C25k in one day a week

[vvviola]

I'm very overweight and need to do something about it. Healthier eating has started as of last week and now I need to get back into exercise.

I work full time and have a long commute so mid-week exercise really doesn't work well for me.

I've managed to carve out a bit of time on a Saturday when DD1 is at her sport. That gives me about an hour in a residential area - no gym or anything around. So I thought I'd do couch to 5k (I did it years ago and enjoyed it but stopped when I got pregnant with DD2).

But I really can't manage more than once a week (I will be walking at lunch time when I can and may manage a dance class after work once a week).

Is it going to be too much of a gap between sessions? Or will I still be able to move up the levels (even if a bit slower?)

Or is there another thing I could do that would have benefit in an hour a week?

I think anything will have benefit over doing nothing!! And well done for making the change, you will soon notice the difference.

WRT training I used to run a lot but now am only really going once a week....and I am definitely getting better. So I don't see why you shouldn't do the C25K weekly, esp if you are doing some walking at lunchtimes to increase your overall fitness.

Well done!!

To start with, though, it barely takes any time at all - and even when you get to the end of the programme you should only be out of the house for 40 minutes or so - can you really not manage that? It's definitely worth trying to do the three runs a week as it builds up your stamina really quickly.

I get home at 6:45 BIWI, then it's sorting kids out, checking homework, getting kids to bed, sorting out dinner for the next day, making school lunches. On a good day, it's 9:30 when I get to sit down. And having been up and going from 6:30, I just physically can't.

Which is part of the reason for possibly squeezing in a dance class - it would be on the way home from work, so I wouldn't come home and get caught into the regular chaos.

I've had good intentions before and it has never happened. And it tends to make me self-sabotage. (I didn't manage to go out for a run today, sod it, I'll have chocolate).

What I'm kind of hoping is that a few months down the line, if I've managed to lose a bit of weight and keep going with my Saturday session, then my energy levels might be a bit higher and I might be more likely to drag myself out when all the chaos is sorted.

Can you wake up slightly earlier and do a short exercise routine at home? 15 mins?

No, I really can't. I get up at 6:30 already, to have myself and two kids up and out by 7:30. I've tried, but it just leaves me more tired and more likely to reach for the chocolate and rubbish during the day. That's why I'm working in the lunchtime walk. I should manage about 30 minutes 3 or 4 times a week.

Do you have shower facilities at work? I work FT too, started walking at lunchtime then worked in a c25k session once a week at work too - but we have showers so I can use an hour lunch to change, run, shower and eat. I'm still only on week 3 - having started over after a break - but walking regularly has helped with general fitness too. Anything regularly is better than nothing IMO.

Do you have a partner who could (and should be anyway!) help out with the evening activities, so you can have a bit of time to yourself?

I agree your progress to 5k would def be faster if you ran more, but I think it's really important that you don't get discouraged by not being able to fit more in and just start.

Whoops, sorry, early post!! I have started off so many optimistic exercise regimens with lots of sessions, but I think it's really
Important to be realistic about what you can do that fits into your life as it stands. If you can fit in 1 run a week and a couple of walks, and it doesn't mean having to pound the winter streets at 10pm, and you enjoy it, then you are much more likely to keep it up, and maybe find a way to fit in a couple more session in the future. Good luck!!!

Of course once a week is better than nothing, but realistically it'll be slow progress I would think.
I'd look at other ways of feasibly fitting your running into your life.

I work full time and we have a baby and a toddler, with no family help to call on for childcare.
As DH works evenings (aside from one day a week when I have a class), I only have my commute and lunchtimes to play with, when it comes to planning my training.

The way I do it is to run home from work every day. I run most lunchtimes too, and run to work twice a week. I love running and this is the only way I can get the mileage in.

At the moment, each day I generally do two short runs of three/four miles, then a weekly strength class, a weekly circuits class, and my long run on a weekend. Plus Parkrun, which DH and I alternate.

The running "commute" is amazing for de-stressing. I get home refreshed and with training already done. The only annoying bit is carrying clothes in my bag, but it's a small price to pay for the convenience.

