Six tips to help you get off the couch and towards your fitness goals

The Vitality #FitSquad Powered by Discovery and Jacaranda FM is here!

An exciting event with fun challenges from Discovery Vitality, where you will all be rewarded with a training day and you also stand a chance to win many other prizes on the day.

To get you ready for the fun-filled day, here are six tips to help you get off the couch and working towards your fitness goals:

1. Level up with interval training 
When you are starting out, it can be difficult to do a consistent run of 30 to 45 minutes. Sure, you can push yourself through a quick 5km, but you'll likely end up hunched over the nearest couch. Instead, start by running for two minutes and then walking for one minute. Repeat this pattern several times. Decrease your walking intervals and increase your running intervals (as well as your overall time spent training) as you get fitter.

2. Strengthen your core 
You need to be doing abdominal work at least twice a week. Core strength helps with your training - including running.

3. Get some gains 
Still on the topic of complementary training, it is vital to do resistance training to strengthen and support your muscles and joints. For runners, you should particularly focus on the muscles that support your knees - your quadriceps and hamstrings. And, if you're trying to lose weight, increased muscle mass burns more calories!

4. Yoga 
Not only is yoga good for relaxation and meditation, it is also an excellent way of stretching out your tired muscles after a long training week. If you are new to yoga, look for a 'Hatha' class. 'Ashtanga' and 'Iyengar' are a bit more strenuous and not as beginner-friendly.

5. Join the club 
Joining a running (and cycling) club, such as Team Vitality, is required by Athletics South Africa for marathons, and is more affordable than buying a temporary license every time you want to run a half marathon or 10km. Plus, running is a hugely social sport, and race day support is invaluable. You can use your weekly Parkruns to get ready for your races.

6. Float like a butterfly, eat like a caterpillar 
One reward for training hard, aside from increased fitness and well-being, is that you can eat healthier food. It is important to ensure that you take in a good complex of carbohydrates a few hours before and something high in protein within half an hour after training.

Register here for the Vitality #FitSquad powered by Discovery and Jacaranda FM.