Goodbye dry January, hello February! Thank God for that. I made it through with just a few slip-ups. I’m not a big drinker by any stretch — I peaked when I was exploring all my teenage freedom. At university, I founded the Blondes’ Cocktail Society with a friend to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund.

All those sugary-sweet cocktails make me cringe now, and it seems ironic that we raised lots of money for cancer research by doing something so unhealthy. Ah well, hindsight. The best part, we shortened our name to BloCocSoc. No wonder it was so popular. I am not sure how we had the nerve!

Anyway, tonight I confess there is a small glass of red by my side. The LH is away in Costa Rica working and I have been single-parenting in my usual chaotic fashion. I am OK with the business trips, although if he comes home with tan lines and a hangover there will be trouble. For now, I am writing this at the table, surveying the damage in the kitchen and knowing that before bed comes clean-up and lunch boxes and laundry and ... the list always goes on, doesn’t it? To every parent out there, a high five to you tonight.

On the upside, today the planets aligned and everything for season seven of Beat the Couch fell into place. The AMAZING folk at Bermuda Telephone Company confirmed their corporate sponsorship and I am incredibly grateful for their support. I’m not gonna lie, I’m also a bit giddy about our matching initials. It’s the simple things. So we’ll be kicking off the programme on February 18 and I can’t wait to get another set of beginner runners started.

We’re adding in a Corporate Cup and Friends & Family Cup this year, so you can participate as an individual or as part of a group. BTC is submitting a team and we’ll be tracking their progress on Facebook. Let’s keep an eye on them and see how they do! Some people use the programme to improve existing running skills but the vast majority have never really run. If you don’t think you can do it, call me, because I bet you can.

I won’t pretend that running is always easy. It’s been a saving grace for me but it’s not without its fair share of interesting moments. To paint you a fair picture, see the hazards and highs below! Then go to our website to check out the details. We can have you 5k fit by the very beginning of May. Younger, older, male, female, a little fit, completely unfit ... we specialise in helping diverse groups reach a common goal and we would love to have you join us!

RUNNING HAZARDS

• Trash trucks: Beat the Couch training starts off very gently at Bulls Head and in the Botanical Gardens. However, there will come a point where you are breathing deeply as you run along the roads. Being behind a trash truck at the peak of your run is pretty vomit-inducing. It will, however, make you run faster. Always a silver lining!

• Smokers: With so few indoor smoking spots, most of the smokers are outside. That’s great til you run behind one. Here you are, training your heart out only to inhale a lungful of someone’s second-hand smoke. Not OK.

• Flat batteries: Some people love to run in silence, others prefer a steady beat to motivate them and drown out their own heavy breathing. If you are the latter, an iPod meltdown right at the crucial moment can seriously take the pep out of your step — especially on a hill or the home stretch. Mine has stopped halfway through Titanium, running back from Spanish Point over the Longest Hills Ever. If I could have caught the bus I would.

• Singing as you go: Singing as a substitute for your iPod just won’t cut it. It is, however, a good sign that your breathing is under control. In my experience it’s worse than drunken karaoke, especially if you are tone deaf and only singing the words you can remember. Sometimes I belt out Bruno Mars lyrics at night. Maybe a little Alicia Keyes. This girl is ON FIYAH etc. I am not sure what the people at bus stops think.

• Low-flying insects: On occasion, especially at night, I have been hit in the face by some kind of low-flying insect. Bigger than a mosquito. Smaller than a bird. Could have been a cockroach. I try not to think about it too much. It has never — fortunately — coincided with the singing. There was a #couchbeater who swallowed a fly... (shudder).

• Hello humidity: Ah, humidity hair. Mainly a girl problem, but boys with long locks could have a hard time, too. An attack of the frizz is worsened only by a sweaty face and neck. Fortunately, we avoid the really hot months and there’s usually a breeze to keep you coolish. But nothing worth achieving ever came without sacrifice. Just invest in a good dry shampoo!

RUNNING HIGHS

• Drink in your Bermuda: Sometimes we’re too busy to notice the small stuff. The lizard on the wall, the sun on the water, the cool old ladies on the porch. Running gives you time to drink it all in. The random, the beautiful, the completely hidden away.

• Time to think, or NOT to think: Running gives you time and space to think. Sometimes no music is the best music. I’d love to know how many inventions, start-ups or marketing campaigns were born on a run. But sometimes it’s therapeutic to plug in, drown out the world and go. Either way, running can provide great mental agility or downtime.

• When you see progress: Progress isn’t always measured by times and races. One weekend, halfway through my own 5k training, Belle took off across the grass towards a busy road. I was by her side in the blink of an eye. I didn’t have to heave myself up. I wasn’t out of breath when I got there. I was finally fit enough to keep up with my kids. It was something so simple but I was completely elated. Mission accomplished.

• A biochemical boost: Running will improve your body tone and composition, but it will also improve the way your immune system functions, reducing the severity and duration of colds and flu. Regular exercise is also associated with better disease prevention and management outcomes as well as stimulating lymph flow and digestion. My personal favourite for Bermuda is that as exercise helps to manage weight and improve the efficacy of insulin, it’s a powerful tool against type 2 diabetes.

• It’s a catalyst for change: Completing a goal in one area often leads to success elsewhere. Our participants repeatedly report more confidence and determination in general as a direct result of the running they have done. If you can go from unfit to 5k fit in ten weeks, that’s amazing. But what are you going to do with the next ten weeks? We love seeing what everyone gets up to!

• You will never, ever regret it: No one comes in from a run saying they wish they hadn’t gone. No matter how hard it was to leave the house, you always feel great when you’re done. I still remember one of our clients saying to me: “This is the first time I have completed a fitness goal ... EVER!” That was just the beginning.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda