Autumn is my very favorite season. I love the crisp air and the glorious colorful leaves. It is the time of year that I love to take walks. And so yesterday I hit the local rail-trail. (Blog photo above is from yesterday’s walk, taken with the iPhone 5, just a quick snap and no-editing).
I was not alone on the trail. Bikers, walkers and runners were all taking advantage of the perfect day.
There are many wonderful fitness apps, but the one that I thought I’d share today is Couch-to-5k.
If you are a new runner, or someone who is even thinking about running, this app might be something that you would like to try.
All you do is …… touch START.
That’s it! So very easy to use. A human voice will guide you. (You have the choice of 3 virtual coaches). He/she will tell you to walk, and after a while he/she will tell you to run (briefly) and then walk again. Run, then walk, repeat, repeat. For 30 minutes.
The beginning intervals start with just a minute and a half of jogging, followed by 2 minutes of walking, repeat, repeat.
Each week the workout changes somewhat. A subtle increase. A little tiny bit more running, and a little less walking. The intervals of running increase slightly as you gradually improve.
These workouts gently shift your activity from walking to running.
You can play your own music through the app, and you will still hear the voice giving you your prompts.
Personally, I am not ever going to be a runner. I can’t even walk very fast. But I still enjoy the encouraging voice and I use the “running time” to speed up my walk just a bit. It also keeps me honest by walking for a full 30 minutes.
But for someone who would like to run, and needs some help to get started, this app would be incredibly valuable.
Engadget and Runner’s World both think highly of Couch to 5k, and you can see their praise highlighted here in the app description. Couch to 5K is $1.99 in the iTunes store.
Long Life Cats and Dogs
/ October 23, 2012hey look – I can leave a comment! Yippee!!! Stole hubby’s modem quickly (told him I had work to do – he’ll not be impressed when he finds out it was to comment on blogs – tee hee!). Anyway – no running for me – no sir ree!
sharechair
/ October 23, 2012Good to see you! Tell your hubby “hi” … oh, wait, he mustn’t know about the modem trick.
jacquiefioramonti
/ October 23, 2012Now what I think would work very nice is an app that would do the running for me
sharechair
/ October 23, 2012That that is an app that I would LOVE to have (she says as she sits comfortably in a big soft chair with a quilt in her lap and absolutely no intention of doing any exercise today:) )
jacquiefioramonti
/ October 23, 2012Enjoy your exercise free day and that big comfy chair!
sharechair
/ October 23, 2012I just thought that maybe writing about it would count.
coastalcrone
/ October 23, 2012I agree that fall is the best time to run. We don’t have fall leaves but the weather has at least cooled down from the high 90s. I run with old-fashioned headphones and listen to classical on NPR but this sounds like a great way to get started!
sharechair
/ October 23, 2012Good for you!!! It sounds like you have a routine and that is wonderful.
elizabeth
/ December 1, 201290 percent of the time it’s way too hot to get out and run here in SouthTexas, but this sounds like a great app for those days when I can get out there.
sharechair
/ December 1, 2012South Texas? I’ve never been there, but I’ll bet it is hot!