Happy Running, C25K

Working out is a great way to stay in shape and help boost your happiness with minimal daily effort. But, COVID-19 has made it much harder to get into the gym lately. So instead, I’ve taken my workouts outside and, I’ve started running using C25K. Though I may be only in week 4, I’ve noticed a tremendous improvement in my happiness just by running.

So what is C25K? It stands for, Couch 2 5k, and is a program to help future runners go from no running to being able to run a full 5k. I started this program for the first time back in 2016, and have restarted several times since then. And while I’ve never run a 5k, I’ve noticed that each time I enjoy the act of running a little more.

How does C25K work?

C25K is a program that has both Android and iPhone apps, but you can do it on pen and paper too! The program has you run 3 times a week, and each week will increase the intensity so long as you could successfully complete the current week successfully.

Here is a copy of the visual, credit to Tom Benninger.

Visual C25K
Visual C25k

So starting at week one, you should do a brisk walk for 5 minutes, jog for 60 seconds, walk for 30 seconds and repeat 8 times, then cool down for another 5 minutes. If you could complete that week successfully, you’ll increase the intensity for week 2 and run for 90 seconds and walk for 2 minutes, repeating that for 6 times.

By the end, around 9 weeks, you should be able to run or almost run a 5k race!

How can running increase my happiness?

Oh in so many ways! Backstory on me, I hated exercise in school. I was the kind of kid who would just sit on the bleachers while people played dodge ball, soccer, or really any sport.

I always thought I don’t need that, I’m too good for it, plus I’m just not good at it. And I was wrong! In 2014 I reached the highest weight I’ve ever been, at 287. I had lost a decent amount of that way during my own depression and just not eating, but I was still an unhealthy 230 in about 2017. So I decided I needed to workout. I started running and ultimately ended up in the gym. And while I’ve wavered in my consistency with working out and eating right, I was consistently hitting goals when I was going to the gym regularly.

It went from me being afraid to walk into the gym’s free weight section, to I think I can squat 225 given 3 more weeks of training. And I didn’t realize just how much I needed to feel like I was hitting my goals until I felt in complete control of my workout regimen. Setting and hitting goals, is the first way running, with a program, can increase your happiness!

But, my story wasn’t explicitly about running, so how does running increase my happiness.

If you’re an outdoor runner, you get the boost of Vitamin D and sunlight to brighten your day! It is crazy just how much Vitamin D can improve your mood. (Ref: US National Institute of Health). While you shouldn’t expect to be outside to just give you instant happiness, why not increase your odds! Just like you shouldn’t have only 1 source of income, why only have 1 common source of depression (Vitam D deficit) be covered?

5k Runners
Runners running

Now, outside running isn’t a requirement for C25k. If you don’t have the option, there is a program designed for treadmill running. You may miss out on some exposure to sunlight and activating your Vitamin D levels. However, you won’t miss out on the opportunities to explore creating thinking and stress management.

They say humans can’t multitask, but that just isn’t true! You’re just not good at decided what tasks CAN be multi-tasked. You might not be able to read a book and watch a tv show at the same time, but that is because they both require your immediate attention. But, I bet you can sing a song and shower at the same time!

Running is when I do my best creative thinking. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone for a run and came back to crave working on a new project, or writing a new article. I’ve written business plans and career timelines. I’ve thought of ideas for websites and date ideas for my fiance. I really just cannot emphasize how much I enjoy my thinking time while running. Not only am I getting the alone time to do it, but I’m also getting high blood flow, and I get visual stimuli that I may not get at my computer. Overall, it is just FANTASTIC for thinking creatively.

And lastly, stress management. Now there is good stress and bad stress. And while I don’t know about you, but I’m bad at doing the good stressors and avoiding the bad stressors. Working more than 60 hours a week is not uncommon, but having a busy day at the beach feels like a chore to me. To be honest, I hate this about me because I feel I lose out on a lot of fun. Don’t get me wrong, when I’m passionate about a project, that is my new-found fun. But, there needs to be a good balance, otherwise, you get burnt out and resentful.

Running may not be a vacation to a foreign land, but it releases some good endorphins both during the process and when I achieve my goals. And that is a good feeling. Not only does it help you get some good stress in your life, but it also does something for you that helps you level out your stress, sleep. The more you run the more you’ll find your body requires that level of rest to recover. When you’re an office worker sitting down all the time, you really only get tired because of mental fatigue. But, if your body isn’t tired, you just get restless in bed and can’t sleep. So why not tired out both your brain and your body?

Should I start C25k too, to increase my happiness?

Well to summarize above, here is a list of some benefits running has for me.

  • Helps with Goal Setting and Achieving
  • Vitamin D
  • Increased Creative Thinking
  • Stress Management + Sleep

I think that these benefits are something that everyone should shoot to obtain. So short answer is yes! Having said that, if running isn’t right for you and you prefer hiking or lifting heavy weights. Then you don’t have to run! The important thing that I want to stress is excercise. Do a little or do a lot, just do something! Nothing good comes from sitting on a couch all day everyday. But a lot of good can come from just getting off that couch for 30 minutes a day to sweat.

I hope introducing you to C25k helps you improve your journey to Scaling your Happiness. I know it has for me, and I’ll only keep doing it in the future! Feel free to comment below if you have any other exercise programs that you like to do to improve your mood as well!

-TylerC

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