Running while overweight

Question
I'm ashamed to say how much I weigh, but I'm sure most docs would not suggest that I run.  I've hit a plateau where I lost 49 and have been in between gaining 10, losing 5, gaining 3, losing 10 and I've been working out for almost two years now doing cardio one day and weights the next - alternating back and forth 5 days a week.  I started to walk on a track and would do all sorts of arm movements to get my heart going while walking, but I was still not losing weight, so I decided to run.  I do feel my body slimming down now.  I'm too afraid to get on the scale to see if I've actually lost weight.  What I do for about 30-45 minutes is get a brisk walk going and then start a light jog for as long as I can.  Then I'll walk a bit to catch my breath and then jog some more.  I do this on a track or on the roads in my neighborhood.  I have some right hip pain that was there before I started to run and my knees are a little weaker than before.  I realize that with my heaviness, I need to be careful, but I need to do something to get this weight off of me and joining a gym is not a viable option for me and doing workout tapes at home is fine but my body has adjusted to many of them.  Can you suggest some things that I can jog and not impose injury on my body?  And if you know of any other exercises that would help me break this plateau, I'm open to them too.  Thanks much.

Answer
Christol,
I think what might break your plateau is something you can do privately at home, and even though it may take a small investment, its well worth it.  I'm talking about doing some workouts with the kettlebell weights that are out there now.  I don't know what your strength levels are, but in my opinion, I've had great success with my clients once they started doing some kettlebell swings for cardio purposes, done in a 'swing, then rest' mode of working out for their workout period.  The Target stores and some sporting goods stores now carry kettlebell weights.  I'd suggest a 10, 15, or 20# weight to start with.  Costs would range from $30 to $50, I'm assuming.  (I'm getting a 45# one soon for around $90, so figure about $2/pound as an average cost).  The best thing about them is that you can buy just one to start with (like I once did, now I have a wide collection of them), and start with the basic swing exercise, and some pressing & pulling exercises.  With the GoFit brand that Target sells, there should be a DVD that comes with each kettlebell.  There are 2 volumes of this series, volume 1 comes with the KB, and I have used Vol. 2, since I bought it a couple weeks ago and have been working out with it.  You could probably get one online, too, if a store is not near you or not a viable option.  Another good place to shop online for them too is IronWoodyFitness.com.  It's about the same $2/pound pricing there for the most part.  I bought 2, 15# versions from them, and they have held up rather well with my clients using them for a good year's worth of workouts & boot camps.

The kettlebells seem to me, to be easier on the joints, like when doing the KB swings.  It's low impact on the joints, yet I've had a calorie counter device hooked up to me when doing swings, and my little 5 minute test showed that I'd burn calories at the same rate as myself running a 7 minute mile.  (20 cals/minute for a 7 minute mile for me, it was also the same 20 cals/minute rate for the continuous kettlebell swings on my test)  You don't have to do 5 minutes straight right away, but you can gradually build up your work time and decrease your rest time.  A way of doing that is doing swings for 30 seconds, resting for 30 seconds, and then doing that each minute over 10-15 minutes of time.  Gradually, you can then do 35 sec. of swings, then 25 seconds of rest each minute, and so on.  You'll have plenty of strength choices and cardiovascular choices with this one simple tool.
The swings-then-rest workout is similar in style to your walk-then-jog-then-walk style of working out currently.  It will take a few practice workouts to get used to the kettlebell, but the DVD that comes with that GoFit brand (or even the Iron Woody Fitness brand, they have one, too) will be helpful and a good resource for you.

I hope this helps you well,
Rick Karboviak