Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.

The definition of jogging as compared with running is not standard. One definition describes jogging as running slower than 6 mph.

In 1593 William Shakespeare wrote in Taming of the Shrew, "you may be jogging whiles your boots are green".

The etymology of the word jog is unknown, but it may be related to shog or be a new invention in the sixteenth century. At that point, it usually meant to leave. The term "jog" was often used in English and North American literature to describe short quick movements, either intentional or unintentional. Richard Jefferies, an English naturalist, wrote of "joggers", describing them as quickly moving people who brushed others aside as they passed.

The terms to jog and jogging as referring to a form of exercise, originated in England in the mid-seventeenth century. This usage became common throughout the British Empire, and in his 1884 novel My Run Home the Australian author Rolf Boldrewood wrote "your bedroom curtains were still drawn as I passed on my morning jog".