Couch to 5K (Where do I even get started?)

khan2187

So I basically lead a very inactive lifestyle (I spend 80% of my day either sitting or sleeping) and that is starting to bother me, so I decided to give walking / running a place in my daily life.

Currently if I jog for even 100 meters I would end up loosing my breath or at least get my heart rate really elevated (Which I believe in a sign I need to start building up my overall fitness)

What is the most efficient course of action in terms of diet and exercise for me to start.

PS: I can spare an hour a day for workout (Excluding weekends where I can spare as much time as needed)

heybales

Can you walk at a good fast pace for 1 hr?

Keep doing it until you can without being out of breath - start including inclines and confirm not out of breath there either.
Probably be useful if heart isn't pounding out of chest either at some point.

Then start doing the program.

As far as diet to support the above workouts and even into the C25K - don't make it extreme, keep it reasonable, eat enough protein so body can use it for repair and keeping existing muscle, maybe even making some extra at the start. Eat enough for for require vitamins and body uses, carbs make up the rest.

Aerobic fitness will likely come quickly - and side effect of that is water weight gain - so be prepared. Good needed sign of improvement water weight gain - welcome it - means the exercise is working.

pamfgil

Try working on time rather than distance, 1 min running 90 seconds walking, remember running is a gait not a speed. And if you can't cope with 1 min, start with 30 seconds running 90 walking and add 10 or 15 seconds running till you're up to one minute, then follow the program till you're up to 30 minutes. You can aim for increased distance after that.

TavistockToad

Can you walk for 30 minutes at a decent pace? Start with that, and then start c25k

kpkitten

As others have said, don't run before you can walk. Once you can walk purposefully for over half an hour, (or if you already can) give c25k a go.
When you start running, take it slowly. Your run can be as slow as your walk. You should be able to hold a conversation or even sing whilst running. My 'easy' run pace is still about 15min per mile, and I've been running for 6 months and just completed a 10k. Don't ever worry that you're going too slowly, at least until you compete the c25k programme! You can always go slower to make it a bit easier.

upbeatbirdieRD

The Complete Guide to Walking is an excellent book. The nutrition info is out-dated unless they made a new edition, but it is written by an Olympic race-walker turned coach, Mark Fenton. He takes you from walking for 5-10 min to racing a 5K and even includes marathon training schedule in the back. He gives week by week workouts that will improve your distance, speed and frequency of exercise. He shares techniques that the pros use, ones he uses in coaching athletes who race. It is not for runners, but you could run rather than race-walk to his workouts.

AmandaDanceMore

I would start by getting yourself comfortable walking at a moderate to quick pace for 30 minutes to an hour. Once you can do that regularly, look into a C25K program. They aren't all the same (some progress much quicker than others, or are speed based). You may find it more beneficial, at first, to do a few weeks of even smaller intervals than the program you choose starts with, to allow your body (joints, muscles, shins, etc) time to get used to jogging, as well as your heart and lungs. The first time I started a C25K program, despite being active and walking tons, I did some time just jogging for 30secs, walking 1 minute. I get very bad shin splints if I'm not careful, and taking the time to move along VERY slowly helped.

Another suggestion I have is to research good running form and good warm ups and cool downs.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

You start right where you are! You can improve a little every day and in a year or so you could be a fantastic runner.

Great advice above. You should be able to walk more than a 5k at a reasonable pace (I'd suggest 4mi @ 15 min per mile on flat terrain) before you should work on running it. Otherwise, you just risk injury, which puts you back in your chair.

And, running/walking is only one choice of so many: Elliptical trainers, exercise classes, cycling, swimming, ballroom dancing. Find an activity you like!

dawson002

You've already started....by deciding you want to become more active.

Start walking before trying to run...get to the point where you can walk for 30 minutes at a reasonable pace.

You can then maybe start running at 30 second intervals but DON'T overdo it else you'll injure yourself.

