always followed this... But most of the time I have regretted it... Running endurance really is one of those things that just takes time... and usually my body has to catch up with where my brain thinks it should be already...