As one year draws to a close and another begins, people often see the opportunity to improve their health after the festive indulgences.
Couch to 5k is a popular choice.
I am fan of anything that gets folk moving their bodies, especially if it is outside.
But.
Come Jan/Feb I see loads of people injured by doing this programme.
Not only is it frustrating for them getting injured trying to do something positive, it can also put people off exercising altogether which is a real shame.
If you don’t already have some fitness and are genuinely starting from couch levels….then 9-12 weeks can still be too quick to build up to a 5km run.
This is even more common in folk who may have other factors that affect how well their tissues can tolerate or recover from increased load. Factors such as increasing age, perimenopause, diabetes, osteoarthritis, overweight or obesity.
I believe that the vast majority of people can run, but the slower you build up, the better.
I totally appreciate ‘6 months to 5km’ is a much less sexy sell….
But if you start building your walking, along with some simple strength exercises BEFORE starting the programme you are less likely to pick up an injury once you start adding in some running.
So use it as an opportunity to scope out all the festive lights and get some steps in