Friday 27 July 2012

Enjoying the Sun & keeping Fit - My Couch to 5K experience

The sun has finally come out!! woohoo am so pleased. i had forgotton what it looked like.

I have been trying to keep fit and lose all the excess weight i have gained since i stopped smoking in Novemeber last year. i am currently doing the couch to 5K run, that i downloaded from the NHS Website you can get their pod casts and download them direct to your phone or add them to any mp3 player HERE, they are great. I am currently still on week 1 but I was a total couch potato before that and totally unfit. I hope to work my way up the weeks to week 9 and be able to run for 30 mins without stopping. week 1 is a 30 minute keep fit plan, you walk for 5 mins to warm up, then run for 60 secs, walk for 90 secs, run for 60 secs and so on, then a 5 min walk at the end to warm down. They also have some music on the mp3 to help make it more enjoyable.

some notes to remember if you start this:

1. I dont have an ipod so used my phone (nokia lumia 800) - this is a little bulky and it kept dropping so it got scratched, i am currently saving up for an ipod shuffle like this one HERE

2. get yourself some decent running shoes - DWSports currently have some decent trainers in their sale for £17! they also have a free Gait checker - this figures out how u run and can help stop foot injuries etc. a great article HERE that shows you how important it is to get this checked before running alot.

3. find somewhere flat to run, as i have alot of issues here in Wales where there are hills everywhere lol its hard to run uphill especially on week 1

4. find something nice and comfortable to wear, you wont feel like running if you feel all drab. there are some lovely sports clothes these days so go treat yourself. it all helps motivate you.

5. find a run buddy! even if they are on a different level to you, its all fun and will help you enjoy it more and motivate you.

6. dont worry if you dont fancy it for a few days! you are told to leave a whole day inbetween runs and only do 3 runs per weeks so do it at your own pace. its all about keeping fit, losing some extra weight and having fun.

ok well good luck, i will let you know how i get on, am hoping to start week 2 in the next few days, should be fun lol

2 comments:

  1. I'd not heard of couch to 5k, it sounds interesting, I have bookmarked it to read at some point. Good luck with it.

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  2. thanks, its quite new i think, the main aim is for everyone whatever their level of fitness to work their way up to running for a full 30 minutes in one go. It will be great if i can eventually do it as i can then join in the next race for life etc.

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