If you've lost your exercise/running mojo, come on in for a Christmas countdown .....

[lechatnoir]

I've not done any significant exercise for the past 9 months, have put on 1.5 stone, taken up smoking again after years away and feel like shit as a result plus add peri-menopausal symptoms Working from home , lack of money and general feeling of negativity everywhere hasn't helped and I'm sure I'm not alone.

In a fit of madness I signed up for a HM for next March but need a kick up the arse and a serious overhaul before I can even start to think about following a running plan. Ive got 7 weeks before I start training but think 8 weeks is more realistic and will also tie in nicely with the festive season (right now I just want to hibernate not party).

So aims are:
Get basic fitness levels up and gently resume running
Build some strength and flexibility
Stop smoking (day 3 and counting)
Include some proper self-care - early nights, hair colouring more regularly, just a bit of pampering occasionally.

Get back in the habit of regular exercise with some sort of weekly timetable.

Anyone want to join me and post for support, encouragement, ideas and give each other a proverbial kick up the arse along way?

Didn’t make it to the gym this morning as the snow was quite bad around us. Will do a workout at home this evening.

More body combat here today. 13k steps plus yoga. And all without even leaving the house!

Right- I'm back. DD off sick last Thurs/Fri so nothing doing and then Sat/Sun I was basically just a lazy biatch.

Monday: Gym- cross trainer and weights. Got my back squat up to 55kg for 8 reps without doing the Bambi legs thing. Skipped the deadlift as got a massive cut on my thumb and hurts too much even with tape

Today: Very slow and cautious 5k as still pretty icy and I am super paranoid about slipping and breaking something.

No workout today but have done over 18k steps, plus yoga, so I will call that a win.

I just wondered if anyone knows if it’s safe to run in this cold weather? I had such a fun run in the cold in the park yesterday and felt so good for it. However, I read an article this morning that has made me a bit nervous, do I didn’t run today.Outlined the risk of stroke, heart attack and falls. Any thoughts please?

Well I decided not to be put off by one person’s opinion. Wrapped up warm and went out anyway for a run. Trainers have good grip. It was fine!

Back in the gym today. After being freezing last weekend, it was boiling today as they were obviously blasting the heating 😓

I've just caught up on the messages, I've been down with a cold the past week and have withheld all exercise I simply had no energy. I got out for brisk walk earlier and followed it with 30 mins weight work out at home, so hopefully I can fit in 4o mins exercise on alternate days over the next fortnight...not easy with the demands of Christmas!

@Toolowforzero - I saw that article - I think it was really just trying to advise not to push too hard in the cold weather.

I went out for a long Jeff today -17 miles. It was really cold and in places very slippy underfoot, so much so that I had to abandon the Thames path and stick to main roads so that the pavements were gritted. The route also took in some parks and commons where it was safest to run on the snowy grass - quite fun but required quite a bit of high knees so a bit more of a work out than I had expected. For the first time ever I came back needing to eat something so put on the soup maker whilst I had my shower rather than grabbing an unhealthy snack.

A really busy day here so no workout, but have done over 13k steps, and yoga. Well done all you people out running in this weather - we have SO much snow here.

We have so much snow here I haven’t left the house since Wednesday! Yesterday I did just over 13k steps, today sitting on 14k - body combat workouts both days, and yoga, today a Madonna dance workout too.

Oh, I have found my thread 🙏. Started running in early 2020, half-marathon by Nov 20, running 10K every other day until about Nov 21 but losing the joy then so 'upped' the pace and did RED Jan 22 which finished me off. Have lost energy and drive and gained weight and apathy. How should I start back in 2023? Head says couch25K but heart says go 10K and see...

50 minute workout, 14k steps, and yoga ✅

@resipsa hello, I would go C25K and see how you get on? You can always shoot up a few weeks if you start week one and feel like you don’t need to go so slowly. I had to stop running because of PF but hoping to restart in spring - my plan is to see how I go with week one and then skip up to four if i feel fancy!

Sorry, me again - another day of not leaving the house but finally the snow is going. A very short workout, yoga, and have literally just sneaked in at 10k steps before midnight. So not great but not terrible either.

Feeling pretty proud that I came in at over 100k steps for the week and only left the house on Tuesday and Wednesday!

Did an at-home workout yesterday. I'm fighting off a chest infection so have laid off the gym to give myself a chance to recover.

However, I've been cleared by my rehab team to start running again! (recovering from a lower limb fracture, ICYMI) Will be a bit nerve-wracking. I'm to follow Couch to 5k, with very strict instructions as to effort level, repeating weeks, and how to manage aches. But I guess I can throw my running shoes into my Christmas suitcase 😆

5K this morning after a week off because I wasn't feeling too good. It felt pretty great now the weather has warmed up a bit - in fact I was almost too warm in two tops and full length leggings. I am now the Local Legend on a particular segment having run it twice in the last 90 days

No workout today as I have done 19k steps without one, but I have done my yoga. Yesterday I did a 50 minute workout, 13k steps, and the yoga.

I've had a week off after feeling pretty rough. I managed a 5K this evening - had intended to take it slowly but ended up only a minute or slower than last time I did that loop as I felt OK going round. Coughing a lot now though.

Hey guys. Just on my way back from holiday. Had a bit of a bad week before that. Got to the gym once and a couple of 6k runs but that was it. Combo of sick kids and major Christmas admin and masters coursework deadlines. Then skiing this week which probably counts but majorly offset by huge amounts of cheese and schnapps. For anyone who is a skier, the resort, Saas Fee, definitely worth considering if you’re a red run level skier. If you’re expert then you’d need a lot of snow so the off piste is open. It’s small but very picturesque and pistes are well managed.

Got back on the bike today and man oh man did I feel rough. Evidently I haven’t fully shaken off this chest infection. Even the yoga afterwards felt like an effort, and it was a slow, stretchy one.

My chest has been playing up in the past week. I'm optomistic about parkrun tomorrow... maybe...

I’ve kept up workouts/steps/yoga every day so am feeling pretty proud of myself. We did just have a takeaway pizza though!

Christmas Eve parkrun done 😎

You've done really well. How's the PF going?

My son's still struggling with his but being 9, it's hard to find anything to help him with it. We even tried going to an osteopath but he's not motivated to do the exercises often enough which doesn't help.

Well done @BogRollBOGOF