If you were 3 stone overweight, unfit and had a 10k to run in six months...

[10kToBe]

...Where would you begin?

In this scenario you are also permanently tired and time-poor as you don’t have a regular weekly routine because work takes you all over the place

Any ideas or suggestions gratefully received!

Couch to 10k, you can squeeze the runs in whenever you want.

I would also look at YouTube videos for resistance loops. I bought some resistance bands/loops from Amazon for about a fiver and do a 5-10 minute video once a day whenever I can fit it in.

yes i can identify!!

slimming world
c210k
good running shoes and good bra

treadmill at the gym where you are travelling?

Couch to 5k for when you are somewhere with a spare 40 mins.
30 day shread as an occasional hotel room excerise activity (only needs gym kit and some weights, which could be water bottles). But don't try and do utvevery day forc30 days.
Also Google "hotel room excerise". Usually designed for small spaces and no equipnent.

But you need to put some mikes under your belt. Couch 2 5k can be dobebon a treadmill in the hotel gym too.

Start off with couch to 5k. Stick with it. X

Interesting! So you’d focus on getting fitter and able to run as a priority over the losing weight?

I had been wondering if it might be better to focus on the weight first and then that would make running easier as there’d be less of me to shift around!

Do you need to be able to run 5k before you do couch to 10k? Or is it better to do the couch to 5k first and then couch to 10k after?

Also how does everyone feel about running down streets and roads in the dark? I think that’s one of the things stopping me from just getting out there - that by listening to music or an app I’m less safe?

I ran my first (and only) 10km fundraising race when I was a good 3st overweight and did it in 71min which I was very pleased about.

Fitness was much more important than being thin. I improved myself via boot camp group three times per week, but C25K/10K also works.

Work doesn’t involve hotel stays (I wish!) I meant more that the hours can vary a lot; some days I’ll be home at 5:30 but others it might be 8, ditto waking up/leaving for work, there’s no set routine so going to a regular slimming club (say) would be tricky

Plant based wholefood diet for weight loss.
Couch to 5k for fitness.

I did this! Def focus on fitness rather than weight loss, just make sure you eat plenty of lean protein.
Follow a steady plan, couch to 5/10 km are great - don’t start off too hard, it might put you off. Anything you can do is better than nothing!
Good luck!

no i'd say the opposite

you've got 6 months....you don't need that long for a 10 k

you could lose a good portion of that 3 stone first, which is going to help you more with the running

I'd go to the Runners World Forum. There is a part of the site for beginners and this thread may be useful.

forums.runnersworld.co.uk/discussion/345276/too-big-to-run

Thank you for that link - I will have a good read!

I am feeling suitably inspired now, going to go for a two-pronged approach!

Join a running club!

The motivation of doing it with others will help you and make it more fun. The fact I paid to join kept me going, too. X

Just run, life's too short to lose weight first, most people are unsuccessful. There's a slow runners group on facebook that is friendly. Maybe look for a 'This Mum runs' group near you. Either do couch to 5k, or just go for 10 minutes at first, run at a pace you could still talk comfortably at, even if it is slower than walking pace! Then next time go for 12, 15,18,20 minutes. 3 times a week should get you on the right path.

Definitely couch to 10k or 5k. I did couch to 5k when I was about 3 stone overweight and once I could do 5k I could manage 10k just by going slower.

Get my fitness pal to track your food and have a read around how many calories you need to eat to loose weight.

To be honest you're not gonna burn enough running 5k to lose weight so if that's one of your goals then you'll need to sort your diet and maybe hit the gym.

Once you get so you can do the 5k I strongly suggest you do some sprints and /or hill sprints, these improved my running more than the jogging did.

Running carrying less weight is much, much easier. And 6 months is a really long time to train for a 10k (unless you plan on winning the race!) So I would focus on losing some weight whilst getting generally fitter - i.e. crosstraining, spinning, swimming and not just running. It's perfectly doable obviously running 10k with an extra 3 stone. It's just much easier to do without it.

How are your knees? If they're fine, I'd jump right in with both.

My top diet tip - keep a big jar of mixed nuts/seeds/dried berries to keep hunger at bay in the morning before your run, just a small handful works. I strongly suggest a morning routine on an otherwise empty stomach- it's proven to be far more successful. You'll find many excuses to not run at night after work.

Work on them both concurrently. Obviously the running will help but for me, I have to do both to notice any real benefits. I am talking from past experience I have let the weight pile up and all I’ve done for the last couple of years I’d prevent further gain.

Get an 8kg kettlebell and find a 10 minute online workout that you like. The fitness increase is so speedy. You start feeling stronger almost immediately.

Try and be more active in tiny ways all the time - leave your phone across the room so you have to jump up if it rings, have quick five minute tidy ups of each room in the house. It doesn't seem like much but if you tend (as I do) to go into glued-to-sofa mode, then all these mini workouts of beniding and stretching as you put stuff away and squats as you get up and down to answer, door, phone, get a glas sof water etc, stop you from feeling so sluggish, making proper exercise a bit easier.

I did exactly this. I dropped 3 stone over 6 months doing SlimmingWorld (which meant I could still eat plenty of carbs). I built up my running doing c25k and just really stuck with it. It’s a lot easier to run when you aren’t carting all that weight around with you, as I think someone has already said.
Don’t worry that people are looking at you - they very rarely are.
I run in the dark sometimes but I wear lots of hi vis stuff and a head torch or chest light. I like to listen to music but only in one ear so I can still hear the approaching axe murderers!

Thank you all for your suggestions. I’m going to sit down with my diary tonight and work out when I can do the couch to 5k sessions. It’s tempting to say “I’ll start after Christmas” but I’ve decided to get cracking before then!