30 March 2014 marks the 3rd year running (pun intended) the 5×50 Challenge.

The 5×50 Challenge is the brain child of Kelly Mason who is based here in Glasgow Scotland. Kelly, along with a “core team” of fantastic people, created this life-changing challenge. The main aim is to encourage “people to run, walk, jog or cycle 5K (or 30 minute exercise equivalent) every day for 50 days”…hoping that, in turn, will create ongoing lifetime habits.

For some, it’s an easy feat. For others, it seems an impossibility.

This is my third year taking part in the challenge (and yes, I did manage to complete it successfully both previous times!)

Essentially it is a GLOBAL fitness challenge for fitness and it is also a charity!

I mostly walked it in both the previous years, but on some days, when energy levels were up, I would run. However on other days, when my energy was low, I would bike it.  Breaking it down – all a 5k is is 3.1 miles. That’s really not so bad.

One of the “upshots” that I experienced in doing it, was shrinking more than a stone! (After being a total-winter-sloth, it’s my aim to slim down by at least that – and hopefully more this time!)

1) Vary your workout in terms of the route you take and exercise you do. Bike. Swim. Run. Walk. Roller skate. Play football. Whatever.

2) Get a Fitbit (or similar wearable device) to keep exact track of your daily fitness. I never leave home without my Fitbit Flex (see it here on Amazon UK or here on Amazon US).

3) Team up with family and friends on the challenge to keep motivated. There will be times when you just CBA “can’t be arsed” – so you’ll need people to keep you motivated to stick with it!

4) Reward yourself from time to time. For me, that reward might be to psyche myself up for 5-mile walk (did I mention I tried to average five miles a day not K? I did), and then come home to a big scone with jam and clotted cream!

5) Use workout time productively, sometimes! I mixed it up. Some days my walks were head-clearing walks, so silent. Others were working walks so I’d listen to podcasts about Social Media and the like. On some days, perhaps when I needed it most, I listened to inspirational or motivational speakers. Super rainy nights I’d often go to use the treadmill at the gym and read Ebooks (work or pleasure – depending on my mood).

One final tip

Finally on days like today, I’d do the entire walk writing a blog! This very blog was written as I’ve weaved through Glasgow’s south side (taking care to keep eyes peeled for pedestrians, puddles, poo and of course cars too!)

So yeah, that final tip is a big one really….Simply find a way to weave the 5×50 fitness into your routine so it becomes a part of your daily life, and hopefully a habit that will be set to continue.

As I say, it’s not starting until the end of March, but I am already trying to get back into the swing now, so it’s less of a shock to the system when the launch day kicks off.

Plus I really need to tackle that aforementioned winter sloth poundage I put on!

Taking pictures along the way

Incidentally – a lot of the places you see the team running in that video is where I tend to do my 5ks! Love my city!

It’s too bad the 5×50 is not running in its original form but worth checking out Club Synergy – especially for NetWalking