Hi - I am a 54 year old female and I’ve recently lost 2.5 stone and need to lose the same again to reach a‘healthy’ weight for my height. I am a SlimmingWorld member and have followed their ‘Body magic’ program. I currently walk at least 15, 000 steps daily and am interested in doing the couch to 5k as a new challenge. The problem is that I know that I can only run for around 30 seconds before my legs get heavy. What would be the best way to get fit enough to start C25K? My instinct is to start just doing the run sections for 30s and walk the rest, gradually building up the running intervals.
Any advice on getting started would be great.
Written by
Yogijojo
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi well done for doing so well to start with. Heavy legs can be a sign of not drinking enough, or are you running too fast? Maybe read the pinned post the guide to C25K, Other than that what about starting the programme but walk fast for the running parts then easy walking for the walking parts until you can do the whole of week 1 comfortably then do the same but with a very slow gentle run for the running parts and if your legs ache take an extra rest day but keep walking daily .
If you read the guide linked to by Instructor57 you will see the recommendation that you should be able to comfortably walk at a brisk pace, on a regular basis, before you attempt to do C25k.
If you can do this, then you will be fine to have a goat the plan, but it needs to be undertaken at an easy conversational pace.
Counterintuitively, it is an easy conversational pace running that builds your stamina and endurance, not fast running.
Say this sentence out loud to yourself "Am I going slow enough to enable me to speak this sentence in one out breath?" If you cannot, you are going too fast.
I started C25K as part of my weight loss journey. I was set going with it by a young lady in my WW group.
I never looked back from that day to this. It saved my life 😀🏃♀️ I was 57 and never run the length of myself. The sessions are fully guided so you’ll be taken through each step by step, so don’t worry 🙂
One session at a time, rest then go again. You’re going very slowly for just a very short time. You’re in safe hands. There is absolutely no hurry at all!
It’s fun, I couldn’t stop giggling when I started it, hiding out in the woods in winter 🥶😁. I didn’t want to be seen in tights 😊
I lost 64 pounds in 2010 and am still weighing in under goal. Running is great for fitness and keeping the weight off 🙂
I stopped before the full minute on week 1 and repeated it 6 times before I felt ready to move on. I framed it as progress as I could feel it getting easier. The slow, slower, even slower advice is good, as is all the other advice and pinned posts. There is a NonetoRun version that starts with 30 second runs, but if you are happy to repeat week 1 until you reach the full minutes, then I'd say go with that. It worked for me- I'm planning an hour and 20 minutes run today 😁
Thank you for the encouragement. I watched the slow running video clip last night and realised I was definitely trying to go too fast! Looking forward to trying my first session. 🤗
One thing you can do is walk briskly for about 20 minutes on non-running days. Go up to the point where it starts feeling uncomfortable and back off a bit to where it feels OK again.
And to echo what others have said, I was very self-conscious at the start. I wouldn't have been seen dead wearing lycra. Nowadays I go by whatever feels the most comfortable.
I had actively avoided running for the first 50 odd years of my life. I hated sport in school. If I'd made a dash for a bus it would take me ten minutes to get my breath back.
Something to note is that running may not bring you weight loss for many months. You'll be converting fat into muscle, and possibly putting on a little weight by doing so, but that muscle will take up less volume than the fat it replaces. Don't be disappointed if you don't see any results on the scales. However, you may find that your clothes get looser.
I was about 10kg overweight, and starting to develop the male paunch, with the beginnings of jowls on my face. That's all gone. The bulk of that weight went only when I was doing runs of an hour or more, and starting to burn fat once I'd run out of stored glycogen.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.