So you’ve signed up and have a while before we start the course so I bet you’re wondering what you can do until then. Well the course starts off fairly easy with the first week seeing you run 5 reps of 2 minutes with 4 minutes walking in between. However the walking is best kept to a fast walk where possible so you can get yourself ready for the course by taking up walking and increasing your speed and distance over time.
Numerous studies recommend that the average person should walk a minimum of 10,000 steps per day, sounds like a lot doesn’t it? An average person has a stride length of approximately 2.1 to 2.5 feet. That means that it takes over 2,000 steps to walk one mile; and 10,000 steps would be around 5 miles. For a lot of people 5 miles walking in a day would be a lot more then they are used to but actually if you build up slowly, walk slightly further each day you can quickly achieve that goal and you’ll reap the benefits when you are the course.
There are many ways you can increase your daily step count:
- Walk the dog a little further
- Take the stairs, not the lift
- Park further from the station or the shops
- Better still walk all the way to the station or the shops
- Get up from your desk at least once every hour and move around for a few minutes
Buying a Fitbit or similar device is a really good way to motivate yourself to move around more, especially when you set yourself step or distance goals and find yourself slacking off. Also make sure you have a comfortable pair of walking shoes or trainers as walking in inappropriate footwear will just cause you injuries and demotivate you!