me jogging

Question
hello i am 15 years old and i weigh about 155 or so and i wanted to lose this belly fat i have and maybe get more muscular try for a sixpack or something. i just started jogging on the treadmill i ran 1 mile today but took several 5 minute breaks during this 1 mile. is this ok or does breaking take away results.....also is it ok to split it up like .25 mile at 1 o click and another at 4 and so on or does it hammer down results? also is this a good way to lose my excess weight?
thanks in advance dave!

Answer
Dave,
Sorry, but I don't give advice to many teenagers who are seeking programs through this service. I do try to clear up a few things if I see fit to do so.

I can tell you right away that jogging alone won't get rid of the belly fat to get you a 'six-pack' look.  It takes strength training the entire body (not just sit-ups or crunches as some may tell you), doing so 2-3 times a week, in conjunction with an interval training program for your cardio needs, which is what you are already doing.  If you are 15 and can't run a complete mile, I assume you are not, or haven't been active, in quite some time.  By doing hard workout bursts of 1/4 mile with rests in-between is an okay method, and actually mimics a high intensity interval protocol.  Over time, you may want to walk first, then jog, and repeat walking & jogging over time, such as 15-25 minutes.  You can increase the jogging time and decrease walking times in your 'cycles' of walking & jogging periods.

If I were you, I'd talk with your phy-ed teacher at school to see if there's a school-wide fitness program offered in your school, or perhaps a strength coach to get you started on some basics.  

I'm in fact working on a free downloadable e-book on starting with some minimal basics for strength & cardio training purposes, because of these types of questions I seem to get all the time, so I can help more people out with some basic information.

I hope this helps you,

Rick Karboviak