If you’re the kind of person that works in an office and sits down for much of their life, then you might want to think about getting active. Of course, we’re not telling you to sign up for a marathon a week or swim around the world, but it’s always a good idea to get your heart racing every now and then. Many people not only find running extremely good for their physical health, but also for their mental health - so why not give it a try? Don’t worry if you can only run for a few seconds at a time before getting out of breath, because this is how you can go from the couch to 5k runs in just a few weeks…
Weeks 1 & 2
Once you’ve settled on the idea of running 5K, it’s time to get started. For the first two weeks of your mission, you should focus on running for around three days per week. However, you don’t just go outside and run until you can’t any longer. You should aim to walk for five minutes to warm yourself up, and then run for around 20 minutes. Alternate between 30 seconds of walking and 30 seconds of running, and then finish off with another five minutes warm down.
Weeks 3 & 4
By the time you get to your third and fourth weeks, it’s time to take things up a notch. You should warm up for five minutes and then get into the bulk of a 26-minute workout that’s a little different to the first two weeks. This time, you should aim to jog for around 45 seconds before you revert to another 45 seconds. If you can run for longer, then do so, but don’t strain yourself. Then, make sure you warm down. Try and complete this workout four times a week.
Weeks 5 & 6
When weeks five and six come around, you should be feeling more confident in terms of your running. Because of this, it’s worth pushing yourself even further. Warm up with a walk, and then get right into the swing of a 30-minute workout. This time, jog for at least 60 seconds and then revert to walking until you have recovered enough to keep going. However, try not to keep this walking segment any longer than 30-45 seconds. If you do this four to five days a week, you should see an immense improvement.
Weeks 7 & 8
So, weeks seven and eight! Try to complete this workout four to five days a week to make the most of it, because you’re bound to see improvements. For these weeks, complete your warm up and warm down as previously instructed. Then, revert between running and walking for 36 minutes. If you can, jog for as long as possible - and make sure that you jog for at least 90 seconds. You can then walk until you have recovered, but try not to walk more than you run.
Weeks 9 & 10
By the time weeks nine and ten come along, you should be able to run for 40 minutes, alternating between running and walking if you still need to. However, it may be that you have built up your stamina and your fitness so much you don’t need to!
Going from couch to 5K doesn’t need to be difficult, but you do need to be determined.
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