I posted before about how I was going to get back on a regular exercise routine, but it didn’t work out quite as planned. Actually, it didn’t work out at all.
I could come up with a dozen different excuses for why I didn’t stick with it, but I’ll spare you from that annoying list.
So, instead of mulling over why it didn’t work last time, I’m going to challenge myself. I’m challenging myself to a task that seems easy to many (including my husband and sister), but a challenge none the less.
My challenge? Stick with the Couch to 5K (C25K) program for 30 days.
I took the idea from Superwife, aka. Molly, a fellow blog writer in Alaska I’ve been following for a while and recently met at a local Tweetup. She told me about her plans for starting the C25K program at the Tweetup and posted about it over at her blog.
I’ve wanted to get my butt off the couch and into the gym for weeks. Talking to Molly was some of the best get-off-your-butt motivation I’ve come across lately.
Now, for all of you out there wondering why I need so much motivation to run a 5K, I mean it’s only a measly 3 miles, just hang on. I have a reason behind my simple goal.
I’m a big fan of Leo Babaut, author of Zen Habits and The Power of Less, who lives what he writes and explains how all of us can also create lasting positive habits in our lives. In his new book, Leo outlines how to create long-lasting habits by applying the “power of less.”
One of his rules for successfully changing a habit is to choose an easy goal, a goal that you know you will stick to every day. Tim Ferriss posted an exclusive excerpt from Leo’s new book:
“Choose an easy goal. Don’t decide to do something really hard, at least for now. Later, when you’re good at habit changes, you can choose something harder. But for now, do something you know you can do every day. In fact, choose something easier than you think you can do every day. If you think you can exercise for 30 minutes a day, choose 10 minutes — making it super easy is one of the surest ways to ensure you’ll succeed.”
Today I finished my second workout of Week 1 and I’m convinced that starting the C25K program was a great decision. I’m just slightly sore and I feel much better watching Dr. Phil and Oprah from the treadmill rather than with my butt planted on the couch.
I’ve been following the routine using these podcasts Molly pointed out in her recent post. I always seem to have a better workout when I have someone telling me what to do, somehow I feel guilty slacking off.
So, that’s the plan – C25K on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. I’m thinking this workout plan is going to be much more successful than the last. I’ll be doing my best to stick with it and will post updates along the way.
If you’ve been looking for a simple way to get your butt off the couch and into the gym, the C25K program is a great place to start. Let me know if you’ve done it before and have any suggestions or if you’re just getting started like me, I’d love to hear about your progress. And, of course, good luck wishes are always welcome.
