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Jogging: How It All Began | Savvy Fitness – Diet & Exercise

Apr 12 2008

Jogging: How It All Began

Published by Author at 3:50 am under Running

In the United States, jogging – a slower, more relaxed form of running — owes its popularity to the late Bill Bowerman, co-founder of sportswear and shoe company Nike. Bowerman coached Track at the University of Oregon in the 1950s and ’60s. On a 1962 trip to New Zealand, he visited his friend Arthur Lydiard, a fellow coach who had popularized jogging in New Zealand.

The scores of people who turned up to go jogging with Lydiard in New Zealand amazed Bowerman, and when his vacation was over, he decided to see if the same thing could happen back in Eugene, Oregon. It did.

Bowerman Starts A Jogging Movement

Bill Bowerman started jogging with a group of men, just a few miles at a time. Eventually they were joined by women –wearing blouses, skirts and loafers – and the citizens of Eugene would see them running all around the town. When Bowerman noticed that the jogging group seemed to be losing weight and could jog further over time, he paired up with cardiologist Dr. W.E. Harris to study the effects of jogging on an ordinary sedentary man or woman.

The two published a 90-page book called Jogging in 1966, and it sold over a million copies. Americans haven’t stopped jogging ever since. Bowerman’s irrepressible curiosity, informed by his expertise in track and the athlete, drove him to tinker with the runners’ shoes, with a focus on making each pair of running shoes lighter than its predecessor.

How You Can Get Started

One reason running is so popular is that it requires no equipment, and everyone knows how to do it. A pair of running shoes is all you need, and they don’t have to be expensive or flashy. If you’ve never jogged before, start slowly, walking for a few minutes to warm up. Then just ease into it.

Always consult your doctor if it’s been awhile since you exercised and you’re ready to start again. It’s hard to imagine a doctor saying that jogging is a bad idea, but it could happen.

If you have a hard time getting started, use role playing to set the tone. Imagine you’ve just seen the bus coming up the street, and you really have to hustle to get to the bus stop before the driver pulls away. Or pretend you have two minutes to get to the most important job interview of your life. Before you know it, you’ll be jogging.

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