I wanted to make an exercise suggestion - c25k

[Tufflaw 463]

Hi, I wanted to make a suggestion for those looking for a good way to exercise post-surgery. For those thinking of starting a jogging regimen but hate the thought of actually running, I strongly recommend a program called c25k, which is short for Couch to 5K. The idea is that by following this program, you go from sitting on your couch doing nothing to running a full 5K (3.1 miles) in 9 weeks.

I've always hated running but doing something like a 5K was always on my bucket list, so I decided to give it a try. I've tried the c25k program in the past (years ago) with some decent results, but never stuck with it.

So now that I've lost some decent weight post-surgery I wanted to try to kickstart my metabolism again and get some good exercise so I decided to try the program again. And it was a success! I followed the program, ran three times a week using my c25k app, and made it to the end. After I finished I ran three 5Ks a week for a few weeks until I ran in an organized 5K event where I placed 18th out of 63, and 2nd place for my gender/age group!

Now, for someone who always hated running, I can't believe I'm doing this, but a few weeks ago I started the b210k program (Bridge to 10K), which is a six week program that gets you from running a 5K to running a 10K (6.2 miles). Today was day 1 of week 3, and I ran 3 intervals of 1.8 miles each with .1 mile walking in between, for a total running of 5.4 miles.

If you've ever thought of trying to start jogging but didn't have a plan or thought it was impossible, give this a shot, you won't regret it. It starts off really easy and gradually builds up.

There are a ton of free and paid apps you can use. I personally use Rundouble which has a free version, and you can pay to unlock additional programs. I've also heard very good things about an app called Nike Running Club, which is also free. I've also tried Zombies Run 5K which is pretty neat.

Best of luck to whoever gives this a shot, hope you'll post your progress here!

Bonus pictures of me and my daughter after the 5K (she ran the kids fun run and took 2nd place):

[The Greater Fool 1,937]

Congratulations!

Much like you, I was not one who enjoyed running. I decided to do a program amazingly similar to C25K just to challenge myself, I had no intention of continuing. As it turned out I enjoyed running. I used the time and repetitive motions to meditate and focus on what the day was going to be about.

From a weight loss perspective my weight just kept consistently dropping until I passed a completely unexpected normal BMI.

Good luck,

Tek

[SpartanMaker 676]

Glad you both found something that's working for you!

The data is pretty clear that WLS patients that partake in at least 200 minutes a week of moderate to strenuous physical activity are significantly more likely to maintain their weight loss.

Not everyone will be able to tolerate running for one reason or another due to impact on joints, but there are lots of other activities that will work as well.

[The Greater Fool 1,937]

45 minutes ago, SpartanMaker said:

Glad you both found something that's working for you!

The data is pretty clear that WLS patients that partake in at least 200 minutes a week of moderate to strenuous physical activity are significantly more likely to maintain their weight loss.

Not everyone will be able to tolerate running for one reason or another due to impact on joints, but there are lots of other activities that will work as well.

Joint issues are why I approached it as a short term challenge rather than a long term solution. It turned out I was able to do more running than I expected for longer than I expected. But ultimately I couldn't sustain running as long as I wish I could and still wish I could.

We each are forced to live our own lives, after all.

Good luck,

Tek

[Edge13 64]

Congrats bro! I still couldn't get into running. For my cardio, I fell in love with the rowing machine. It's my moment of Zen (almost) every day.