In February, you gained 2 pounds from gobbling down chocolates during Valentine’s Day. No big deal, you think. Then June comes and surrounds you with all-you-can-eat ice cream sundaes. You gain 3.5 pounds, take a deep breath, and forget about your weight.

Next, in November, you celebrate a certain holiday with family, where you can’t resist Mom’s buttery mashed potatoes and Grandma’s cherry pie. Oh no! The scale shows you’ve gained a total of 10 pounds this year. Your eyes widen— how did you get here?

Thinking back, you realize that you hadn’t made any effort to lose the extra weight in February. Since you did not use healthier eating habits or exercise, the pounds kept increasing until you got 10 pounds overweight.

So you decide to lose weight immediately, using better eating habits and regular exercise. One great form of exercise is jogging, “Isn’t jogging boring and old-fashioned?” you wonder.

Actually, jogging has almost always been a great form of exercise. Perhaps you’ve waited at a red light in your car, while a jogger waits to cross the street. Did you notice that the trim and fit jogger wasted no time by running in place, until the traffic light changed to green? Now you can become this determined person.

This activity has another advantage: you can jog with others, like a friend, a group of buddies or a dog. You get each other’s company, making jogging even more enjoyable. Plus, your friends can encourage you to stick to this activity, when you’d rather give up.

Jogging also strengthens your cardiovascular system. With regular exercise, your health improves and you reduce your chance of a heart attack. You also get more energy, so you can go from one activity to the next with less rest in between.

Another reason to jog has to do with its intensity. Because jogging classifies as a high-intensity exercise, this exercise burns a good number of calories. As you may know, burning calories helps you reach your goal of losing 10 pounds.

Besides burning calories, jogging gives you a fun way to exercise. You can wave “hello” to neighbors, whose sincere smiles provide encouragement. And who can forget the scenery you see while jogging- like a rabbit lurching in the bushes or sunflowers towering upwards. You can take deep breaths and relax while jogging.

You may know that jogging is good exercise, but did you know that jogging is one of the cheapest ways to exercise? Basically, you spend money on running shoes and you’re set. You don’t need special equipment, videos, or membership to a club. But you do need the stamina and the drive to go forward to be a good jogger.

Although jogging can give you a great workout, remember that this weight loss technique puts pressure on your feet and joints. Do yourself a favor and start out with a short distance, like 15-20 minutes around the park. Gradually increase the time you spend on jogging, until you reach an effective distance for your stamina.

Following this gradual method will let your body adjust to jogging, your ticket to losing 10 pounds. And better yet, after you lose the weight, jogging can help you maintain your healthy weight.