Rant on Living Healthier with a Couple Questions for Flavour

[Bastian]

I'm not the fittest person on the block, I'll be the first one to admit that. Right now I'm unemployed (thanks to the support of my parents I don't need to work to survive at the moment) and out of school (returning in Sept) so I've got all this time on my hands. I'm having my chest surgery in late July too. So I figure, with 5-6 months from now till then (surgery, starting at a new university) what better time than now to get in better shape right?

Back about halfway through January I began lifting weights regularly, every night I go through a routine of about 7 different lifts. It's been really good, this is the first fitness that I've actually committed too for this long! I only skip every other Saturday to reward myself and give my muscles a night off.

Along with that, about a month and a half ago I made a drastic change to my diet. I had gotten into this rut with my breakfasts where I was eating fried eggs on buttered toast loaded with salt (seriously what was I thinking?). Since then I cut eggs out of my diets pretty much 100% I've only had a single omelet a couple weeks ago. I replaced the fried saltiness with the following: Every morning I have a muffin (I make them from a 'eat healthy' recipe, they are made of frozen raspberries, lemons, whole wheat flour a bit of splenda, a single egg and some oil, the nutritional stats are: 185 calories; 7 g fat ( 1 g sat , 4 g mono ); 18 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 245 mg sodium; 42 mg potassium. Not the best with the 7g of fat, i'm considering cutting it down to half a morning or finding a new recipe) with 5-6 rice crackers (fairly healthy, though I can't remember the stats off hand), a thin slice of cheddar cheese and a serving of fruit (usually blueberries, but sometimes live yogurt or organic apple sauce). I definitely feel better about myself having made the changes to a more wholesome breakfast, though I'd still like to make changes to it.

Every night I also have started taking a whole vitamin and B12 (i've noticed I've got some of my energy back, i'm slightly prone to iron deficiencies and the B12 helps with that.) Now I'm looking to structure my lunches a bit more as well. I think I'm going to start adding almonds to my meals. In the past i've found they curb my appetite because they make me feel full and i've been reading they are fairly good for you. I invite any thoughts or feedback on these theories.

Anyways, next on my path to getting healthy I'd like to add another activity to my life. Right now I do horseback riding 3-5 times a week adding up to between 6-10 hours of activity a week, but riding is really a whole body work out with little cardio and since i've been doing it for years it only works to maintain my current muscle and doesn't burn enough calories to help with weight loss. Riding is important to me but I definitely need a cardio based activity to supplement my riding and the weight lifting. So I'm thinking of running. Why not right? Is costs nothing, can be done anywhere, anytime and is a important skill to have. But i've never really run before  I live in the suburbs so I've got some nice places to walk I suppose. For a little while I was boarding my horse out in ye old wild and had access to 100 acres of forest, which I spent a good deal walking in. it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it. I love tracking and over the years riding my horse in the forest I can have been able to improve my skills tracking game. Unfortunately I'm no longer keeping my horse there (and it was a thirty minute drive away). Once summer roles around i'll have access to some night trails again thats a short drive away, but I think I need to start running and getting outside on a daily basis.

Aha sorry that was really ranty, if you're still with me, heres my questions: Can anyone provide me with some personal tips for learning to run? I've been doing about a 20-25 minute walk in my area but i'd really like to eventually actually be running. How does one go about learning to run exactly? Should I run as far as I can at a gentle pace and then work towards doing that distance every day till I can increase it? Or is it better to walk pre-dominantly at first and just mix in a bit of running?

Also, i'm curious, for those of you that run, do you prefer to do so in the morning, afternoon or night? I'm thinking of starting to run just after sunset or during regular work hours as I'm really self conscious about running in public (because I know i'm not in good shape...) and if I run during these hours, especially after sundown i'm less likely to run into or be seen by people (yeah i'm really shy about running in public... is that normal? Lol I don't know.)

And finally, it's sort of a goal of mine to be able to run a marathon... Probably just a short one... theres a running club in my city that seems to always been running marathons and stuff. I'm thinking i'd like to do a marathon in April, it's set at 3-8 km total. I think I might try for the 3 km as my goal. Is that realistic? To go from never really running to starting, say tomorrow and going to being able to run a 3km run?

Anyways thanks for staying with me on that one, I know it was a bit of a rant.

[Adam (birkin)]

I had to be slightly drunk to run in public, partly because of my weight but also because of my chest (obviously can't bind while running). So yeah, it's normal. I can offer you a few things that might help with your fear.

1. Even people who are in really good shape can get heckled while running, so it's not about you, how fit you are, etc. Some people just want to try to hurt others. The friend I've started running with has been thin her whole life, but she's had people bother her from time to time. I know some cis men who get things yelled at them while they run too, again, they're in good shape.

