new jogger

Question
I recently started jogging 2 miles when I first get up in the morning.  I just quit smoking and I am wondering if this program is enough to keep and maintain my weight. I weigh 132 and am 5'4" tall, and my age is 49 years old.

Answer
Victoria,
What one needs to maintain weight is strength training & cardio exercise, to help build & maintain bone density & muscle mass as one grows older.  

I can tell you right now that if you set out to do X amount of miles each day, you're going to get burnt, bored, and bothered by it.  I've seen past clients who told me of prior workout experiences, which somewhat go like this:
"My friend started walking 3 miles a day, then got up to 6 miles a day, and she lost so much weight doing it.  I've been doing 2 miles a day since 2 months ago, and I'll soon start doing 3 to 4 I think."  Already, the person has in their head that a set number of miles will perform the magic they need to recieve from exercise.

This is what I call 'The mileage rut', where people get stuck on a set number of miles to run or walk, doing it almost every single day, at the same speeds, with no challenging effects to the workout other than just an increase in distance.  (One question remains, just how far do you end up going in total miles for a workout?  infinity?)

Lets say you do 2 miles of running a day, and do it for 2-3 months: What happens?  Your body recognizes it as a normal, everyday routine thing to do, such as sleeping at night.  It will hit a point of 'homeostasis', meaning it will stay at the same levels for the most part. No changes in bodyweight or muscle mass, nothing really positive.  People will then get 'stuck' and wonder what's wrong, because 'hey, I'm exercising here, every darn day, this isn't supposed to happen!' they tend to think.

As for a solution, I wouldn't do something with exercise every single day, I would look for variety in your workouts and change things up:  go long & slow one day, fast & shorter the other, a medium/moderate workout the next.  This way your body adapts and constantly changes for the better with the different demands placed upon it from workouts.

Also remember that workouts are not the end-all solution to better health.  Diet strategies & rest strategies also need to be factored in as well.  Improper rest (such as lack of sleep, or too much working out over a long period of days/weeks with little rest days) can wreak havoc on a person, and make something that's supposed to get you healthier into one that doesn't allow those benefits to be reaped.

Rick Karboviak