I am 27. I’m 5′10" and weigh 146 pounds. Female!
I am a smaller build, and most of my weight is gathered around my tummy from becoming a mommy of 3 over the past 7 years.
I am NOT in good shape as far as endurance and having a set work out plan. I am active– as active as a mom of 3 can be. We walk about 1 mile each evening, but I need to loose my baby fat and build up my endurance.

I want to loose about 15 pounds, don’t say I can’t because I can. If I gain back muscle, great..I just don’t want the 15 lbs of fat.

I GET TERRIBLE headaches when I run, I have a treadmill, and was running about 1.5 miles per day to start up, but after my run I would get extreme migraines. I drink a lot of water, eat very healthy (I love fruits & veggies and whole grains) and really never eat junk food.

Can someone help me get a set workout plan that I can loose weight and gradually build up to running? Why do I get the bad headaches from running? My muscles don’t hurt terribly, just my head!!

Thanks for all the help.

Hey sweetheart!

So, to answer your last few questions first! -
Why you get migraines when you run could be caused by various things. The most likely, however, is nutrition. I know you say you eat healthy (which is awesome!) but there are certain things you should be eating, at certain times of the day. So, I’ll just give you a little background information on what you should be doing as far as nutrition.

For starters, you should be eating 5-6 small meals per day. Snack, Breakfast, Lunch, Breakfast, Supper, Breakfast. Each "main" meal (Breakfast, lunch and supper), should contain a carbohydrate/starch, a protein, and a good fat. For instance, you could have 1/4 cup cooked whole wheat pasta, 1 oz chicken, and cook your chicken in extra virgin olive oil. Along with that, add lots and lots of green veggies. Color is good for you, but be careful how much color veggies you put on your plate- Corn is a starch, for instance, so you will have to moderate.

In each snack, you NEED a protein. Especially when you are planning to lose weight. Protein is EXTREMELY important while losing weight and/or building muscle. It provides your body with the necessary nutrients to perform at it’s best. It gives you an extra source of energy, too! But most of all, if you do not eat protein during your snacks, then you will more than likely end up losing muscle tissue, as opposed to fat.

Each meal should be between 2-3 hours apart. Some snack ideas are things like 4-6 whole wheat crackers, and 1 tsp peanut butter or 12 almonds, or 1 oz cheese, and a fruit. My personal favorite (and a favorite of many trainers) is apples with peanut butter. It fills you up, and gives you a great source of vitamin and protein.

Now, you should make sure that you have had some sort of protein at least a half hour before you work out, as well as after your workout. I know you are drinking lots of water, which is awesome. Make sure you keep a bottle around you while you’re working out, so you have access to it if need be.

Another reason you may be getting these migraines, is because you are doing too much, too fast. Pace yourself. It seems like a reiteration that we hear all of the time- But it’s VERY important. I would like you to start at 4.1-4.3 mph for a period of 30-45 minutes. Try that for one week. If you find it difficult, keep working at it for the rest of the week- It’ll get better. If after a week you feel it is not enough, increase it to 4.5 mph. Every week, increase the time you run by 5-10 minutes. Never exceed 90 minutes of physical activity, however.

Now, some food for knowledge

You want to lose about 15 lbs (which is TOTALLY possible!) The trick to getting the weight off, and keeping it off, is strength training. You want to build muscle in your abdomen (because that is where you are concerned about losing the weight). Essentially, you want to replace the fat, with muscle. Muscle in itself, burns fat, which is definitely a plus for us women! Also, although it weighs the same as fat does, it takes up much less room in your body, thus you lose inches, but you may not lose pounds. This isn’t to say you will not lose your fifteen pounds, by any means. Do the strength training (push ups, sit ups, crunches, lunges, planks, wall sits, etc), and add 4 days of cardio to your exercise regime. That way you can combine inch loss, and fat loss.

The muscle you will build acts as a supervisor- It makes sure you keep that weight off. Instead of burning muscle tissue, you will build it, ensuring you lose fat.

Hope this helps sweetie!
Make sure you drink lots of water, and get that protein!
XOX
Alycia