20
Jun
07
The Couch-to-5K Running Plan
Posted in
Links,
Couch to 5k,
Running,
Plans
I’m late to this particular party, but if you’re here, you might well be a geek looking to get fit. You could do much worse than start with this simple running plan.
Plenty of people - myself included - find one of the more difficult aspects of getting fit, especially when you’ve been stuck behind a desk for a few years, the lack of direction or a tangible plan. Without a plan or a specific goal (or set of goals), running (or cycling, swimming etc) can quickly become boring. From there it is a very short step to simply not bothering doing any exercise.
Having a weight or size based goal is a good thing, but that’s not likely to be an encouragement when you are starting.
Anything over around 2lb per week is bordering on unhealthy and an average person going running a few times a week can realistically expect a sustained loss of around 1lb a week. That’s good progress if you can keep it up - but it does mean that if your long term aim is to lose, for example, 3 stones, then you’re going to be looking at the best part of a year of work to reach your goal. Similarly, size-based goals are not necessarily an effective ongoing encouragement.
And this is where the Couch to 5k plan is a winner. Rather than getting you to focus on weight or size, it gets you to focus on fitness and exercise. Long term, the trick to staying in shape is to lead a moderately active lifestyle and eat a balanced diet - and this exercise plan fulfils the active lifestyle part of that.
Not only this, but the plan gives tangible results in a very short space of time - not in terms of weight or size (which both will improve with time) but in terms of fitness. In a matter of weeks, you could be running a mile several times a week - a significant achievement for many people.
Overall, this plan looks to be an excellent starting point for anyone who is just starting to do something about their health and fitness.
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