My Couch to 5K diary

A woolly hat helped Laura overcome her self-consciousness in the early days of her Couch to 5K plan.
Here, she describes the highs and lows in her diary of the nine-week programme that transformed the one-time fitness phobe into a regular runner.

Week one

I chose my local park as a place to train in and began on a Sunday morning. The cold weather was a good excuse to disguise myself in a woolly hat. Once I got going, I was surprised at how easy it was, and I found that at the end of the walking intervals I’d recovered sufficiently and was ready to run again. Roll on week two!

Week two

I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of upping the regime, but I knew I could cope with more, so tried to think positively. In fact, it didn’t feel that different to last week. One slight hiccup – my foot started to hurt. Luckily, applying an ice pack after my run, and then each morning and evening, seemed to do the trick.

Week three

When the voice on the podcast said three minutes, I was momentarily worried – but then convinced myself that as long as I didn’t rush it, I’d be just fine ... and I was! It was so cold that my eyes were streaming, so I looked like I was crying, but in fact, I felt the opposite – I was elated at my progress.

Week https://www.facebook.com/the3weeksdietplan/posts/398440350366767four

Had you told me a year ago that I’d be going out running with my boyfriend at 8am on Valentine's Day morning, in a steady drizzle, I’d have said you were mad. But I actually quite enjoyed it, and got through the https://www.facebook.com/the3weeksdietplan/posts/398440350366767 fine. I’m really beginning to appreciate how Couch to 5K is training my mind as well as my body, and if I’m honest, my mind is the only obstacle to getting fit.

Week five

Discovering I’d be running for 20 minutes by the end of the week really stopped me in my tracks. But I reasoned that since Couch to 5K had got me this far, I must be capable. I can’t say I experienced a runner’s high, but I definitely felt a major boost on completing this week.

Week six

I got through this week OK, but struggled with stitch and pains in my shin. I looked up my shin pains online and it sounded like shin splints – caused by too much training too soon, or running on hard surfaces without sufficient shoe support. Maybe it’s time to trade in my trainers and get something a bit more sophisticated.

Week seven

This week involved three 25-minute runs. It’s nice not to have the interruption of walking, though it still requires some serious effort. Looking back, I think I imagined that running would become easy. It’s certainly not easy yet, but I catch my breath and recover faster and faster each week.

Week eight

Once again, I was struck down with stitch. I made sure I was taking slow, deep breaths, and I started doing sit-ups before my runs, as I’ve read that this might strengthen the muscles that are causing me trouble.

Week nine

I was determined to beat the stitch and finish my last week on a high, so I started each run with a glass of water, some sit-ups and side stretches. Thank goodness it worked. My third run was my best – and my fastest – yet. A fitting end to my Couch to 5K journey. The key now is to keep up my runs and improve my pace and speed. And who knows? Maybe I’ll start working towards 10K

Weight Loss Basics

 

Weight Loss Basics

One of the best ways to take care of yourself is to lose a little weight. Losing weight helps you look younger, leaner and healthy. It can be frustrating to start trying to lose weightthough, and there are so many options that you may not know which way to go. Here are some solid tips to help you slim down.

Exercise can be pretty boring. When trying to lose weight, make sure you have some entertainment during those long cardio sessions. Get a book to read or even an audio book to listen to. Create a music playlist that is fast and high-energy and will keep your body moving.

An often overlooked way to successfully lower your weight is to eliminate stress. Stress often disrupts the body’s ability to digest food and process nutrients correctly, so by eliminating stress you help your body be more efficient. Meditation and yoga are highly recommended for stress reduction to help return your body and mind to their optimal states.

To help you lose weight, cut out carbonated sweet drinks. There is an incredible amount of sugar in pop. This sugar will easily turn to fat if it is not burned off, resulting in weight gain. This is probably one of the easiest things you can do to lose weight. Diet drinks are better, however they still are not good for you for other reasons.

If you’re trying to lose weight, and are constantly hungry, you need to arm yourself with healthy, low-fat snack choices. Carrots and celery are always mentioned, and they’re fine, but what if you want carbs? Choose healthy carbs such as nonfat (air-popped) popcorn with no salt. You can pop a huge bag of it, munch away along with a huge glass of water, and feel nice and full with no damage to your waistline.

