Gyms are still closed. Are you getting stir crazy yet? Starting to worry about losing the fitness progress you had made at the gym before the world began to stand still? Are you looking for something new to focus on?
This is the absolute perfect time to start running.
Running has a lot of benefits that make it a uniquely perfect quarantine activity. It is solitary. You don’t need any human contact or much special equipment to begin. Running is also much more accessible than many people think. In a matter of weeks most people of various levels of fitness can work up to a longer jog. Whether you’re extremely fit or an absolute beginner, running is within your abilities.
Another wonderful benefit of running is that it is incredibly quick and simple to measure and see your progress. Especially as a beginner, you will see improvement within a week or two. Because beginner running programs like Couch to 5k involve training up your endurance it’s simple to measure your progress by the time you can sustain your running pace before having to switch to walking.
Why is the quarantine such a great time to start running? Running doesn’t have to involve the gym. It gets you outside. It gives you something to work toward. Running gives you a sense of control over your own fitness. Also, as soon as the world opens back up to interpersonal connection you will be left with a new hobby and a great way to meet new friends.
How can FITIV help?
Intervals
While there are many ways to start a Couch to 5k journey, most methods involve interval training. By interspersing brief periods of running with time spent walking you can build leg strength, technique, and cardiovascular fitness a lot more quickly and efficiently than by just strapping on your shoes and hitting the road. This interval training element is what makes C25K so approachable.
FITIV has the option to create interval workouts so that you can be alerted in-workout when you’re supposed to switch from walking to running and vice versa. Having an alert to tell you when to slow down or speed up can be extremely helpful to keep you from watching the clock, especially in the early days of the program when you have lots of intervals to accomplish.
High Heart Rate Alerts
Heart rate training is the fitness industry’s most valuable tool. Heart rate training can be complicated for beginners, but FITIV has a lot of resources to help you learn more. Essentially, your heart rate corresponds to how much energy your body is moving. Higher heart rates indicate that you’re using more energy. This means that you are burning more calories, using more oxygen, and (most importantly) it changes where your body is getting its energy. When you’re working out at a lower heart rate your body can use a larger store of energy: fat. If, on the other hand, your heart rate is extremely high, your body uses the easier to access but more limited energy source of stored carbohydrates.
When you’re working on endurance you need to make sure that you’re keeping your heart rate as low as possible, as this will allow you to use proportionately less of your stored carbohydrates (glycogen) so that you won’t run out and ‘hit a wall’.
Using FITIV Pulse you can either keep an eye on your heart rate intensity by keeping an eye on your phone or Apple Watch, or by enabling a high heart rate alert in the app settings.
Supportive Community
The FITIV Community is an amazing place to get tips, celebrate your accomplishments, and find active friends around the world. Running can be a great way to find new friends. Because running has such a low barrier to entry there are runners all around the world.
We know for a fact that it’s easier to work out when you feel supported. It’s important to be able to share your milestones. It’s also important to be able to ask questions when learning a new skill. By joining the FITIV Community you can have access to experts in the field of running. Whether you’re looking for a kudos or have an important pacing question the FITIV Community has your back.
