Now for a difficult problem. Jogging is an exercise whose movement pattern is beneficial and should be painless. Yet, many people fear jogging, do not jog or quit jogging because of a pain. It is tempting to conclude that jogging itself is the culprit. It is likely that this is not the case. The problem probably lies elsewhere–in one’s daily movement patterns established over a lifetime.
I recall a small example that illustrates this point. Having recovered from my pain to a large degree, I had worked up to jogging a few miles. When I tried to extend the distance, discomfort in the right ankle became difficult. Was my right foot being used improperly? Was the weight too much on the right? I eventually concluded that the cause was elsewhere.
What was the cause?
After considerable introspection I observed the way I was sitting! When my feet were on the floor, my right foot was almost always twisted inwards; the weight of the leg was pressing down on the right ankle in an unnoticed but most awkward position. Now, sitting for four or five hours a day, 1,500 hours a year, the ankle was always under slight stress. Indeed, might the ankle hurt under a good workout?
If one’s walk is sufficiently off, jogging, for all practical purposes, will be impossible. An ankle may hurt, one leg may be weak, a knee may ache, or there will be some sort of pain that won’t go away. The reason is simple. If certain muscles have become weak by inappropriate walking patterns, jogging will almost surely expose the matter. It may take only twenty yards to reveal itself, or twenty miles, but it will occur. The only real solution to this matter is to work on one’s walk.
This all brings me full circle to one of the opening themes. It is inappropriate movement (daily muscle stress) that implicitly causes pain. This does not mean that the cause of the pain is necessarily where you feel it. Nor is the pain necessarily caused by something you do when the pain is noticeable. It means that something, something you do every day, is causing imbalances and stress. The effects are both direct and indirect.
There are people who should be careful before attempting to jog. Someone with stress on the heart, for instance, might be advised not to jog. Remember that Bernie Falk did not suggest jogging for me for some time. With my severe movement problems I was not even able to tolerate sudden movements. Landing on a stone or stepping sideways may have led to a pulled muscle or a minor, but painful sprain. The key here is first developing basic strength in weak areas. For this, a regular program of exercise can serve as a starter. Since my toes, ankles, knees, and back were so weak, jogging would have been difficult at best.
I am not really sure of all the factors in Bernie’s decision about when to suggest that I jog. General health, heart condition, stress, these are all issues to consider. My first attempts were a short distance on a smooth surface. These were easy two-minute jogs, and caused no problems. Over a period of weeks, I worked up to ten minutes. These were hard work. Then the break came: twenty, then thirty, they sixty minutes. Bernie actually believes that jogging off and on all day is fine. But note, his key is to develop basic mental and physical strength as well as better movement patterns to make it all work.
Selection of Exercises:
Disclaimer:
I am not a qualified physician. As with all exercise programs, when using these routines and examples shown, you need to use common sense. To reduce and avoid injury, you may want to check with your doctor before beginning any fitness program. By performing these exercises, you are performing them at your own risk. Theoryofexercise.com will not be responsible or liable for any injury or harm you sustain as a result of this information shared on this website.
