Lifestyle

Lockdown prompts surge in numbers downloading Couch to 5K



Many have turned to exercise to keep themselves mentally and physically well throughout the global pandemic.

You’ll no doubt have noticed far more people lacing up their trainers and hitting the streets these days than normal, and new figures suggest that lockdown may well be turning us into a nation of aspiring runners.

More than 858,000 people have downloaded the Couch to 5K app between March and the end of June – a 92 per cent increase from the same period in 2019 when the app was downloaded 448,000 times comparatively.


The Public Health England app provides an achievable running plan designed to get complete beginners from couch potato to running 5k (or 30 minutes) in nine weeks.

The plan sets three runs per week with a day of rest between each, while a “virtual coach” encourages runners to incrementally increase the amount they run week by week.

Leicia Thompson, an NHS-worker who lives in Leeds, began the Couch to 5K programme during lockdown.

“I hadn’t ever ran any kind of distance before so didn’t think I’d make it past the first couple of weeks, but now seven weeks on I’m running 25 mins non-stop and can’t believe the progress I’ve made,” she said.

“The increase in running time is really gradual and even for a complete beginner like myself it is really manageable.

“Being able to choose the voice on the app is also a great feature – I have Sarah Millican encouraging me along the way and that really helps to keep going.”

Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS national director for primary care, who has also been running more during lockdown, added: “Lockdown has been a difficult time for so many of us and with millions of people working in new ways and not doing the activities they usually would, we know that it can be much harder to get motivated to get up and go.

“It is incredible to see that practical tools like Couch to 5k have become even more popular over the last three months – keep going if you’ve started and download the app if you want to increase your activity levels. It won’t be the right solution for everyone, but it’s a simple way to begin and small steps can make a massive difference to your health and your lifestyle.

“We have all coped differently during lockdown, and for me, running and taking some time out to exercise with my children has been really important for me – we’ve seen huge benefits physically, mentally and for our general wellbeing.”

Additional reporting by PA



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