I'm not sure if anyone will remember me, but I was here last year (2014) for a while. I was building my way up to C25K by walking and then decided to run. That was a big mistake because I hurt my back and had to stay away from exercising for about eight weeks. After that, I felt demotivated, especially as the weather turned bad, so I gave up. Not a good thing, but such is life.
This year I've decided that I'm only going to walk until I have reached a decent weight (I'm currently classified as uber-obese I've also bought myself a stationary bike for cardio. It may be a long time before I run for the first time because I need to lose 21Kg first, yikes!!
Anyway, it's good to be back. Let's hope I manage better this year...
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Moickle
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How far did you get with C25K before injury?? Walking before undertaking C25K is good!! -- for a start it is something that you can do every day, it strengthens leg, stomach and back muscles which is a good thing to do before running.
I am certain that you can complete C25K -- after you have walked 5 days a week for 30 minutes each time (for say, a month) , you could later try this goo.gl/PrXPcY as a prelim to C25K. It is much gentler - and for me , starting out at age 67, proved to be very good to get me on my way ( I am now training for a half marathon 18 months later) .
We have all found that running/exercising goes hand in hand with losing weight - but we have also found that weight is mostly lost in the kitchen and not on the road
I have a friend who needs to lose around 30 Kg -- but he makes all kinds of excuses as to why he can't do exercise- and it is certainly a downward spiral, the less you do - the less you can do. Next time you are feeling down - have a look at this -- Arthur's story youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJ... and the extended version youtube.com/watch?v=bIXOo8D...
Thanks very much for the support and encouragement! I actually hurt my back on my first run, which was about 2 miles, so as far as C25K is concerned, I got nowhere.
Arthur's story certainly is inspirational. I was amazed he managed to lose 100lb in six months. I'm aiming to lose about half that amount in the same time, by eating properly (which I mostly do anyway) and exercising a lot more. Drinking too much beer has been the killer for me, so I've cut it out almost completely.
It's great to hear your progress, and amazing that you only started at age 67. Terrific going!
You seem determined enough to do this and I hope you dont come to injury again.
I think your main challenge will be finding and sticking to a healthy diet. When I quit smoking I couldn't believe how quickly I gained weight and knew I had to change the way I eat. Started with calorie counting but found it hard and unsustainable. Another problem I had when I quit smoking was constipation. Low calorie meals did not provide me with enough fiber so I had to look for something that wouldn't leave me hungry and provided me with the fiber i needed.
After researching on the net for a week I decided that eating good food in good amounts was the right direction to go. You can find plenty of information about it by searching for "Eat more to lose weight". This doesn't mean you can eat more than your eating now, it just means eating healthier foods and crowding out the bad foods you might prefer and not leaving yourself hungry.
You also need to increase your muscle mass to increase your metabolism. Easy exercises like pushup, squats or steps. If you struggle to start press-up then start the resistance way by getting into a press-up position and lowering yourself to the ground. Do this 3-5 times a day and you will be doing press-ups in no time. If this is still too much to start with, do them with your body at an angle while holding onto the kitchen worktop and progress from there . Push-ups will also strengthen your back and core.
Biking and walking is a great way to start. Both work the largest muscles in your body. But for them to be effective you need to progress the speed more than anything. Riding a bike at an easy pace for 30mins is not the best way to go. You could use the C25K podcasts for riding the same way as jogging. As with week 1 you could start at a nice easy pace to warm up then knock it down a gear or 2 and try to maintain the same peddle rotation pace for 60secs.
Sorry for preaching, but I do hope you find whats right for you and I hope to hear how you get on, on the road to C25K, so keep us posted.
Thanks very much for the advice. As I mentioned to Bazza, my main issue was drinking too much beer (think kegfuls ) and not doing exercise. I also quit smoking about 5 years ago and gained a lot of weight as a result. Eating healthily is less of a problem inasmuch as I like to cook healthy foods and don't overeat. Basically, the majority of my weight is in the abdomen (typical for beer drinkers), which is probably also why I hurt my back so easily.
My aim for the moment is to walk and pedal off the weight, plus maybe some additional exercise as you suggest. Thanks!
Welcome back! Good for you for starting again - listen to your body though and take things slow. Walking is a great way to start. When you do start, try building in a few extra weeks - I started my other half on a week of 30 sec runs followed by a week of 45 second runs before he started the program proper. Just don't overdo things in the first flush of enthusiasm of starting!
I was obese when I started the program and can't cope with calorie counting - fasting worked for me (only having to worry about food 2 days a week was manageable for me and I felt really good about myself every time I managed to complete a day - which helped re-inforce wanting to do it). Find something that works for you.
Thanks! Indeed, I am resolved to not overdoing things this time around. I was way too ambitious last year, as I often am, and literally tried to run before I could walk. That's not to say I'm taking things easy. I'm conscious of my walk and cycling timings and distance, as well as my eating habits. I have lost 5Kg (11 lbs) since beginning June, so that's a good start. If I stay off the beer and keep up with the exercise, I should be doing a whole lot better soon.
I lost weight using the advice on this site nhs.uk/livewell/loseweight/... andthendid c25k. I agree with the others, walking and other exercise is a god way to build up. Might be worth looking at some of the flex and strength stuff to do before as well.That would help build some core strength. Good luck.
Moikle how the hell are you? Welcome back. I too am just restarting my c25k adventure after breaking my ankle in Feb. We can motivate each other. Good luck!!
Thanks for the welcome back! Sorry to hear you broke your ankle. I hope all is well now? For sure, we can motivate each other. Hopefully, you don't have a huge weight to lose I'm guessing you'll be back on track really soon. Good luck!
LOL frannyfran... I do recall something like that indeed!! Let's see how far I get and how long it takes to get there. I see that all my old friends now have "graduate" status. That's great!!
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I've also bought myself a stationary bike for cardio. It may be a long time before I run for the first time because I need to lose 21Kg first, yikes!!
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