Starting Out

My thighs keep getting bigger and bigger, and losing weight is harder and harder.  Going to the gym can be such a pain in the butt.  They close at 7 on the weekend and even though it's close, it still takes almost an hour to go work out for a half hour.  Maybe I should try running.

I tried once before, I made a New Year's resolution to run 26 miles in a year.  Total fail.  But I found a program at Women's Health where you don't just go out and run until you want to fall down and take a taxi home.  Day 1:  I wound up at the gym anyhow because it's raining like crazy, and I got these cute new running shoes that I am not getting all wet.  I went 2 miles, and I thought that two minutes running might kill me for the first couple of times, but then it hurt a little less for the last 2.

Week 1: Run 2 min, walk 3 min; repeat 6 times 
Week 2: Run 3 min, walk 3 min; repeat 5 times 
Week 3: Run 5 min, walk 2 min; repeat 4 times 
Week 4: Run 7 min, walk 3 min; repeat 3 times 
Week 5: Run 8 min, walk 2 min; repeat 3 times 
Week 6: Run 9 min, walk 1 min; repeat 3 times 
Week 7: Run 30 minutes 
After you've been running for at least six weeks, add intervals to continue building fitness and shedding pounds. Intervals are short bursts of speed that engage the muscle fibers that make you go fast. (Bonus: Research has shown that sprints trigger a fat-frying response in your muscles.) To do them, warm up for six minutes with an easy jog. Then run faster for 15 to 20 seconds. Slow down to an easy pace for three minutes. Repeat the cycle three to five times, then cool down with a six-minute jog. Do intervals once a week and increase your sprint length by 10 seconds each week until you can go all-out for 80 seconds.