Running is a great exercise for everyone, not just thin people. Check out this running plan for obese beginners to plan your running workout for obese beginners routine.

Remember, before starting ANY kind of exercise, consult with your doctor to make sure they recommend it.

When you’re not used to strenuous exercises, you need to start slow and work your way to running. Trying to do too much at once can cause injury, burnout, or worse. The best way to start a running program is walking! Walk faster as you work on your training plan and slowly increase your heart rate. It’s a good idea for new runners to move slowly into physical activity, especially if they have extra body weight. Overweight runners run the risk of injury like shin splints and more.

Make sure you have the best shoes to support your body. Make sure you hydrate yourself well. And give yourself grace. You’re going to enjoy a boost in mental health, become a better runner in the long run, lose body fat and work toward a healthy weight, reduce the risk of heart disease and other medical conditions, learn about injury prevention, and so much more.

Don’t give up if you have a little joint pain on your first run. Your body has an effective way of healing and rejuvenating itself and it will improve over time if you stick to your beginner runner training schedule. But if you overdo it, listen to your body and cut back. Just don’t give up! This exercise program will work, even if you can only do a one-minute walk to start with. You are worth fighting for so give your body time and keep moving. 

Overweight running

Walking is a great way to get your body moving and prepare it to run. You will have to start small and work your way up slowly to avoid injury. This simple task may be harder than some think if you’re really overweight. Start by walking inside your house for 5 minutes and work towards 10 minutes. Workouts you can begin at home are helpful when getting started. You can do this and your body will love you for it. It was built to move.

Slowly increase the length of time and then your speed. When you’re ready, start walking the streets. As you progress, find some hills to walk up and down. This will change your intensity which is great for weight loss as well as endurance. This will give you more bang for your buck.

If you want more of my weight loss story and how I grew up on little Debbies and soda and learned how to change my health and life through exercise and nutrition, check out this nutrition guide. It has some basic dos and don’ts that my wife and I used for me to lose 100 pounds and be on no medication at age 53. There are also some sample meal plans in there. It was a long process, not a quick fix, but if I can do it, so can you!

Running for overweight beginners

A great way to burn calories is to increase intensity. Running will do that. Try walking for a short length of time, then run for that amount of time. Keep adding repetitions of this until you reach a mile over time. You can even work up to a 5K or 3.1 miles. Then someday a marathon if you enjoy running that much.

Keep challenging yourself and before long, you’ll get that lean body you want. Just don’t give up!

• Day 1-7, walk 5 minutes around the house or on the treadmill, or you can walk up and down your street.
• Day 8-14, walk 10 minutes around the house or on the treadmill, or you can walk up and down your street.
• Day 15-21, walk around the block 2 times, or do 1/2 mile on the treadmill.
• Day 22-28, walk around the block 4 times, or do 1 mile on the treadmill.
• Day 29-35, walk one block, then jog one block, then walk two blocks, then jog a block, then walk a block, then jog a block, then walk 3 blocks.
• Day 36-42, walk one block, then jog two blocks, the walk one block, then jog two blocks, then walk one block, then jog two blocks, then walk 3 blocks.
• Day 43-49, walk one block then jog 4 blocks, then walk one block, then job 4 blocks, then walk 4 blocks.
• Day 50-56, walk one block, then jog 8 blocks, then walk 3 blocks.
• Day 57-63, walk one block, then jog 12 blocks, then walk 2 blocks.

If you can’t move from one step to the next, that’s okay, just keep on the previous schedule until you can move up to the next one. I know in time, you can do it. We all have to start somewhere. As long as you keep with it, you’ll get to the day 57 goal eventually.

Make sure to listen to your body. Take breaks when your body tells you it’s needed. Push yourself more when you feel like you can. Once you are running twelve blocks well, you can use your car or a fitness tracker to map out a new place to run a mile. Changing it up will keep you from getting bored as you work on running faster as you go. Check out this HIIT workout for beginners when you’re ready.

Make sure you work toward a healthy diet and take rest days. They are both an important part of a running schedule for an overweight person (or anyone). Consult a personal trainer if you need tips on your running journey. You are worth working on to get to the next level. Every area of your life will improve if you take better care of your body. Once you have lost some of your body weight, everything will be easier, including running. You might want to work up to a 5K or a half marathon. You might want to set other long-term goals for your fitness. But it all starts with the first step. So see how many minutes of walking you can do, get the right running shoes, and get started on the new you!

Best running shoes beginner

It’s important to get high-quality shoes for running. They protect your feet and body from injury, plus they make exercise more enjoyable. Look for a place that will examine your feet and find you the right fit.

Having the right tool for the job is important and shoes are the tool for working up to running.

For running, you need shoes that have a good cushion to reduce pounding from the impact of running. You also need a good fit that holds your feet stable. This will prevent your toes and bones from getting damaged if they are sliding around. Proper arch support will keep your arch from bearing the impact of the running you do.

Once you are running well, add strength training to your routine.

You can try adding extra weight by carrying weights or wearing a backpack with 10-15 pounds of stuff in it. Walk up and down stairs. Walk bleachers. Walk on the beach in the sand or in water which gives you some resistance. The more muscle you build, the more calories you burn. Kind of like a bigger car engine that has more power but burns more fuel to have it.

Adding a weight training program can increase your metabolism by up to 9% for men and 4% for women. So your resting metabolism will burn 50-140 more calories per day when you are not exercising. It’s a great benefit of lifting weights.

Swing your arms to add more calorie-burning effort. Walk fast and slow alternating speeds and times. Add some spice to your walking workout.

I have an awesome job. I get to work with people who want positive change. It’s great to see people get stronger, build endurance, and improve their health. I watch people’s attitudes change for the better and become happier. They also say they need less medication and sleep better.

This doesn’t happen overnight. Long-term determination and commitment change and shape lives. You can do this one step at a time and it’s a journey for a lifetime. Stay determined and committed.

Find someone or a group of people who have similar ideas to help you stay in the game. You’re better together than independent. Write down your goals and keep records of your progress to encourage yourself. Find pictures of what success looks like to you. Don’t be afraid to let go of those who try to bring you down. I know you can do this, and I look forward to hearing all about your progress!

If you have trouble on your feet, you could also start with Effective Recumbent Bike Workouts for Beginners to take some of the pressure off of your joints until you get stronger and are able to work up to walking.

Now for a joke. What workout do apples love? Core workout! Ha ha ha!