Ever heard of the couch to 5K? Chances are you have, and chances are you had the same negative thoughts as me. Like most of us, I haven’t exercised since school other than the odd dog walk or spontaneous yoga session. So, when I heard about couch to 5k I was very dubious, running for 30 minutes in just 9 weeks? Surely impossible. Well, and this is probably the first and last time you will hear me say this, I was wrong. I have now been running every other day since April (almost four months now) and have 256km under my belt, which is the same distance as Oxford to Manchester.

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I don’t know if I would call myself a runner yet, maybe jogger is more appropriate, but compared to where I was in April, I am basically Mo Farah. My first run was horrific, my coach (I have chosen Laura) alerted me that my five minutes of brisk walking was up, and it was time to run. For 60 seconds. 60 seconds is not long in just about any other circumstance, unless of course you were on fire and it definitely felt like I was, but in running 60 seconds is a lifetime and felt impossible for me. It took me 5 attempts to be able to complete this session but, I did it! Moving on to the next week was even harder, 90 seconds! The amount of abuse I whispered to Laura in my headphones is embarrassing but again after 5 tries I succeeded. My point is you can do it too, no matter how impossible it feels. It’s A-OK to repeat runs and its completely fine to fail.

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All too often people portray their ‘perfect’ life onto social medias. I have seen lots of fit, young and sugar-coated posts about running and that can feel rubbish for us to consume. It makes us feel running is not for us, we aren’t fit enough or young enough or small enough. The reality is running is for everyone. No matter how many steps you achieve in a day, no matter how wobbly you are, no matter how old your leggings are or how fast you are. You won’t get everything right first time or even fourth time! But that’s the beauty of it, it’s something for you and only you, it’s time for yourself to get away from the chaos of life, its loving and supporting your body, its whatever you want it to be. So, download that Couch to 5K app, I believe in you.‍

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‍This week's blog was written by Hattie L, Healthy Lifestyle Administrator, Achieve OxfordshireTo sign up to one of our free weight management service click here