Am I Too Fat To Run?
First of all, there are no rules set in stone regarding the body weight a runner should not exceed.
This will depend largely on your individual frame and predisposition, as well as on your background in aerobic exercises.
With that said, here is how you can determine if you are too fat to run or not.
If you are overweight or obese, the absolute top priority would be to get high quality shoes, designed specifically for running.
These shoes will have extremely advanced cushioning technologies implemented, which will help reduce the forces that your knees and joints will need to handle during a run.
Both Nike and ASICS have excellent running shoes in their collection and honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them at this stage.
Just make sure they are shoes designed specifically for running! Once you've got the right shoes, put them on and go out for a 20 minute brisk walk, and see how you feel after that.
Was it a taxing effort? Did you feel out of breath during or right after the walk? If not, then you are most likely quite ready for a run.
Doesn't need to be anything fancy - just try to jog at a slow pace for as long as you can, without running out of breath completely.
A good way to judge whether you aren't overdoing it is to see if you can say a short sentence (7-8 words) while you are running, before you need to take the next breath.
If you cannot muster more than 1 or 2 words before having to take the next breath, then you are likely either running too fast, or have been running for too long.
Either way take a break and call it a day.
On the other hand, if the 20 minute brisk walk made you very tired and gasping for breath, then you are most likely not ready to take up running yet.
What I want you to do right now is to start going out for 20-40 minute brisk walks on a regular daily basis.
After 2 to 3 weeks of doing that, you will notice a considerable improvement in your conditioning.
This will be a great time to incorporate short bursts of running into your exercise.
What you would do is walk at a brisk pace for around 5 minutes, then jog at a slow pace for no longer than 2 minutes, or until you find yourself gasping for breath.
At that point you should slow down to a brisk walk again, continue at that pace for another 5 minutes, and then try to jog again for another 2 minutes.
What's important to remember is that you must listen to the signals your body is giving you.
If you start feeling any sort of pain, be it in your heart, your stomach, anywhere at all - this is your body telling you that you must stop right now, and this is exactly what you should do.
Once you stop, continue walking at a moderate pace for another 5-10 minutes, then go back home and give yourself a well-deserved 2 day break.
After the break, go back to your routine, but try to run at a slightly slower pace than you did last time.
An exception to the above is pain in the shins.
It's not unusual for beginner runners to experience some pain in that area during a run.
Personally, I don't think it is a reason to stop running.
Your shins will get used to the effort soon enough.
This will depend largely on your individual frame and predisposition, as well as on your background in aerobic exercises.
With that said, here is how you can determine if you are too fat to run or not.
If you are overweight or obese, the absolute top priority would be to get high quality shoes, designed specifically for running.
These shoes will have extremely advanced cushioning technologies implemented, which will help reduce the forces that your knees and joints will need to handle during a run.
Both Nike and ASICS have excellent running shoes in their collection and honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them at this stage.
Just make sure they are shoes designed specifically for running! Once you've got the right shoes, put them on and go out for a 20 minute brisk walk, and see how you feel after that.
Was it a taxing effort? Did you feel out of breath during or right after the walk? If not, then you are most likely quite ready for a run.
Doesn't need to be anything fancy - just try to jog at a slow pace for as long as you can, without running out of breath completely.
A good way to judge whether you aren't overdoing it is to see if you can say a short sentence (7-8 words) while you are running, before you need to take the next breath.
If you cannot muster more than 1 or 2 words before having to take the next breath, then you are likely either running too fast, or have been running for too long.
Either way take a break and call it a day.
On the other hand, if the 20 minute brisk walk made you very tired and gasping for breath, then you are most likely not ready to take up running yet.
What I want you to do right now is to start going out for 20-40 minute brisk walks on a regular daily basis.
After 2 to 3 weeks of doing that, you will notice a considerable improvement in your conditioning.
This will be a great time to incorporate short bursts of running into your exercise.
What you would do is walk at a brisk pace for around 5 minutes, then jog at a slow pace for no longer than 2 minutes, or until you find yourself gasping for breath.
At that point you should slow down to a brisk walk again, continue at that pace for another 5 minutes, and then try to jog again for another 2 minutes.
What's important to remember is that you must listen to the signals your body is giving you.
If you start feeling any sort of pain, be it in your heart, your stomach, anywhere at all - this is your body telling you that you must stop right now, and this is exactly what you should do.
Once you stop, continue walking at a moderate pace for another 5-10 minutes, then go back home and give yourself a well-deserved 2 day break.
After the break, go back to your routine, but try to run at a slightly slower pace than you did last time.
An exception to the above is pain in the shins.
It's not unusual for beginner runners to experience some pain in that area during a run.
Personally, I don't think it is a reason to stop running.
Your shins will get used to the effort soon enough.
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