National running events like the London Marathon and Great North Run inspire thousands of armchair viewers to get healthy, according to new figures released by the NHS today.
Visits to the NHS couch to 5K webpage are expected to rise significantly this week after the Great North Run in Newcastle.
Analysis by NHS England, which runs the nhs.uk website, shows that traffic to the webpage rose by 136% on the day of this year’s London Marathon (Sunday 21 April) – with 13,232 visits to the page, compared with 5,602 on the previous day.
Visits also rose by 63% on the day of last year’s Great North Run (Sunday 20 September), with more than 2,000 extra visits to the webpage.
The NHS Couch to 5K programme is a 9-week running plan – aimed at helping non-runners and beginners gradually work towards running 5K.
The plan involves three runs a week, with a day of rest in between, and a different schedule for each of the 9 weeks.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS medical director said:
“Whenever there’s a televised running race, we always see a considerable increase in the number of people coming to the NHS website for information on the Couch to 5K programme, and this weekend will be no different.
“The Couch to 5K programme is a fantastic way of getting beginners running for 30 minutes or more. And who knows – in a year’s time you could be taking your place at the starting line of a half-marathon.”
The Couch to 5K programme is available as an app, which is an audio guided programme, so it’s like running alongside your own personal trainer.
British athlete and narrator on the Couch to 5K app, Steve Cram said:
“It’s fantastic to see so many people inspired by the Great North Run who want to give running a go and Couch to 5K is a great place to start.
“It’s really flexible, you can do it all in in your own time, and it’s something that’s achievable for absolutely everyone.”
Latest NHS statistics on public health show that there were 8,716 hospital admissions due to obesity in 2022/23, which was a 13% increase on the previous year.
Published last year, the Health Survey for England 2021 showed a higher proportion of men (70%) than women (59%) aged 16 and over met the 2011 aerobic guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
According to the NHS website, there’s strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and happier life. Exercise can reduce the risk of major illnesses, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer, and lower the risk of early death by up to 30%.
The Great North Run is the world’s biggest half marathon, with 60,000 runners taking on the 13.1-mile route from Newcastle to South Shields. The event also includes an elite wheelchair race and a visually impaired race.
The Couch to 5K app has recently introduced haptics – vibration alerts on mobile phones – to help better support and guide deaf and hard of hearing runners through runs and the programme.
The NHS website is the UK’s biggest health website with an estimated 2.1 million visits a day in 2023 from people seeking information and advice. It includes over 4,000 pages and provides information about 990 medical conditions, as well other health services including applying for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card, finding a GP, and a pregnancy due date calculator.
More details on the NHS Couch to 5k programme are available at nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/get-running-with-couch-to-5k.
What is Couch to 5K?
Couch to 5K is a running plan for absolute beginners. It was developed by a new runner, Josh Clark, who wanted to help his 50-something mum get off the couch and start running, too.
The plan involves 3 runs a week, with a day of rest in between, and a different schedule for each of the 9 weeks.
How does Couch to 5K work?
Probably the biggest challenge a new runner faces is not knowing how or where to start.
Often when trying to get into exercise, we can overdo it, feel defeated and give up when we’re just getting started.
Couch to 5K works because it starts with a mix of running and walking to gradually build up your fitness and stamina.
Week 1 involves running for just a minute at a time, creating realistic expectations and making the challenge feel achievable right from the start.
Couch to 5K can be completed in as little as 9 weeks, or longer if you want to go at your own pace.
Who is Couch to 5K for?
Couch to 5K is for everyone. Whether you’ve never run before or you just want to get more active, Couch to 5K is a free and easy way of getting fitter and healthier.
If you have any health concerns about beginning an exercise regime like Couch to 5K, make an appointment to see a GP and discuss it with them first.
What are the benefits?
There are plenty of benefits from getting into running. For starters, it’s an easy way of improving your physical health.
Running requires little equipment, but a good pair of running shoes that suit your foot type may help improve comfort.
Running regularly will improve the health of your heart and lungs. It can also help you lose weight, especially if combined with a healthy diet.
There’s evidence it may help increase bone density in some people, which can help protect against bone diseases like osteoporosis.
There are also mental benefits of running. Taking on the challenge of Couch to 5K can help boost your confidence and self-belief, as you prove to yourself that you can set yourself a target and achieve a goal.
Running regularly can also be a great stress reliever and has even been shown to combat depression.
Download the NHS Couch to 5K app
The NHS Couch to 5K app helps you track your running progress and gives you a choice of 5 coaches to motivate you.
As well as Couch to 5K’s Laura, you can also be coached by celebrities, including Jo Whiley, Sarah Millican and Sanjeev Kohli.
The app also works with your own music player.
You can also download the NHS Couch to 5K app from the App store or Google Play.