About 9 months ago I was in the same position....now I run 5K 5 times a week

Tacklewasher

One more vote for walking first. 30 mins to an hour reasonable fast (hell, faster than you will run) is a good base and then download C25K and don't worry if your run speed is slower or not much different than your walk speed.

MegaMooseEsq

I am in no way qualified to give fitness advice, but I can say that what the posters above said about starting with walking has been working really well for me so far. I've always been a pretty fast walker, but something really clicked a couple of months ago when I went from two 10 minute walks a day (which I'd been doing for a couple of years) to 30 minutes to an hour a day, still often split into multiple sessions.

Maybe 2-3 weeks after I upped my time, I noticed that I was barely breaking a sweat anymore and my fitbit wasn't consistently registering my walks as "active minutes." Around late August I started alternating walking with jogging just very short distances, aiming for that same feeling that a really brisk walk used to give me. I've been gradually ramping up since then, and am now jogging about a 15-minute mile every AM, and a bit less than that over lunchtime. It doesn't seem like much, but it's worlds ahead of where I was a couple of months ago, and for the first time I feel confident that I can keep this up.

Tacklewasher

And, as I just posted in another thread, GET GOOD SHOES.

Go to a running store and have someone watch you walk around. Your shoes are the best investment in your running.

cameronheel

To reiterate the above advice, get good shoes or you will most likely have problems as you increase your distance.

And I agree that first you should build up your walking endurance and then start by running s l o w. Most people who start these programs run much too fast at the beginning. As previously posted you should be able to talk or even sing when you are running an easy pace. If you are having to gasp for breath you are going too fast. For now just focus on slow running, pace comes later.

I completed C25K in Jan and ran my first race I Feb. I ran my first 10K in August and have signed up for a half marathon in Nov. I now run between 30 and 40 miles a week. In the interim I have lost 70lbs. Be careful if you get the running bug, it is quite addictive

GottaBurnEmAll

I will reiterate what everyone else has said. Build a really solid walking base to the point where you're comfortably walking for 45 minutes to an hour at a brisk pace regularly, and if it takes you a while to get there, that's okay.

To give you some idea how long it took me, I started out walking to the corner one day, and gradually added little bits until I was walking 5 miles daily. I remember it took me three weeks to work up to a 1/4 mile. I spent a year and a half on building a foundation of walking before I attempted C25K because I started from nothing. And you know what? I'm glad I did it. Bear in mind that I was walking with a cane when I started and that it might not take you quite as long to adjust, especially if you're younger!

I also second the advice to get good shoes. Get fitted at a running store.

Spliner1969

khan2187 wrote: »

So I basically lead a very inactive lifestyle (I spend 80% of my day either sitting or sleeping) and that is starting to bother me, so I decided to give walking / running a place in my daily life.

Currently if I jog for even 100 meters I would end up loosing my breath or at least get my heart rate really elevated (Which I believe in a sign I need to start building up my overall fitness)

What is the most efficient course of action in terms of diet and exercise for me to start.

PS: I can spare an hour a day for workout (Excluding weekends where I can spare as much time as needed)

I was a total desk jockey for years, still am but can run a 5k now if I want. I would sit all day at work, go home, eat dinner, sit all evening, and go to bed. When I started with MFP all I could do was walk. Running was out of the question. After a year of learning to walk up to 4 miles at a time as fast as I could go, running intervals seemed only natural. The second year I learned to do more and more and by the end of last year I was running up to 2 miles. This spring I did my first 5k without stopping and I've pretty much ran one every Saturday since. Even got my 5k time under 30 minutes which was a goal of mine. So walk at first, work up to it. You can do it! An hour day is fine, just remember to take a day or two off a week.

sksk1026

You can download a free audio couch-to-5k program from the NHS. It'S the British medical system but anybody can get the program. It will tell you when to walk and when to run until you build up to 5k! http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Couch-to-5K-running-plan.aspx

Jthanmyfitnesspal

The Zen Labs Fitness app worked fine for me.