Hi, as the title says, i'm just under 28st and wondering if c25k is something i should consider doing. I can't run at the minute as it hurts my knees with all the weight, but i need some goal to push me in the right direction. I would love to be able to just run without problems and i think this would be a good place to start.
Thanks
Jonathan
Well done on deciding to start this. Just take it at your own pace, it’s not a race and the only person you are competing against is yourself. If you need to repeat runs it doesn’t matter, just keep going until you feel comfortable enough to go onto the next stage. Go slowly and don’t overdo things and you should be fine. Good luck 😉
Hey, I’m starting the C25K tomorrow! Perhaps we can help each other!
Welcome to the forum.
This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5... and includes a link to the NHS Active10 walking programme, which might be a good place to start to build fitness and get your body used to exercise.
If you consider that with every footfall while running, you put stresses equal to several times your body weight through your legs, so you are right to be cautious.
Building up your exercise in a slow and steady manner will allow your body to adapt without increased injury risk.
Take the first steps and we look forward to hearing your progress.
Enjoy your journey.
If you have any medical concerns you should talk to your GP Jonathan. There will be people on this forum who will share their experiences, but we're not professionals, and when it comes to your health, better safe than sorry.
In your situation, I'd be inclined to build up some strength and stamina by walking regularly for a month or two first and also check in with your GP to make sure you're safe to go ahead. I'm obese and have found it OK, much to my surprise BUT I guess the heavier you are, the more strain there could be on your joints. Good luck with it all!
Can you WALK at a brisk pace for 30 minutes without stopping? If not then you should build up your walking first. But also, you say your weight makes it painful to run. That means you need to be careful for the reasons Ianno has explained. Walking is low impact do is probably a safer option meantime till you get your weight down a bit. Getting to a weight where your doc says you can safely start Couch to 5k might be a good intermediate target.
I think the above posters have said it all. Well done on thinking about starting the C25K, I would definitely be walking it first then moving onto the running. I wish you the best of luck, and let us know how you get on!
If you're interested in C25k I would say use the app as it's very motivational but do it walking first, simply walk faster at the "run" points, that way the programme will have you walking 30 mins at a fast, brisk pace by the end, when you might be ready to start again with a gentle run.
Either way you've taken the first step in the right direction. Good luck 👍
It sounds as though you might *want* to run rather than considering it because you feel you should - and that's great because we're much more likely to succeed with things we genuinely want to do for their own sake (even though they may have lots of other positive consequences) You don't mention what you are doing currently - swimming? Walking? Nor what other health problems you might have.
On the whole, I suggest that people just get on with C25K and have no truck with suggestions that people try brisk walking first (I still find brisk walking painful to sustain (and more painful after) and running is often looser and gentler for me, even though my heart and bones think I am working harder) If you are unused to exercise though, just getting used to getting outside and walking continuously - not 'briskly'necessarily but increasing to more than a dawdling amble for 30 minutes 3 times a week for a few weeks first does, in your particular circumstances, seem like a good place to start. This will start to help you distinguish between the pains and discomforts of being unfit and unused to these activities and genuine warning signs of trouble, and will start to embed a sustainable habit rather than a boom and bust approach which stymies so many attempts to improve physical health and only ends up worsening mental health. (It will also build your emotional resilience which is often a big issue holding people back with progressing through the programme - if you wait to feel 'comfortable' you may be waiting a long time)
If you know that running gives you pain in your knees, presumably you've tried it.... but it is possible you've attempted to go faster than you need for C25K purposes (as most of us do when starting out) - it's all about a different motion rather than a different pace. It may be too that running on a different, kinder, surface if you can will make a difference (I like a nice woodland path myself) Plus ensuring appropriate footwear (ironically I find minimalist running shoes best for me rather than lots of padding - I need to be able to feel the ground, and that prevents me from slamming my feet down and thus protects my knees - but you may be different)
I would hope that you are getting some expert input into supporting you with weight loss. Realistically a GP is unlikely to have the time or the expertise for your circumstances (and we've heard too often of health professionals with a 'running is bad for the knees' attitude which is not supported by the evidence).
The reason I say you need to be able to walk 30 minutes first is because if you can’t do that you can’t do W1R1. And it isn’t an ill informed doctor telling the OP about impact on his knees - he’s telling you himself. We all love running here and are inclined to encourage everyone to try it but there is a small number of people who really aren’t ready. There are clues in the OP that many of us have picked up on that indicate the need for caution. There is more to it than just not being used to exercise. I’m sorry if you have ‘no truck’ with that but I stand by what I said.
Er... I know my reply to jonojamesmac was quite long but if you read/re-read it all I think you'll see the distinction I make between 'on the whole' and this particular situation...
It's great you are now suggesting 'walk' rather than 'brisk walk' too.
I’m not going to be drawn into a personal spat. It’s not what we do here. But I think you’ll find the term ‘brisk walk’ is used by the Couch to 5k programme: it’s not my invention. Other than that - the OP has had good advice from several posters and has listened to it so I have no reason to add any more.
Thanks everyone. I have high blood pressure and i'm currently on tablets for those, but i've also got an issue with my foot where if i do exercise, it then starts to be quite painful afterwards for a few minutes when i get up and go again. I've got a docs appointment this morning for it so i'll also raise the question about C25K and see what she thinks.
Thanks again
I would suggest you refer yourself to physio to get the foot checked out. At the same time, you can ask about your knees. 🙂
Just back from the docs, he's referred me to a foot specialist to get it checked out, recommends not doing much walking as he thinks i've torn something slightly in my foot. I just need to rest it as much as i can. He also said my knees look fine and the strain is likely because of the increased activity and weight, but he said it would subside as i lose weight.
I always recommend Dr Michael Mosley's book "The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet" - the science bits are really fascinating and it gets fast results.
That's a big ouch with the foot!
That’s marvellous news about your knees! Shame about the foot, though. If I were you, I’d still see a physio because they are a mine of information on rehabilitation of joints. They may also be able to diagnose the problem, as they are experts in the musculoskeletal system. 🙂
Hi - how did you go with it? I'm also heavy and I'm worried about my knees, I've made it to week 3 but my knees are starting to give in on me.
Couch to 5k
5K to Couch
Couch to 5k
New to Couch to 5k
Couch to 5K - completed it mate 
