When will I start to feel the benefits?

[BrownA]

Hi, I'm 45, 2 stone overweight and completely new to exercise. I just did the 1st session of Week 2 C25K and I'm wondering when I'll start to feel the benefits? Mentally I have to say that I felt jubilant after completing each session but physically I'm still very out of breath during the runs and spend the walking time breathing very heavily. Is this normal? Is there a week when it suddenly gets easier? Thanks.

[Caotykim]

Slow it down if you’re out of breath. It doesn’t suddenly get easier, but you become better at adopting a comfortable pace so you won’t be out of breath any more. Once you’ve understood that you’re going faster than you need to, it does start getting easier, or at least it starts to feel more comfortable.

[BrownA in reply to Caotykim]

Thank you, I'll try running slower.

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate]

I felt a difference around week 4. It's still pretty early days for your body. It's probably still in shock.

Keep it slow and steady and it will get easier. 👍😁

[BrownA in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Good point, I'm still in shock that I've got off my butt and started exercising so my body must be wondering what on earth is going on 👍

[Jay66UK Graduate]

If by “feel a difference” you mean “it gets easy” the answer is not until after you graduate.

But stick with me for the “why”.

Every week builds on the one before and challenges/extends you beyond what you have done in the week before. So your fitness is improving but you continue to be made to work harder and harder.

If after W3 you went back and did W1 you would find it incredibly easy. But instead you do W4, which is another step up from where you are.

Hope that helps. And, what everyone else has said, slow down!

[BrownA in reply to Jay66UK]

Ah, that makes total sense and it really helps, thank you. I'll slow it down and feel chuffed that I've achieved a bit more each week.

[Pippayoungart Graduate in reply to Jay66UK]

I’m not sure it ever gets ’easy’! But the benefits really outweigh the difficulty! I think i realised about halfway through that in my non-running life i was starting to be able to walking up steep steps without puffing, and had aquired a generalised feeling of energy and well-being. It’s hard, but nothing worth having is easy!