Some people seem adamantly against running as a form of exercise for the sake of increasing your cardio health. Yes, there are alternatives to things in life, but running is difficult, and a good challenge. Because it has taken me so long to adapt to running there were times I thought that some people's body's are more built for running (which I'm sure is true). But nonetheless, you are human, and should be able to do what other humans do.
A program I found to start running from scratch is called C25K (Couch to 5K). It took me 5 years to complete this beginner runner's program. I would get shin splints, ankle pain, and knee pain. And it would affect my ability to lift weights, so I kept abandoning the idea of training cardio.
Last year when the Pandemic started in 2020 and the gyms closed, I decided to focus on push-ups, pull-ups, yoga, and running. The weather was very hot to be running outside, but I did it anyway, and the gyms opened up for a few weeks. I joined a gym and started running on a treadmill in air conditioning. The gyms closed again, and I knew I'd have to run outside in the heat, and I stopped running again for 2 months. The gyms reopened for another 3 weeks, and I started running again, and I was using all of the machines at the gym, and I was desperately trying to do anything to lose weight. Once the gyms closed for that third time, I continued running outdoors - even when it became cold (40s and 50s F).
The trick to completing this program was to get enough recovery. The program tells you to do 3 runs a week, and the whole program is 9 weeks. For me, at around week 4, I started only doing a run once a week, and I successfully completed every run thereafter. I'm currently on Week 9, Day 2, which is to run for 30 minutes straight. I've done this once now, I've ran 28 minutes about 4 times, I ran 25 minutes about 4 times, so I finally hit a goal I set 10 years ago in 2011. I wanted to be able to run for 20 minutes, and then push for 30 minutes, and I'm at the 30 minute mark now.
The cardio has really aided me in the gym. I don't get tired as easily at the gym which is very important. Before I do a heavy lift, the way I brace myself, and breathe, is aided by the increased cardio and lung capacity. My body feels lighter. It conditions your knees, ankles, and feet a bit, and it gets circulate blood flow, which helps recovery.
I'm not sure how I'll progress in running from where I am currently because all of my runs have been 20-30 minutes, and I like that brief amount of time. I don't know that I want to run for longer periods, and I don't know that I want to run faster either. And I'm not sure I'd want to just repeat the same 30 minute every week, but if I did do that - it would be worth it for the benefits. I'll probably push for 40 minutes, and perhaps a full hour.
One last thing I want to mention is that when trying to tackle this running program, I was using just a treadmill, and when my ankles or knees hurt, I would tape them, and this would get me through running sessions, but the pain of my ankles and knees only increased as my running became longer. So it was important for me to not use tape to aid my ankles and knees so that they could be conditioned, and I also think that running outdoors is superior to a treadmill. It's a more natural running technique outdoors, and it's nice having a change of scenery. It's bizarre to be in a gym, on a treadmill, and having people stare at you for half an hour, or people shuffling by your treadmill very slowly. It just feels like there's so many distractions on the inside of a gym. It's like sensory overload, and you have to try and block it all out, whereas running outdoors feels more peaceful.
And my commitment to running forced me to clean up my diet, and quickly. I felt like overeating food bloated me, and made running more difficult. And eating leaner and lighter foods makes sense when you need your digestion to not bother you. It's like it's easy to consume too much food and become overweight if you're just sitting down a lot of the time, whereas an athlete needs to eat a certain diet to remain athletic.
I think that's why so many people eat foods with poor nutrition. They don't have a need or a reason for their body to be maximally operating. If you're going to fend for your life, and you're able to train for a year before this happens, the way you exercise and eat will be very different than if you have an office job, and you don't exercise. In the latter scenario, I know at least for myself, that you just reach for high caloric foods so that you can just eat something quickly and get on with your life. I'm sure people don't cook their own food for the same reason. They don't see why they're need a higher performing body, and they don't want to waste their time.
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