What happens to your muscles when you exercise?

This is a sideline to long distance running for small plump people

If you exercise for 5 minutes, your muscles will fill with blood, and wake up and start moving within their normal range of movement.
If you exercise for an hour, your whole body will become warm, and stay warm for a long while after. After you stop you may feel aching with tiredness, but this can be reduced by eating as soon as you finish, especially something wet and salty.
After you've finished exercising your muscles will keep responding. They will start growing more blood vessels.
They will also get looser, and stretch to their full length more easily.
If you keep exercising for a week or two your muscles will perk up, be loose and responsive and you will start to feel that "fit" feeling.
If you keep exercising for a year your muscles will grow into new shapes and stay that way for long periods, even if you don't get around to exercising for long periods.

The Tyranny of Fit People

Most sports people have been fit most of their lives and find exercise easy.
They would never exercise until they are in pain and gasping for breath, with their hearts thumping out of control.
However they expect unfit people to exercise like this and tell them they are "not trying" if they can't keep up.
It's a lie! The fact is, unfit people's muscles just aren't long enough to keep up. They haven't got enough blood vessels to supply the sudden demand for oxygen. Their hearts aren't big enough to move that much blood that fast.
I'm on the side of the plump people.
They can't keep up with most exercise, it hurts them.
It leaves them feeling exhausted, not fit and loose.
And as well as being in pain there is the humiliation of being sneered at for "not trying".

How to grow your muscles

You need to remember that your muscles will grow overnight after you've exercised.
They are your little friends, anxious to please.
Listen when they hurt, slow down when they complain.
But mostly be patient.
They should get pleasantly tired and madly hungry.

Aches

There are several aches associated with exercise and I'm going to explain them.
First there is the pain you get in your thighs when you suddenly walk up a flight of stairs.
This is because they aren't getting enough oxygen. If you slow down it will receed. (It's hard to do this if you are surrounded by fit people)
If you have been walking or jogging for an hour (or less) your muscles can start to feel really really weary. This is because they have consumed all the sugar they can find. If you have a morsel to eat they can perk up amazingly.
After you finish exercising they can sit and ache. This is partly tiredness and partly hunger. If you feed them they can improve. It can make a big difference if you eat something as soon as you come in. Even having a shower first can reduce it's effectiveness.

Stretching

Now we've all heard about the value of stretching.
I've never found it does anything other than hurt my muscles and send them into cramps.
I don't do stretches. I start slowly and let my muscles warm up in their own time.
Stretches also add to the huge ritual of getting out on the road.
The more hassle running is, the less likely you are to do it.
It's best if you can just walk out the door and start jogging.
I'd like it if I didn't even have to get changed.

Now having said that, I have recently discovered stretches for typing.
It was shown to me that if I hold the stretch for ages ie 20-30 seconds, it really does feel okay.
First it starts tingling, and if you keep holding it after that, it feels okay when you stop.
So maybe if you count to 100 while you stretch, instead of counting to 8 or 20, you may end up on the gynmastics team.
I guess everyone has to decide for themselves.
But if you don't want to stretch, just go anyway. You can always stop and stretch if you feel the need.