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Get Healthy De Soto

…having a long-lasting positive impact on the health and safety of the De Soto community by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, through programs promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, weight control and disease and injury prevention.

Winter Flakes Couch to 5K

Have fun getting fit with the Winter Flakes Couch to 5K program. Meet up with friends and family and achieve your 2023 health goals!

This program is designed for the novice runner*. No pre-training is necessary, since it is designed for the “couch potato”.

The 2023 Winter Flakes Couch to 5K program starts Monday, January 9, 2023. This eight-week training program involves a weekly session with a running coach, a training plan, and weekly communication with nutrition tips and information. The cost is $50 and includes the Winter Flakes 5K registration and t-shirt. Participants will receive a stylish accessory and other participation prizes along the way! The weekly training sessions will rotate between Walther’s Park and Larry G. Crites Memorial Park. Youth must have parental consent.

The training sessions will culminate with the Winter Flakes 5K run/walk on Saturday, March 4, 2023! All proceeds benefit Get Healthy De Soto programming. Ready to register? Complete the form below or register online.

Register Online
Paper Form

*As always, please consult with your healthcare provider before starting any nutritional or physical programs if you have any previous, current or possible medical conditions. These guidelines, recommendations and suggestions are not stated to cure, treat or prevent any diseases or conditions.

Brought to you by Get Healthy De Soto and the Jefferson County Health Department…working together for better health.

Move More-RUN

Each week this month, we’ll focus on a different activity you might consider to get moving. This week is one of my favorites: running. It takes a lot of guts to begin running as an adult, especially if you have never run in the past. I mean…someone might see you…and you might sweat! Have no fear. I’ve been running for years and still manage to make it look like I just started yesterday. (If you’re that concerned, run along well-lit streets late at night or early in the morning. That’s what I do!)

It is true that a lot of runners you will meet along the way were runners on cross country teams or track and field runners in high school. There are plenty of us that just picked it up recently though, so don’t let a lack of experience discourage you. Basically, you put one foot in front of another and try not to fall down. We’re all doing the same thing but with varying degrees of grace and coordination.

Let’s face it: running is what most of us grew up doing as a punishment or off-season training for another sport!

Regardless of your age, if you can walk, you can run. It might not be pretty or comfortable, but you have the physical capacity to do so. Even those “old guys” you see shuffling along are doing it right! That only leaves one question: where do you start?

Look up Couch to 5K programs online and see if any of them are feasible for you. They can be a bit overwhelming, so pick out 2 or 3 and compare them. If those seem like too much, check out interval training or None to Run. These will start you with about 30 seconds of running every 2 minutes or so and gradually build up from there. I used an interval training podcast when I started years ago, and you can find a ton of options for that online.

Discomfort vs. Pain

Going from a static object to a vector is hard. Translation: sitting still is easy and getting moving requires real effort. Talk to you doctor about physical activity that you’re considering, and listen to your body. There’s a difference between the discomfort of running a new distance or faster speed and physical pain. Have a good handle on both because you’ll need to know if something isn’t right or if it is just time to buy new running shoes. Let me give you an example. I once felt like my knee was going to give way each step I ran. It was an odd sensation; didn’t hurt, but I knew it wasn’t right. A trip to the doctor and some physical therapy helped me strengthen my core and hip. That eliminated my IT band issue, which is what caused that odd sensation while I was running. It never did hurt, but I learned a valuable lesson about listening to my body.

Running shouldn’t be painful. The only time I feel pain is in that brief moment that is usually preceded by another brief moment of weightlessness; ie, when I fall down!

Running individuals are not required to be coordinated individuals.

If I could start running in my 30s without any real expectation of liking it or even really wanting to do it, you probably can to. The real reason I started: I signed up for a stupid 5K in Cape Girardeau that raised money for the Arthritis Foundation, and I wanted to raise funds for them. My dad has R.A. My decision didn’t have anything to do with running, so if you intentionally try, think of how much farther you’ll go!

Happy running,
-Melissa

Yes, it’s a training program!

