by Jackie Hart, MD
Q: Is running a good exercise to take up when you are overweight and would like to lose weight?
A: While regular exercise is now generally considered more mainstream than alternative, only a fraction of Americans engage in regular exercise, yet it is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.
Probably the most important factor to consider when choosing an exercise is to pick something you enjoy, because you are much more likely to stick with it.
Another extremely important factor for choosing an exercise is safety. My concern about initiating an exercise routine with running is that you may get easily discouraged. While running does offer certain advantages, such as being outdoors in the nice weather, not needing to join a health club, and requiring little equipment beyond an excellent pair of running shoes, walking offers these same advantages.
If you think that you would like the feeling of freedom and the "high" that many runners describe, my best advice would be to ease into this sport slowly, starting with an excellent base of daily walking.
Prior to any exercise routine, you should talk to your doctor to ensure protection for your heart. Your doctor will assess your risk factors for heart disease, such as, high cholesterol, and early signs of, all of which often go hand-in-hand with being overweight.
Before you begin an exercise routine, your physician may recommend a stress test to assess your cardiac function and to give you an appropriate exercise prescription. An exercise prescription, which is based on your individual ability, tells you the exact range in which your heart rate should fall for the most effective and safest exercise routine for you. This may actually dictate whether running is safe from a cardiac standpoint or not, because if your heart rate falls in the appropriate range while walking, then running is not necessary; but, if you cannot get your heart rate to the effective range from walking alone, then the gradual introduction of running may be warranted.
In addition to cardiac safety, exercise must be safe and effective for your joints and muscles. When you are overweight, you are more likely to injure yourself from running, because the joints bear four times your weight with every step while running. If you become injured, you will not be able to reap any of the benefits of exercise until you heal. Again, though, easing into a routine slowly makes an injury less likely to occur.
If you need some inspiration, Ill tell you the story of a special woman I know my Mom who was approximately 40 pounds overweight many years ago. She started walking every day. After a few months and a 10- to 15- pound weight loss, she started to run a quarter-mile of her usual two- to three-mile walk. Gradually, over another few months, she worked her way up to running the whole three miles, and the weight loss continued. Two years after she started her walk/run routine, she ran a marathon at the age of 52! Currently, she maintains her weight by running two to four miles several times per week, taking aerobics on the days she is not running, and doing gentle weight-lifting with the guidance of a personal trainer.
Miriam Nelson, PhD, author of recommends establishing a good walking routine over at least a 10-week period before introducing any amount of running. Dr. Nelsons book is an excellent resource for women wondering how to use exercise to lose weight. The addition of gentle, gradual strength-training (like the routine recommended in the book) to a cardiovascular routine changes body composition, helping you lose inches and convert fat into muscle. Dr. Nelsons recommendations are also great for building strong bones and preventing.
Q: Is running a good exercise to take up when you are overweight and would like to lose weight?
A: While regular exercise is now generally considered more mainstream than alternative, only a fraction of Americans engage in regular exercise, yet it is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.
Probably the most important factor to consider when choosing an exercise is to pick something you enjoy, because you are much more likely to stick with it.
Another extremely important factor for choosing an exercise is safety. My concern about initiating an exercise routine with running is that you may get easily discouraged. While running does offer certain advantages, such as being outdoors in the nice weather, not needing to join a health club, and requiring little equipment beyond an excellent pair of running shoes, walking offers these same advantages.
If you think that you would like the feeling of freedom and the "high" that many runners describe, my best advice would be to ease into this sport slowly, starting with an excellent base of daily walking.
Prior to any exercise routine, you should talk to your doctor to ensure protection for your heart. Your doctor will assess your risk factors for heart disease, such as, high cholesterol, and early signs of, all of which often go hand-in-hand with being overweight.
Before you begin an exercise routine, your physician may recommend a stress test to assess your cardiac function and to give you an appropriate exercise prescription. An exercise prescription, which is based on your individual ability, tells you the exact range in which your heart rate should fall for the most effective and safest exercise routine for you. This may actually dictate whether running is safe from a cardiac standpoint or not, because if your heart rate falls in the appropriate range while walking, then running is not necessary; but, if you cannot get your heart rate to the effective range from walking alone, then the gradual introduction of running may be warranted.
In addition to cardiac safety, exercise must be safe and effective for your joints and muscles. When you are overweight, you are more likely to injure yourself from running, because the joints bear four times your weight with every step while running. If you become injured, you will not be able to reap any of the benefits of exercise until you heal. Again, though, easing into a routine slowly makes an injury less likely to occur.
If you need some inspiration, Ill tell you the story of a special woman I know my Mom who was approximately 40 pounds overweight many years ago. She started walking every day. After a few months and a 10- to 15- pound weight loss, she started to run a quarter-mile of her usual two- to three-mile walk. Gradually, over another few months, she worked her way up to running the whole three miles, and the weight loss continued. Two years after she started her walk/run routine, she ran a marathon at the age of 52! Currently, she maintains her weight by running two to four miles several times per week, taking aerobics on the days she is not running, and doing gentle weight-lifting with the guidance of a personal trainer.
Miriam Nelson, PhD, author of recommends establishing a good walking routine over at least a 10-week period before introducing any amount of running. Dr. Nelsons book is an excellent resource for women wondering how to use exercise to lose weight. The addition of gentle, gradual strength-training (like the routine recommended in the book) to a cardiovascular routine changes body composition, helping you lose inches and convert fat into muscle. Dr. Nelsons recommendations are also great for building strong bones and preventing.