2. My brother has the same fear, and one day when he was running he was actually yelled at from a car, someone called him a "fat***." And he said, "you know what? That was my worst fear, ever. But when it actually happened, it wasn't so bad. We just laughed it off and kept going. That surprised me."

3. I ran recently, mid-day, and saw quite a few people. It was awkward for me because I am shy (I should add that I was a bit tipsy...lol, so that helped but I would not recommend it). I'd prefer to do it in the morning, because teenagers who would normally harass people would be in bed lol. Besides that, there will be a ton of others running. So they will, first of all, be caught up in their own running too much to notice. And second, they won't judge because even if they're in great shape, they're running to maintain that shape...even for the fittest exercise can seem like a chore, so those who have gone out and done it know how hard it is to get going and keep going. So they are less likely to judge you, as I see it.

[Bastian]

Thanks for the reply Caleb. I guess it's kind of unrealistic of me to be so worried. I went for a walk a few days ago and literally only saw two people walking their dog and about three-four cars. I live in the suburbs so the only people really out during the day are stay at home parents, retired individuals or people in there cars going places. No real runners in my neighborhood, at least no dedicated ones that i've seen.

I'm very excited now though. I decided after posting this  to look at some of the marathons and runs coming up and i've chosen a short run in april that I want to try to strive for. It's only 3km, 5km, 8km in distance and my goal is to run the 3km. Also it's to support people who need transplants so the proceeds of the 'race' go to them. I downloaded an ap for my phone too called "Get Running" that has a coach and programs specifically for coach potatoes like me to learn to run. I think i'll be able to ignore people and care less about what they think better with music in one ear and a actual human voice coaching me in the other.

Also I suppose there is a point there. When I see runners I always think "Good for them." and on the odd occasion I see a larger person (like me ) running I think "That's great, I hope they keep at it." so I suppose not everyone's judging everyone and I suppose, at least I'm trying right? Which is probably doing more than any person whose judging me from their car seat.

I'm definitely feeling more excited now. I think for me, like everyone else, I feel good when I can achieve a small goal, it just took me a long time to recognize the small goals, which is funny cause when I ride horses I recognize every small goal me and my horse achieve, but when it's just me I think I always make goals I'm going to fail at and then I get discouraged. I think by having a coach, even if it's an app, I'll be able to really achieve the small goals that will ultimately bring me to my current 'big goal' if any of that makes sense lol.

Also since i'm essentially going to school to eventually for the law force I need to be able to pass level 7 on the beep test and there's no way i'll get there sitting on my butt!

This is kind of exciting =)

[summer710]

Since you're new to the world of running, I would suggest going to an actual brick-and-mortar store that specializes in running with knowledgeable sales people - they can help you find the appropriate shoe for your running style (i.e., are you a pronator, or not?, etc).  Ask your local running club for a good store.  Sure, it may cost abit more (as opposed to blindly buying gear on-line) but it will help in the long run, and set you up for more enjoyment overall (running with ill-fitting or ill-suited shoes can make you despise the activity, and give up prematurely).  Make sure it's an actual running-type store, as opposed to a sporting goods "department store" or athletic shoe store in a shopping mall.  The good stores will ask you about your running background/experience, your goals, and your running style/running mechanics.

If you're too self-conscious running (by yourself) - start out with a running group...you can find a group to suit your abilities; the advantages of starting out with a group are that (1) You can gain knowledge from more experienced runners, (2) Comraderie and strength in numbers, and (3) Regular group hours (i.e., most clubs will have organized runs thoughout the week, including weekends).  Once you get more comfortable in your own skin as a "runner", it will be easier for you to justify running alone.

And just as a point of clarification (and I'm sure you  already know this) - the term marathon is reserved for the 26.2 mile sufferfest; the other distance events are just that, i.e., a 3k run, 5k run, 10k run, etc.  Nothing is worse than training for an event, only to find that you prepared for the wrong distance... 

[Bastian]

Thanks for the advice Summer =)
I'll have to see if I can find a running store in town... I didn't know they had running specific stores, I've never seen one. Unfortunately I feel way more uncomfortable running with a group than I would alone. I also want to be able to run in my area as our local club usually meets right next to the core which has no nearby parking (either permit or pay meters, blah) plus I'd prefer to be able to run any time during the day as, even though I'm unemployed and between schools, I still lead a very hectic life. Maybe once I feel a bit more comfortable I'll look for a running buddy in my area to make runs more fun.

And thanks for the clarification, I was aware that a marathon is a freakishly long run vs a 3K, 5K, etc. All the runs in my area is recorded by the local running club and lists the distance up front so there will be no training for the wrong distance lol