I have TERRIBLE endurance. I’m thin and I eat well, but when I try to run–especially uphill–I’m winded very quickly. Am I just out of shape? Or should I have this checked out by a doc?
I have TERRIBLE endurance. I’m thin and I eat well, but when I try to run–especially uphill–I’m winded very quickly. Am I just out of shape? Or should I have this checked out by a doc?
0 Answers
rosie battista wrote on :
Because you sit a desk all day is all the more reason to really take the time to move your body and gain some strength. Weight training will help build muscle and give you more endurance. Start slow and keep building a little at a time. You may think you are eating healthy but maybe there are some things missing in your diet. You may want to consider that you may not be eating enough of the right stuff.
Linda Middlesworth wrote on :
yes, please go to doc and ask him for blood tests for your heart. Your heart is having to work too hard right now. Also, when starting out a fitness program for endurance, you need to start slowly by doing a walk for the first 5 to 8 minutes on flat ground, then walk briskly for 3 min. and then 1 minute slow run alternating for about 20 min. Build on this over 3 months so that you can do this on flat ground for 60 minutes. After you master the flat ground running/walking, you can then start trying to run the full 60 min. on flat ground. After you master this without being winded or not able to talk and run at the same time, you can start hill running but with moderation.
Myrna Lopez wrote on :
Lina, it’s always good to get checked out by a physician before starting any physical activity program.
With that said, know that endurance takes time to build. Take your runs slow and easy and don’t worry about speed. Endurance comes with being consistent and persistent. Set up a schedule of what days you’re going to run (should be at least 3x a week) and you can start with 30-45 mins for the first few weeks. You can begin by doing an alternate brisk walk (about 10 mins) and then running for 30 seconds. Each week you should increase the amount of time you’re running and decrease your walking. You will eventually see that everytime you go running, you will be able to go further and further…and there’s your endurance building. As I mentioned, it’s a building-up process that takes a little time.
As the endurance builds, you will be able to attack the hills better because you will gain strength in your legs, which are important to power-up the hills. To add variety to your training, you can set one day aside to do nothing but hill repeats. Try running up a hill as fast as you can…jog slowly down and give yourself 10secs of recovery and push back up. Do this for as long as you can within your workout and then at your next regular run, add in a hill or two and you’ll see how quickly you are able to run up.
Good luck and let me know in a few weeks how you’re doing.
Lina Perl wrote on :
Great answer! thanks, Myrna. You make this sound very doable. Now I just have to do it 🙂
teresa tapp wrote on :
From working within the modeling industry I can tell you that just being thin doesn’t necessarily equal heart health. When one wants to start jogging you should walk a little and then jog a little, which is actually more effective than just straight jogging.
A form tip for you to help you while you jog would be to keep your ribs up and shoulders in alignment with hips. Most people when they go uphill lean forward. When you lean forward, your heart actually has to work harder because your heart rate goes down 6-8 beats per minute. So whenever you go uphill, turn your focus on lifting ribs and getting the shoulders back to support your heart. This will help you to jog longer without being as winded.
You may also want to try some T-Tapp Exercises from the Try Before You Buy section of T-Tapp.com (www.t-tapp.com/try). Doing the movements: Plies Sequenece, Butterflies and Hoe Downs 1-2 times a day for a week will help you to build heart health quickly. Within a week you will be surprised how much more you are able to run without becoming winded, even uphill.
Lina Perl wrote on :
great advice. I’m sitting here at my computer and I just sat up straighter 🙂 And that’s great to know about walking/jogging. I’ve always wondered that! I’m afraid that if I slow down or walk that I’m losing the “aerobic” value of what I’m doing. Great tip!! Thanks, Teresa.
ann weaver wrote on :
I would suggest you see a doctor. Even if you have just started exercising, it would be a good idea.
marcy lynch wrote on :
You may be running too fast. Dial your pace back until you are running and/or walking at a pace where you could carry on a conversation while running. Build your base of endurance (ability to run for a length of time, rather than fast) over 2-3 months time and you will be able to gradually pick up your pace without getting out of breath
Ann Rosenstein wrote on :
This question is a little bit difficult to answer without knowing your full metabolic profile. There are a few possibilities based on what you are saying here. Endurance is based on fat burning ability which many of us overlook. We often believe that harder and faster is better. Harder and faster makes us a sugar burner. If you get winded on hills that is because youâre heart rate is pushed into the anaerobic zone from the hard demand on your leg muscles. Youâre beyond your endurance level. In order to increase your endurance level or raise your endurance threshold so you donât get winded, you need to get those fat burning engines working better and there is only one way to do that. You have to slow down! The best way to acquire endurance is to do cardio at moderate heart rates and continue to increase the duration each time you work out until you get to 60 minutes. Try doing this routine 4 or 5 days a week for about eight weeks, at least 60 minutes at a session making sure you are at a lower heart rate. Sweaty, breathing hard, but not out of breath. You should not need a break for the full 60 minutes. You may even feel like you arenât doing enough but ignore that. Give it a good eight weeks.
The one other thing you need to do is build your upper leg muscles. They wonât get big â trust me! Start doing squats or doing lunges or both using weight as heavy as you can manage and still get out about 6 reps. Do 3 sets of squats and 3 sets of lunges, 4 â 6 reps each. You will notice a huge difference after eight weeks. This way youâll have the engines and they will have the fuel they need! To ensure proper execution of these exercises, I would advise consulting a personal trainer. Before starting any fitness program it is also advisable to be screened by a physician.
Lina Perl wrote on :
great advice! I never thought about building up my leg muscles. Part of the problem, I imagine, is that I don’t have much muscle. I sit at a desk all day and I’m not naturally muscle-y. Would a brisk walk constitute “cardio at moderate heart rates”? Or do I actually have to run? Thanks again for this great advice…
Jacki Payne wrote on :
Always get checked by a doc first, but you also have to build up endurance. It is a gradual process, and really does not depend on your build. Start by running 1/2 mile for a week or so, then 1 mile, then 2 until you will find you can easily climb those hills without giving out.
Myrna Haag wrote on :
Linaperl
Can’t hurt to have yourself checked out by a doc….just to make sure there is nothing serious going on. Endurance takes time….&..How you train, makes a difference in your endurance and how fast you get winded. Do you normally train at a target heart rate?…Also do you eat enough carbohydrates?