Fat to Finish the Smart Way

It's late spring -- time to sign up for a 5K race. If you're out of shape and haven't run a race ever (or in years), stop the mental gymnastics and just sign up. But please, please pick a race that's at least two months or more away.

Signing up for a 5K race as a novice needs to be followed up with a smart training plan. Especially if you're out of shape, or overweight or obese. Couch Potato to 5K is a two-month training plan to get you training smart to prevent injury and finish strong. It involves a gradual increase of walk/jog intervals over eight weeks. If your body needs more time, repeat weeks as needed. Just don't skip ahead, even if you're feeling like a superstar with Springsteen in your ears.

The last thing you need is a cracked hip like Laura on last week's "The Biggest Loser: Couples." Whether or not she overtrained her way into this injury is unknown, but it can happen. Beware: Strengthening your bones takes significantly longer than building endurance. Don't let an injury put the brakes on your training and foil your big day. Training fast jeopardizes your journey toward a 5K, and more importantly, the lifelong fitness habits you're developing along the way.