Walking Isn't Crowded Couch To 5K

Have you been sitting on the sidelines or laying on the couch wanting to move your body, but didn't know where to start? I was in the same situation in 2010. I thought being age 55 and starting to exercise was crazy. Now mind you I never thought I would just get up off the couch and start running and I didn't. But I did begin the exercise slowly but surely. My first attempt was P90 in 1998 (yes I'm dating myself) & then later with P90X (both Beachbody programs). And at that time I was not very active and overweight, but not sedentary. I was a child care provider so running after children all day kept me somewhat active. During that time I had neglected my body. Eating everything without thought and not exercising with frequency. Well I needed to change. So I got up off the couch and haven't looked back ever since.

Now I won't say it was easy, but nothing worth having is easy. I wanted to be healthy! I joined Team Beachbody in July 2010 because of the programs and accountability. I love Beachbody! It's so much easier to be fit and healthy now. We even have Fitness on demand. Like netflix for fitness... Beachbody On Demand (BOD). It is a Godsend for me and many others. Since joining Beachbody as a Coach, I have lost 30 pounds along the way and got so much energy and confidence. I decided to become a Certified Holistic Wellness Coach in 2012 and my love of helping others has been ignited.

When I say it feels good to be healthy and to have others feel good and thank you for helping them to get healthy is why I do what I do everyday.

Just start where you are. Don't try to go too fast. You may hurt something. Talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program. But when I tell you WALKING ISN'T CROWDED I really mean it. The body has a way of letting you know when it has had enough.

Start with walking. One foot in front of the other. 10 minutes a day. 15 minutes a day. 20 minutes a day. Gradually increase your time and distance. I started with the Couch to 5K program in 2012 that I found online (C25K) with no thought of becoming a runner. My goal was to be able to walk around our entire park, which is 3.1 miles (a 5K). I took on this C25K and some other ladies joined me. Before we knew it we had completed the entire walk around the park. Then something amazing happened. We saw a group of other ladies of various ages running around the park. We stopped one of the women to ask how they were able to run around the park. They shared with us their Walk Before You Run Program, which was similar to our C25K. We joined the group (Black Girls Run, BGR-South Jersey) and became runners before we knew it we were signing up for 5k races and getting medals! (Bling as we call it!) I was elated to be able just to run our entire park, but when I ran it and other 5k races and even a 10K at my age I was very proud of myself. And just think it all started with me getting off that couch, out the chair and on to the pavement putting one foot in front of the other. So I am attaching a Couch 2 5K (C25K) link here for anyone who'd like to take their first steps into fitness. Remember WALKING ISN'T CROWDED.

Here's the link! C25K

Best wishes! Let me know how you do? My email: ellenlivingmybestlife@gmail.com