So, completed week 4. And that's a good feeling but it got me thinking that I should be starting on strength too.
Right I said, let's start with a sit up. 3 sit ups later I quit. I mean I was appalling.
Now I'm sorta thinking it's too late for me. My body is past it and there's no going back. My mojo just flew away...
Hey, your body has borne five children and youre a Mother , that makes you strong in my book !
Please don't be so hard on yourself, you have been doing brilliantly. Maybe its all the stress of having to get up and sort the kids out for school and trying to fit everything in, its bound to get all a bit too much . Big hugs ((( )))
My biceps look like knots on cotton and I know I need to work on my core strength too , but baby steps is the way forward
Chin up , don't be disheartened , 3 sit ups today, maybe 5 tomorrow ?
Don't give up 
xxx
I've had 5 kids. From 24 down to 8 yo. Thinking my body is totally past it. Just want my sexy back,
Thanks for your kind words x
Well, if you could do 30 straight off the bat you wouldn't be thinking about starting strength would you?
The way to achieve any fitness goal is like anything else:
- Decide where it is you want to get to.
- Appraise honestly where you are now.
- Work out the steps you will have to take to get to the former from the latter.
- Pursue them diligently.
You want to be able to do X no of situps. You can currently do 3. Now you just need to find a programme that will get you from 3 to X. There are loads out there. It doesn't really matter whether your start at 10 or 3..
It is never too late for anyone. There are ladies in their 70s competing in Crossfit doing muscleups and lifting weights etc who didn't start till their 60s.
Having said all that, don't do situps. They are very bad for your lower back. If you want to strengthen your core/abs, start with plank.
I suffer with lower back problems as it is. So thank goodness you said that. And, erm, a plank is?...
Half a press up! Score one for not having to do a full one! I can't do them at all yet lol
You get into push up position but on your forearms and elbows instead of your hands and hold it for 10-30 seconds. There's loads of different ones you can do once you are alright at the basic one like side planks (like model poses) and some that look like elaborate yoga poses, definitely something for when your sexy is back haha!
There's a 30 day plank challenge app which has videos on to show you or you can just YouTube it and try it once or twice a day for a few seconds and you'll see a big difference after a couple of weeks 😀
Aww that's so supportive. Thanks for taking time out for me! X
No worries! I feel the same as you sometimes, I have tried all sorts and gave up cause I wasn't like the person on the dvd on my first try, I have only managed to actually stick with c25k but I know I can keep going and try anything more than once now! You can do it! I've just got a bike fixed up and ill be learning to ride it on the weekend 😀
Tommo, no!! You're no quitter you're a runner, only a baby runner at the moment, but so are most of us on this site. You're doing brilliantly with the running, you and your little band of supporters. Just ask yourself this. When you started on w1, did you expect to be able to do loads of running straight away? No, you didn't! So why would you expect to do loads of sit-ups straight away? It's most definitely not too late. You're only young. We have people who start in their late 60s. You can do whatever you want to do. Are you doing the Strength and Flex podcasts? They're really good and build up slowly like c25k (or so I'm told- I keep meaning to look at them myself but haven't got round to it) Check them out and let me know how you get on. Good luck Sweetie xx
Awww, you're very kind x
Exactly what AM said. I haven't had children & I'm pretty sure I couldn't manage anymore than about 3 sit ups right now & as for the plank that Rig suggests. I tried it the other day & only lasted about 3 seconds before collapsing into a heap!!
Baby steps is all it'll take. ☺ xx
Right Victoria, listen up.
Sit ups! Pah. What possible use are sit ups unless you want
1) bad back
2) washboard stomach
???
You've had children, carry some extra weight and are in your forties. Even if you achieve very highly toned abs, they are not going to be 'on show'.
I'd suggest that what you want, what you really, really want is to lose some more weight, become more toned overall, and zig-a-zig ahh. C25K and running (and a calorie monitored diet) are the way to meet your goals. Honestly, there are no short cuts, just keep up your great progress and let us cheer you on your C25K way.
