Ask questions

One thing ever runner or person getting into fitness should always do is never stop asking questions. When i started running did not know anything and my running "form" was awful. A friend of mine who was a former sprinter during college showed me how running on my forefoot would help a lot and what shoes would be better for me. I have been lucky enough to meet and run with some amazing people. The same applies to the gym as well, because no one starts out with ripped abs and huge biceps . It takes years of training and learning from people what works and what does not. Never be afraid to ask someone more experienced than you for advice as i have found most people that are "elites" or that have trained for years are more than willing to help people starting out. One thing to be careful of though are people that claim to know "Everything" or have a "magic pill" routine that is the BEST. Im sure they mean well but anyone that knows a lot a bout exercise or running can tell you what works for one person can be the exact opposite for another. The best trainers will give you advice and tell you to see how it works for you. Starting out you should also avoid most any ad in mags about getting in shape as their main goal is to keep selling you a product not to get you into shape. Some of the stuff can help but its not something that will give you "instant" results. Most of the "before and after" pics you see are professional body builders during off season they gain mass then before shows they get lean. They also get paid for these ads so these are not normal people just getting into shape. Two great sources of information for people are www.coolrunning.com and www.bodybuilding.com - Both of these sites have a lot of info and a lot less ADS and junk than most sites. Honestly i hardly ever look at runners world anymore as it is more of mag trying to sell you junk or shoes than to really help a runner. Look around online in a the forums on these sites and you can see what "real" people have said about products and training that way you can judge for yourself vs a "paid review" from a book