Welcome to the new Strength and Flex community

[JR21]

A big warm welcome to the community supporting NHS Choices' 'Strength and Flexibility' podcasts.

I'm the community manager and will be trying to help you all make this community a vibrant, buzzing place full of inspirational stories, questions and chat from those of you doing the 5-week programme of Strength & Flex podcasts.

The Strength & Flex series follows on from our hugely successful Couch to 5k programme which has been downloaded more than 4 million times and supports a fabulous community at couchto5k.healthunlocked.com

So, "how do I get involved?" you may be asking. Well, first of all you can blog, which allows you to share your progress with others, give your opinions on the programme and generally keep up to date on how you're doing. A blog post can be as long or short as you want to make it. And if you want to comment on someone else's post and start up a conversation, just hit comment below a blog entry to add your thoughts.

"Questions" allow you to ask the community something specific about any topic. Other Strength & Flex users may have been through the week you're doing and have some knowledge and experience that'll help you. If you want to answer someone's question, it's as simple as clicking on "answer" below a question to share your thoughts.

Finally, "polls" allow you to quickly share your opinion on a current topic. The are a fun way of getting a snapshot of what other people using the podcasts think on a related topic. If you've got an idea for a poll, send in your suggestion.

If you have any questions about how to contribute, please send me a message or post a question and I'll do my best to answer.

Over time, your community will hopefully grow and grow. The more you add to it, the more you'll get back from it and we hope you find the new site a rewarding and fun environment to support your journey on the Strength & Flex programme, and beyond!

Best wishes

John

PS: You don't have to be using the podcasts to join. If you're working on your own programme designed to improve your strength and flexibility, just dive in and get chatting.

PPS: To find out more about Strength & Flex, visit the site at nhs.uk/Livewell/strength-an...

[Soozz]

Have just started Strength and Flex in tandem with the last couple of weeks of C25K. I'd thought it looked good but do quite a few regular fitness classes. HOWEVER, they stopped at various times over the summer holidays so I thought I'd try Strength and Flex on my rest days. I don't do the activities outside as I would be on my own and would feel self-conscious, but do them around the house, jogging the walking bits. Really enjoying it so far. Thank you!

[TheEditor]

Well done Soozz and good luck. Drop us a line periodically to let us know how you're doing as you progress through the plan.

[kf96]

I started this today and for me it is way better than joining a circuits class as it is starting slow, I can do it when it suits me and it is giving me a goal. I am doing it indoors because of the time of year and like Soozz would feel funny doing it outside, especially as there is nowhere with trees, benches and bars anywhere close by and I don't want to drive out to somewhere suitable, it's good to be able to do it at home. Great idea, looking forward to progressing through the programme

[TheEditor in reply to kf96]

Good luck kf96! Let us know how you get on as you progress through the series.