Here's the plan. Twelve weeks, four blocks, boxes to tick, and a button that turns the whole thing into a picture on your phone. It's the first of many, not a finish line.
The lie
"I'll start week one next week."
The short version
- Weeks 1 to 3: get going at home. Weeks 4 to 6: build. Weeks 7 to 9: outside. Weeks 10 to 12: ready for more.
- By the end: three strength sessions a week and plenty of walking.
- Tick each session off, then save the plan to your phone.
Today's rep: Tick your first box today. Jump to it
Week one is this week
"I'll start week one next week" is Dom from chapter 1 in a fake moustache, and I'd know her anywhere. You've read nineteen chapters. You've met the Doctor, the badger and the soup man. You know what this one is. Week one is this week. If this week is already half gone, week one starts today, and it's a short week one. Nobody's marking it.
Each block builds on the last, a little at a time.1 By week 10 you'll be close to the NHS guideline of 150 minutes of moderate activity plus strength work on at least two days a week.2 If a week goes sideways, repeat it. There are no marks for speed. See chapter 19, and the elephant.
A "session" means the home session from chapter 7, using whichever step of each move you're on.
Build in room for bad days. If your period, a cold or a terrible night's sleep makes a session feel impossible, swap it for a gentle walk and tick the box anyway. Gentle exercise can even help period pain.3 The plan bends. That's how it survives.
Your ticks are saved on this device. "Save to my phone" makes a picture of your plan, ticks and all.
Block 1: getting going
Week 1
Two home sessions, easiest versions (week one). Walk 10 minutes on five days.
Week 2
Two home sessions. Walk 15 minutes on five days. Do the after-session stretches.
Week 3
Three home sessions if week 2 felt fine, otherwise two. Walk 15 to 20 minutes on five days.
Block 2: building
Week 4
Three sessions. Add a rep or two, or move up one step on the press-up ladder. Brisk 20-minute walks on four days.
Week 5
Three sessions. Try three sets instead of two on one or two moves. Brisk walks of 20 to 25 minutes.
Week 6
An easier week so your body can catch up: two sessions, normal walks. Monthly measures this week.
Block 3: outside
Week 7
Three sessions. Two walks with lamppost speed-ups (chapter 17).
Week 8
Three sessions. Two speed-play walks with a few gentle jogs, or start Couch to 5K week 1.
Week 9
Three sessions. At least one walk with a mate (chapter 18).
Block 4: ready for more
Week 10
Three sessions on your hardest steps yet. Aim for 150 minutes of activity this week.
Week 11
Three sessions. Read Ready for the gym? and decide: gym, home, or both.
Week 12
Two or three sessions. Monthly measures. Write down what has changed, then start your next twelve weeks.
After week 12
Start again one step harder, head to the gym, or both.
Start again with a fresh twelve weeks, one step harder on every move. Or head to the gym. Or both. This was the first staircase. There are more, and you're now somebody who climbs them. Twelve weeks ago, you'd have called that a lie.
Your rep for this chapter
Tick your first box today. Then save the plan to your phone, so it's there when "next week" starts sounding reasonable again.
The lie: "I'll start week one next week."
The short version
- Weeks 1 to 3: get going at home. Weeks 4 to 6: build. Weeks 7 to 9: outside. Weeks 10 to 12: ready for more.
- By the end: three strength sessions a week and plenty of walking.
- Tick each session off, then save the plan to your phone.
Your rep
Tick your first box today. Then save the plan to your phone, so it's there when "next week" starts sounding reasonable again.
Your browser forgets. Your photos don't. Save it, and the rep turns up in your camera roll at 7am when you're looking for something else.
Sources
1. Ratamess NA et al. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2009;41(3):687-708.
2. NHS. Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64.
3. NHS. Period pain.