Regarding jogging, what I found is the best (for sustained jogging) is the following (or a variation of.) I've done a bit of research that gave me the idea to try this, and it works.
General Advice:
---) Most importantly, pay attention to how you feel. Always consider that before anything I say. If your body isn't feeling up to it, don't do it: if you get injured you'll be out for a while.
1) You're going to have good and bad days. Just make sure you don't push yourself so hard that you quit. This is for you: go at your pace. Push yourself, but don't make yourself frustrated.
2) You should and can jog or run when you're under the weather, due to a small cold, or hungover, or whatever. Run in the rain. But see ---.
3) If while you're jogging you get a bad cramp, or something feels a bad kind of sore, evaluate. Often you can run through it: you'll loosen up and it'll be okay. But sometimes you're going to hurt yourself. Don't feel bad about stopping. Start off slow. One day cut short is better than a few months because you have a bad sprain.
4) Take breaks. Don't feel bad about taking a day off, as long as YOU KNOW you will be back out there. Listen to your body, and let it heal.
5) Get a lot of sleep, and drink a LOT of water.
The Routine: Alternate days between the below.
Sustained jog: near-constant pace, no walking.
I do a good 3-5 miles (I'm not very in shape: anyone can work up to this easily). On these days I do not push myself, I try a sustained jog. Sometimes I can do a 5k in ~30 minutes fairly easily, other days it takes me over an hour to do 4-5 miles. Point is to reach my goal without stopping. If I get tired, I slow down, but keep jogging.
Running: My goal here is to do 1-2 miles as quickly as I can. I try to set my personal best using an app like Strava. Try to shave off even 5 seconds from that one mile. If I feel good after one mile I do two.
The Mix: I do a run where I'm trying to get a good time on a 5k. This means: sprinting when I can, as much as I can. When I get tired, I jog, but I do not stop running.
Most days are the Sustained Jog. I try to run 5+ times a week. So probably 3-4 of the days are a sustained, 40-70 minute job. I try to do the quick sprint once a week to see how I do, then I try to do the mix once a week as well. Usually I do the mix at the beginning of the week, after a break day (or two). You'll have the most energy then: use it.
Using this, I've seen very sustained and continued improvement with both endurance and speed. I don't know what else I could ask for. The mentality of jogging for me has also helped with motivation: I know I want to get out there, but I'm doing it to be healthy, not for anyone else. So, I do it at my pace. Getting out there is enough.
It's very important to: 1) Make sure you jog as often as your own body will allow 2) Push yourself, but be safe 3) Take breaks, don't get burned out!