First Six Weeks

Aim to run 15 minutes 7 days per week for six weeks, but no less than 4 days per week or every other day, it is best to do a little exercise every day instead of doing allot of exercise only once in a while. In addition to jogging 15 minutes per day you should aim to also complete 5 minutes of core strength after each run.

During this first phase you should run easy, within your limits and on soft level grass parks. Aim to reach a pleasant state of tiredness, not exhaustion. If breathing becomes labored stop and walk and continue jogging when you have recovered. You can run to fast but you can never run to slow.

If you experience muscle soreness, do not stop exercising, keep moving at an easy pace. If you keep moving and continue each day your body will focus on healing and will recover with time.

Aim to run barefoot periodically though this six week period for 2 to 6 minutes on soft grass to help strengthen your feet, legs and hips and improve your natural midfoot running stride.

During this time, focus on a whole food diet, decreasing your intake of carbohydrates and keeping your calorie intake at a reasonable level, reducing your sugar intake and replacing processed foods with whole foods. Proper nutrition is an essential part of your overall program.  I would suggest you follow an eating plan, which is especially rich in fruits, vegetables, and low GI foods.  Try to eat as many anti-inflammatory foods (brightly colored fruits and vegetables, flaxseed oil, and oily fish) as you possibly can.

Eating low-GI foods means you avoid those spikes and dramatic falls in blood-glucose so you get a much steadier stream of energy. Insulin is a storage hormone that stockpiles nutrients for later use by the body. A high-GI diet causes a lot of insulin to be produced and when you have too much insulin in your body too much of the time, it makes it easier to store fat and harder to burn it.

Don't be worried into thinking you need to know the GI value of every food. Healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, except potatoes, should be eaten daily regardless of their GI. Simply knowing the low, medium and high varieties of the major carbohydrate foods in your diet — breakfast cereals, breads, rice, pasta — and choosing the low-GI ones is sufficient to produce healthy benefits.

Your diet will likely adjust naturally as you exercise more and your fitness increases.

Second Six Weeks

If after six weeks you would like to progress further simply increase your runs to 30mins per day and your core strength to 15 minutes after each run.

Have fun and enjoy your jogging.