Just to remind you:
I can and I will. Watch me!
Ah take heart Thomson3, I've been doing Pilates and sit ups are still my nemesis - I can manage a plank however! As with everything, you just have to go at it steadily and not beat yourself up for what you can't do. Rejoice in what you can manage today compared to a week ago. You are moving in the right direction all the time!
Well as far as being past it, you might be a bit like Mr Drake in a sense, who would appear to now be past his years of enormous fame and multipage contracts with the Alphabet Business Concern, and so on, but from the clip below, you will note that he has managed to secure his mojo ... quite securely. All he has done is adapt the manic music from when he was not yet past it to a gentler, more transparent form, which allows more people to hear the richness of the melody formerly somewhat hidden in all sorts of pranks and mischief. No, it's not famous all over again, but at least it's a good way of demonstrating that "past it is not "done for"". Not by a long shot. It's just a new kind of challenge. Maybe even a bit like c25k?
Well you are doing better than me this week. I promised myself to find time for core and it's Friday and I haven't done any or have I for a long time. That's my confession, I know how good they are for me and I know I have to add them in but they hurt and I am useless at them. I keep,promising myself to start.. My point is I don't think less of my exercise ability because of this I just know I have work to do. We all have to start with baby steps and find a rhythm that fits in with us. I know one day I will get to the point were it will all just fall into place with a little push from me and then I will have abs of steel. Well maybe not steel. Don't put your entire exercise regime on hold because your not doing core work at wk4. Your stomach muscles will look better with just running as times goes on and when your ready add in some core work but don't stress too much. Happy running.
Makes me feel better that I'm not alone in procrastination!
Thanks for the support
Here's the great plank secret, btw. The knee plank is the easiest to start with. Work up from there. You'll be ace. All you need to do is want it enough and then aplly yourself consistently. A little every day is all it takes for exercise to become a habit.
Don't be so hard on yourself missy. We all start somewhere. You've reached week 4 of c25k - an amazing achievement and fit in your runs around your busy lifestyle. Meanwhile thousands of people across the country, many less busy than yourself, sit in front of the tv and do no exercise at all. Onwards to week 5 and no more talk of being pathethic! 
☺️
woah!! that is 3 more than I do ... and besides Rome wasn't built in a day .. you are being way to harsh in yourself .. little steps will get you there 
I am 58 this year .. I have been trying to plank , don't ask why it seems like a good thing to do for core strength .. started at 10 secs upto 30 secs now ..
Definitely don't give up you didn't get to week 4 without putting in some hard work
Thank you!
I'm 23 and I can't do pushups or burpees and things like that; it has nothing to do with you being "past it"! Just take is slow and build it up, as you are doing with this programme.
As so often, it isn't the body that's the problem, it's the mind....
The NHS Strength and Flexibility podcast programme goes really nicely with C25K, as mentioned. For the long haul though I've preferred Ekhart yoga (which I got into through their free YouTube offerings) 10 minutes gentle yoga but repeated every morning has been much more effective for my core and my dodgy back than being all gungho. And it is just like the runs, some days you just have a wobbly weak one and other days it is all so smooth.
Well, I started the program in Feb, I think it was and graduated in May.
I did the strength stuff once or twice, that's it. I'm still running and still improving.
I decided I'm not a "cross training" type, and will stick with the running. Although to be honest if I could find some mojo to do it, I probably would, but since I can't, I wont bother !
So carry on running, don't worry about the strength stuff. Running itself will draw in your core somewhat if you run "tall" (so nice and upright).
EDIT.
I forgot, I did go to kettlercise for about 7 weeks ! But stopped a couple of months ago, and haven't been back.
Hmmm - should I be on the IC?
How do you carry your inhaler and all the other stuff I feel I need to take?
W5r2 🐌 carries the 🐳 !!! 
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON...JEFFING!
Pretty pathetic!
