Hidden health benefits of the C2K programme

[Cath400]

I have seen a few posts over the last few weeks from people a bit down because they haven't lost any weight on this programme and just wanted to reassure them

I have regular body composition measurements done at my gym and they have shown some interesting results. I am a 44 year old lady who started this programme with some excess weight and rubbish fitness.

I have lost no weight BUT my body fat percentage has gone down nicely and my muscle mass is improving nicely. I play touch rugby every couple of weeks (the only lady with some very fit men) which is basically 90 minutes of sprint, stop, sprint, stop and the change in my cardiovascular fitness since starting this program is huge - I am now able to keep going for the whole session and even keep up with some of the men.

So for those who aren't seeing any physical changes ie to weight or body shape, be assured you are doing your body an amazing favour by doing this programme even if the benefits aren't obvious.

Not to mention all the mental health benefits - that amazing buzz from completing a run.

So don't get disheartened, your body is secretly thanking you. (This is from someone completing this programme at a snails pace - literally 😂😂)

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Great post. It’s sometimes hard to see the changes in a mirror or on the scales, but the way our new found fitness enables us to do more in the rest of our lives is there to see if we look. For me, being fit and healthy is much more important than numbers on a scale or even a tape measure.

[Cath400 Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Absolutely. Some weight loss would be nice but I started this programme with the main aim of trying to get fitter so definitely achieving that. As for the weight loss, I love my cake and chocolate too much!!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Cath400]

They’re both good fuel too! I just need to balance run length to the fuel load 🤣

[Annieapple Graduate]

What an encouragement this will be to many! 👏🌟

[Annieapple Graduate]

What an encouragement this will be to many! 👏🌟

[Buddy34 Graduate]

Well done you for posting about this. It will give people something to think about . As standing on the scales doesn't give the full picture 😊😊

[Mark1909 Graduate]

Very true, I’ve lost 3/4 Ibs in 9 weeks. my legs have increased in muscle definition and my abs are more clearer to see. So I would say that we all burn off fat yet increase muscle so even though there maybe slight weight differences - what is actually going on below the skin is more beneficial than what we realise ?

[2Tired2Run Graduate]

This is soooo interesting and encouraging. I'm not doing this programme for weight loss (although I wouldn't say no to any that happens) but the additional benefits are huge albeit hidden from view! Thanks for sharing.

[Jazzyrunner Graduate]

What a brilliant post. It’s so good to hear that, so to know that even if you can’t see a change, there are good things going on!

[Debston Graduate]

Good points. While I was on the Injury Couch for almost the whole of August, my weight started going down. It wasn't cause for celebration though - just meant my muscle mass was decreasing!

[Burrows2]

That’s reassuring as I feel I haven’t lost any weight but know i’m gaining muscle mass and mentally I feel so much better. I’m fitter too. Thanks for your post it’s helpful.

[LeeU Graduate]

This post is a great one, we can't tell by looking in the mirror or by using a set of scales how much our own bodies are changing.

It's when you see someone who you haven't seen for a while (from before you started the program) that you realise what the level of changes have been.

Add to that, if you are eating sensibly and completing all your runs then you should notice that your clothes are getting looser too, adding a low impact exercise in on rest days would greatly help too.

Beware of eating too little, while you may thing that it will aid in weight loss it's actually counter productive.

I read somewhere that you should try to eat within an hour of waking up, this tells your body food is available and you aren't starving, again, I read that in a few places and cannot vouch for it's accuracy.

The idea of eating 3 meals a day is a created one, humans are animals and I can't see any other animals sitting down 3 times a day. I've started eating 5-6 times a day like body builders do, protein rich, low carb meals and the odd treat. I aim for 1500 calories a day.

[Fluffiness Graduate]

Such a positive post - for me one of the biggest things was the sense of achievement that I had actually done it - from non runner to running for 30 mins - but the mental health buzz and energy that comes from it is awesome!!

[Frizzmog Graduate]

I had my annual heart check in February and my cholesterol was 5.3. A week or so later I started C25K and have recently gone for an NHS 40-70 health check and was told my cholesterol was 3. There may have been others factors I wasn’t aware of at work but as far as I’m aware the programme was the only difference I made as my diet is already pretty good. I’ve not had cholesterol problems before but they do run in the family so if there’s a chance I’ve found a way to avoid them, that’s a good motivator to run for me. Hopefully it’ll stay low 🤞🏻

[Annieapple Graduate in reply to Frizzmog]

Good news 👍🏃‍♀️

[Frizzmog Graduate in reply to Annieapple]

Thanks, I thought so too 🤓

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

What good news and encouraging for so many, my weight hasn’t moved much but my body shape has changed, cholesterol down blood pressure down resting heart rate down and happy we can run 🏃‍♀️

[Yogaandrun Graduate]

Great inspirational post, thank you

[Puppy-love Graduate]

Great post and so true. I have lost no weight but as I ate my way around Italy for two weeks of the programme, not gaining weight is a big bonus. Your rugby sounds fun. Keep beating those men.