Health Tech: What Is Couch To 5k?

While we are celebrating the holidays and probably eating more than we should, many of us are already planning how we're going to lose some extra pounds in January. There's a good chance one of your New Year's Resolutions is to lose weight and get healthier. 

Maybe you should restart that gym membership? How about those great deals on workout equipment? Perhaps trying a new diet to jump start your metobolism with all those new products on the market? While all these might be good ideas, you might want to consider another cheaper option.

December takes it's toll not only on your wasteline but also on your pocketbook. Research shows that 80% of people that join a gym in January stop going by February. We all have such great intentions and we tell ourselves that this year it will be different but only 1-2% actually continue to honor their gym membership throughout the year. The odds are stacked against you, so don't set yourself up for failure this year. 

Frugal Fitness?

You can hold onto your money and be efficient with your time by trying out a Couch to 5K program. Couch to 5K is a program designed to get just about anyone from the couch to running 5 kilometers, or 3.12 miles, in just 9 weeks. The key to the program is that it's a simple introduction to getting the body moving. You starting off alternating between walking and running small distances. You slowly build up endurance over 9 weeks and then you're ready to run 5 kilometers or 30 minutes non stop. Many people are turned off from running becuase they start off doing too much too fast. Couch to 5K eleminates that issue and allows you to increase your ability in a healthy and successful way. 

Cool Running is the originator of the Couch to 5k program and have it available here to print out. Here is a sample of the first week of workouts from the ‘Couch-to-5K Running Plan’:

Couch to 5k Tech

While this training concept can be done from a printed schedule, adding the advantages of tracking with your mobile device can be more fun and hold you more accountable. Cool Running's original C25K app has been used by many with great results and only costs $1.99. This is great if you don't use any other apps to track your fitness or use other tracking devices such as heart rate monitors.

Many free apps such as RunKeeper and MapMyFitness now have C25K training programs already built into them. This is advantageous because these apps support multiple tracking devices and have great tools to motivate you. In addition, you can sync these apps up with Nudge to track the progress of your Nudge Factor - a single number that measures how healthy you're living.

Couch To Competition

The last great thing about Couch To 5k training is it allows you to set a goal to run an organized 5k race. There are countless 5k races held at all times of the year and they are a great way to break into running. There are all levels of athletes at 5k races and many people walk part of, if not the whole distance. If you've followed the C25K training and you can run at least most of the distance, you'll feel good about not finishing last and reaching a great fitness goal.

So before you plop down a wad of cash for home fitness equipment or a new gym membership, why not consider downloading a free app to your phone and hitting the pavement to lose those extra holiday pounds?

Nudge measures how healthy you're living with a single health score, the Nudge Factor. Now syncing with your favorite health apps, Nudge is your healthy lifestyle in one place, with one health score. If you'd like to learn more about how to engage your audience and get more brand advocates, contact Nudge.