Why don't you run home from work? If not the whole way, then get off the train a stop earlier and fit it in that way? You could do it 3x a week, so every other day. Progress on C25k would be much quicker then.

Hello! I started off my getting fit mission (!) 2 months ago with one session a week at the gym, then about 3 weeks ago I have started doing a second exercise session each week - it's been easier to fit it in somehow now I'm fitter and more motivated. So I would say yes just do it , get started off with one a week and if you can/want to you can always build in more sessions later, it's about getting a routine sometimes I think and hopefully enjoying it so you want to carve out pockets of time (even if you can't always!)

Running, I'm glad that commuting home works for you, but it's really not possible for me. If it was, I'd do it. Getting off a stop earlier would mean a 10k run/walk and not getting home until a minimum of 8pm. I wouldn't see my children (and, as my car would be in a completely different place, wouldn't be able to get them to school in the morning - even running walking from the station where I leave my car would cause a similar problem).

You have to believe me that I know when I can put in time - and for the foreseeable future, that, with some walking at lunch time (which will be in a shopping centre because that is the safest spot for walking near my office, so I won't be running!), is what I have.

I suppose I should have phrased the question "is it worth doing to C25k in one session a week, or will I just walk instead".

Your week sounds hectic!
Doing your walking even just once a week is brilliant,and of course is a good start, just commit to the time on Saturdays so that you keep going. Adding in walking at lunch breaks will also help with general fitness too. If you use your phone as a pedometer and count the steps it helps you see the increase in activity level.
Also, you don't have to "run" to get fitter, you can walk faster in intervals to get your heart rate up. That should be OK in a shopping centre! Maybe add in some other active things during the day, take stairs instead of escalators/lifts.

It is a bit hectic cornflake! It's the trade off for living near family in a place and house I love (longer commute, more expensive housing so we both need to work full time). It's definitely worth it - it just means squeezing in exercise is a bit more of a challenge, especially when the DC are young.

... but you haven't answered my question about a partner? Surely, if you have a partner, they could help you to free up a bit of your time?

Yes, I have a DH.

He leaves the house at 6am, gets back just before me and starts getting the DC's dinner etc, and then cleans up and does housework while I am putting the DC to bed.

He has no hobbies that take him out of the house, his main "hobby" these days is the various bits of DIY that I point him in the direction of, and does all of the outdoor jobs (garden, bins, etc).

With the exception of a bizarre reluctance to change bed linen, he is 100% supportive and pulls his weight. (In fact, I need to try to find a way to free up some of his time as he also needs to get some exercise - possibly, given his family history, more than I do).

Honestly, I have looked at this from all angles, and I was just trying to see whether this one thing was worth my while.

Things may change as the DC get older and as various circumstance change. But for now, really, honestly, my time for exercise is 1 hour on a Saturday, walking at lunch time at work, and possibly a dance class once a week (which means putting more tasks on DH that day). I have to work with what I have.

Oh - I have a DH with a marked reluctance to change bed linen despite the fact that he does all the rest of the washing!

Things will definitely change as your DC get older.

One other thing I'd say, which hopefully will make you feel better about this, is that weight loss is 80% about diet and only 20% exercise (according to Dr Jason Fung, who wrote 'The Obesity Code' it might even be 95-5%!)

So don't feel bad about not being able to do more - but focus on your healthy eating plan.

Do what you can. It doesn't matter if you progress more slowly. All that matters is that you're doing something. And fgs feel good about it - it's brilliant that you manage to do anything.

Hi vviola! I have previously done C25K. I think that when you are getting started, going 3 times a week is necessary in order to progress. I haven't run much in a while, so am starting back at around week 3 of C25K. I now find that I can progress from one week to the next even if I am doing just one run a week. I am a lot fitter than I was the first time around though.

So, to answer your question, I think that if you are quite unfit, running once a week might not be enough. You may struggle progress to the next session. Still, exercise is exercise and even being stuck on week 2 or 3 forever has to be better than nothing!