Back for its third installment is the Couch to 5K Training program. And here’s why you should not immediately think this isn’t for you and stop reading: it is designed for people who are not currently physically active. Again: your activity level to start this program is really zilch! It’s okay if you have physical activity built into your routine right now too, but it really focuses on your husband couch potatoes sloths those of us who are inactive.

A brief overview, so you know what you’re getting into

Couch to 5K is a program that includes gradual increases in physical activity over the course of 8 weeks. It culminates with the Winter Flakes 5K Race on February 27, 2021. It begins on December 30, 2020, but the commitment those first few days isn’t substantial. In fact, the gradual increases make much of the training program very pleasant, and you’ll be amazed at how your endurance and strength improves throughout the training.

One key element in all of this is accountability. We don’t just throw you to the wolves with a training schedule and a smile. Nope! We will actually…gather! Don’t worry. It is perfectly safe because we’ll be meeting outside in the artic! Well, it will likely feel like the artic some days because it is a training program that runs through January and February, but don’t let that deter you. We have had Winter Haters participate and complete the program without issue. (We’ll give you tips for surviving the chilly weather too.)

Not only will you go through this experience with a group, but you’ll have fearless leaders too. Victoria and Megan will send reminders each day, along with some tips, recipes, and other goodies. They’ll also schedule the gatherings each week, which will vary depending on weather and schedules. Most of the time, we try to meet on Saturdays at Walther Park. This is good because it allows us to train on the same course that the race will follow.

Now, if you aren’t a runner, that’s okay too. This is for people who want to give it a try and for those who have fallen off the running wagon, so to speak. This is your chance to experience running, meet new people, try to lose your 15 from COVID-19, and strive to reach new health goals in 2021, which is something everyone is looking forward to doing!

In fact, if 2020 has taught us nothing, we should have learned by now that we need to take better care of ourselves!

The Couch to 5K program costs $45 and includes the Winter Flakes 5K registration and t-shirt. Participants will receive a stylish accessory and other participation prizes along the way! The weekly gatherings will be weather permitting, but it is the Winter Flakes Race! Youth must have parental consent.

All proceeds benefit Get Healthy DeSoto programming, including trail development, Walking School Bus, community gardens, and more. Ready to register? Complete the form below or register online.

Register Online
Paper Form

*As always, please consult with your healthcare provider before starting any nutritional or physical programs if you have any previous, current or possible medical conditions. These guidelines, recommendations and suggestions are not stated to cure, treat or prevent any diseases or conditions.

Brought to you by Get Healthy De Soto and the Jefferson County Health Department…working together for better health.

Winter Flakes Couch to 5K

Have fun getting fit with the Winter Flakes Couch to 5K program. Meet up with friends and family and achieve your 2023 health goals!

This program is designed for the novice runner*. No pre-training is necessary, since it is designed for the “couch potato”.

The 2023 Winter Flakes Couch to 5K program starts Monday, January 9, 2023. This eight-week training program involves a weekly session with a running coach, a training plan, and weekly communication with nutrition tips and information. The cost is $50 and includes the Winter Flakes 5K registration and t-shirt. Participants will receive a stylish accessory and other participation prizes along the way! The weekly training sessions will rotate between Walther’s Park and Larry G. Crites Memorial Park. Youth must have parental consent.

The training sessions will culminate with the Winter Flakes 5K run/walk on Saturday, March 4, 2023! All proceeds benefit Get Healthy De Soto programming. Ready to register?

Register Online

*As always, please consult with your healthcare provider before starting any nutritional or physical programs if you have any previous, current or possible medical conditions. These guidelines, recommendations and suggestions are not stated to cure, treat or prevent any diseases or conditions.

Brought to you by Get Healthy De Soto and the Jefferson County Health Department…working together for better health.

Fall Festival 5K

On September 21 at 8 am, you can run the flattest race in Jefferson County! The Fall Festival 5K is a popular event because it is devoid of hills and offers runners who complete the course a rebate. The race starts and end at SMCI on Veterans Drive, across from Walther Park. You can contact the Chamber of Commerce office at 636-586-5591 for more information or click here for the registration form.

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Contact

[email protected]

Mailing Address

1002 Rock Rd.
DeSoto, MO 63020