If you find that you have stopped losing weight, start exercising more. Some people might stop or slow down in losing weight after dieting and exercising for an extended period of time. If you still have weight you want to lose, consider exercising more. Increasing your usual exercise routine by just five minutes should kick start your weight loss again.

Drinking water is an obvious weight-loss suggestion, but did you know it can also affect your appetite at mealtime? Next time you’re sitting down to dinner, try drinking a large (16-oz or more) glass of cool water before you sit down to eat. You may find that your stomach has less room for food and that you will eat less.

If you are in the mood for something crunchy, don’t grab the entire potato chip bag and run. Instead, place one or two handfuls of the snack into a Ziploc bag to control the amount of salt you will be putting into your body. This is a great way to control portions.

Too busy to exercise? Slip in a few short workouts here and there. Park further away from the grocery store or work, and take the stairs whenever possible. Rather than using a leaf blower or automatic mower, try sweeping your leaves and using a push mower. A few minutes here and there can really add up!

If you find yourself feeling especially hungry and can’t differentiate between a craving and actual, real hunger, try this trick: Instead of starting with whatever junk food you happen to be craving, head straight for the veggies or fiber-rich fruits. If you are truly hungry, these foods will satisfy your body’s need for sustenance, and you will be filling your stomach with good, healthy foods.

Keep a bottle of water right beside your bed and drink it as soon as you wake up in the morning. This will help to give your metabolism a boost, and it will also make it more likely that you will eat less food when it is time for breakfast.

Try filling up on three bean salad for greater success with weight loss. You can quickly make the low-calorie version at home. Open three cans of various beans, then mix them in a light Italian dressing. Choose whole-wheat, high-fiber bread instead of processed white bread.

In order to effectively lose weight, it is very important to burn more calories than that which you take into your body. Excess calories that are not burned are stored as fat and in return makes the individual gain weight. Exercising on a regular basis will help you burn more calories daily.

In order to maintain a healthy immune system and keep your emotions in check, you have to get enough sleep. Sleep controls restoration to your body, and therefore has everything to do with your body’s immune system fighting diseases. It also controls your mood and how well you are able to handle the next day’s activities.

If you have a strong desire to lose weight, getting enough sleep is a big help. It has been proven that those who don’t get enough sleep tend to be hungrier throughout the day. Therefore, lack of sleep can cause people to overeat. Therefore, it is imperative to get at least eight hours of sleep per night.

As portion sizes have gotten larger, so have our waistlines. The next time you go out to eat, try sharing a single entree with someone instead of trying to eat the whole thing yourself. You can also split the dessert, or even a drink. This way you can still enjoy your meal without eating so much.

A good way to lose weight would be to make sure your meals are planned before you eat them. This helps you avoid spur-of-the moment decisions about what to eat, thus leading to eating the wrong things. There are many people who lay out weekly meal plans on Sunday night.

Use these tips to de-mystify losing weight. The simplest ways to lose weight are often the best. Just remember to keep going and not to get discouraged when you don’t see the results on the scale that you want to see. Make sure you stay committed and you WILL start losing the weight.

Requirement of exercise is the prior thing to  decrease the weight.    

Requirement of exercise is the prior thing to  decrease the weight.    

Diabetes Help

Diabetes Help

Weight and Diabetes: Lose Pounds to Lower Yf you’re overweight, you’ve probably thought about shedding some pounds. If you have diabetes or are at risk for getting it, you should stop thinking and start doing -- now. Why? Because excess weight puts a strain on your body in all sorts of ways.

“If I suddenly take a bunch of gravel and throw it in the back of your car, you can still probably make 70 mph on the interstate. But you’re going to make the engine work a little harder. If I put 1,000 pounds in your car, that effect increases. I can probably put enough weight in so, eventually, your car no longer can perform like it needs to,” says David Marrero, PhD, president of health care and education for the AmericanDiabetes Association.

It sounds harsh, but the truth is, that extra weight in your trunk? It can lead to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure,cancer, and diabetes, according to the National Heart, Lung, and BloodInstitute.

Your engine already is whining. Ditch the gravel. You might be surprised at how dropping just a few pounds can make a dramatic difference.

“What we know in diabetes prevention, and in prediabetes, is that a very modest amount of weight loss has this huge reduction in risk,” Marrero says. “You lose 7% of your body weight, you cut your risk [of developing diabetes] by 60%. And, in fact, if you’re over 65, it’s over 70%."

our Risk