Is jogging good for you?

It's an age thing i know, but i've noticed over the past few years that my girth is gradually increasing in size. It's not a beer belly, but it is certainly well rounded and her indoors has been dropping a few hints lately, so i have finally decided to do something about it. I'm not a gym person (not yet anyway) so i have started jogging for the first time in what must be over 20 years.

I am taking it seriously. I even went out and bought some jogging bottoms. However i haven't  bought a pair of running shorts yet. I think i'm embarrassed about showing off my legs! That could be why i prefer to run when in the dark when there are not many people about.

I'm running (by running i mean shuffling) in old trainers that are over 5 years old, so i must make the effort and buy a new pair. I did have a look in town the other day but was overwhelmed by the choice and the range of prices and i didn't know what sort of shoes would be best for me. I would appreciate any help or advice on that from anyone.

I have decided for the moment to jog over the same route and time myself so that i can judge whether i'm getting faster. I think my route is around three miles. I've been out four times now and with a mixture of jogging and fast walking i'm out for about 35 minutes. I'm taking it slow, jogging for three or four minutes,  walking for a minute, and then jogging again. I'm finding it very hard. I've no stamina, i am breathless and my legs are very heavy. Hopefully things will improve as i go along and get a bit fitter.

But, am i doing the right thing? Some people have told me that i shouldn't jog because i could damage my joints and i would get fitter and loose weight by fast walking instead. The trouble is i want to be able to jog. I want to have the stamina and fitness to go running pain free for an hour or so. What do you think?

Working conditions.

Here are a couple of photographs of the ceiling in my back office at work. We had a leak a number of years ago (yes years!) which has never been fixed properly and now you can see the result. The water slowly drips through the ceiling causing icicles composed of i know not what. The paint is peeling as the problem spreads with dust falling from time to time.

I wander what exactly the dust is composed of and what i'm breathing in. Not to mention the damp. Should i have to put up with this? My boss (who works at another office) is aware of the problem and has had a couple of roofers try to fix the leak without success. The last try was several months ago. Since then he seems reluctant to try again because of the cost. Should i have to put up with this? What should or can i do?