How improving my fitness led me to running

For many people, running isn’t where their fitness journey begins – it’s something they start as their confidence and overall health improves.

And because of this, people find themselves signing up to races and discovering a love of running that they never expected.

That’s exactly the case for many members of The Body Coach app community. They might join for different reasons – wanting to lose weight, build strength, or get the tailored meal plan – but they often find that building up their health opens the door to running.

It might be a local parkrun, couch to 5k, half marathons or even marathons – but these Body Coach app members show that improving your fitness can help you find new passions along the way.

‘Running makes me feel free – the app started a whole cascade of lifestyle changes that got me here’

__Lana Premasda __

Lana signed up to The Body Coach app in early 2021, struggling with her weight and mental health. “I knew I had to do something or I’d be stuck forever,” she says. But while the app started as a way of losing weight, she says it has transformed her whole life.

After joining, Lana started couch to 5K and enjoyed seeing her fitness improve. At the end of that same year, she ran her first half marathon. “I was so surprised by my time that I realised I might actually be ok at running,” she says.

Less than two years after joining the app, Lana ran the Amsterdam marathon in 3 hours 46 minutes. “I was SO shocked," she says. "Just the year before I’d struggled to walk and talk and the same time, and here I am running a comfortably sub 4h marathon!”

Since then, she’s committed herself to running and has just ran her 7th marathon. “The app started a whole cascade of lifestyle changes that meant that got me here. It changed my relationship with food and alcohol. It improved my mental health. It taught me to love movement and healthy eating for the way it made me feel and not just how it made me look. Without that, I don’t think I’d have the discipline or energy to be the person (or runner) I am today.”

Lana adds: “Running makes me feel free. The pounding of my feet on the pavement, the sound of my breath… all of it is like meditation to me. Running is my keystone habit - it keeps the rest of my life in balance. Everything is easier for me to manage with running."

Follow Lana’s journey on Instagram at @lanashealthylife.

“Now, the momentum is unstoppable”

Polly Marsh

Polly joined the app in 2024, after a new job and shift to working from home led to weight gain and a dip in her self-esteem. She’d tried quick fix diets before, but they never stuck. Once she signed up, she finally felt like she’d found a lifestyle that worked with her busy schedule, rather than against it.

“Exercise used to make me shudder,” she said. “However, seeing how the app combined nutrition with movement inspired me to try. My first attempt at a workout video lasted only minutes before I was winded, which was the wake-up call I needed.” As well as the app, she went on to yoga and walks, eventually braving the treadmill in a gym. “I discovered I was a natural runner,” she says. “Guided by the app’s philosophy, I took the plunge and started Couch to 5K.”

Once she hit 5K, she wanted to do more so did the Race for Life 10K in May 2025. By that September, she had finished my first half marathon. “Now, the momentum is unstoppable,” she says. “I’m running the Bath Half in March and preparing for the ultimate challenge, the 2026 London Marathon. Training is in full flow!”

Polly says she wouldn’t have started running without the app. “In the past, I only cared about calorie deficits. The Body Coach app shifted my mindset to how food fuels performance. Having the recipes, tracking, and community in one place made me feel like anything was achievable. It was the bridge that connected nutrition to movement."

Now, Polly says running is her absolute passion. “There is nothing like the freedom of the open road. Running through the countryside, I’ve seen deer, hares, and wildlife I’d never notice from a car. Even this past Saturday running 17.5km, despite getting completely drenched in the rain, I loved every second. I’m not an elite athlete; I’m just someone who found freedom and relaxation in putting one foot in front of the other.”

“I have improved my strength and fitness beyond measure”

Sara Stewart

Feeling uncomfortable in her clothes and knowing she was picking poor food choices, Sara signed up to the app in 2022 as she wanted some direction with her diet and exercise. She'd dipped in and out of running before, but had never consistently stuck to it.

Using the app, Sara has lost 3 stone and managed to consistently get back to running one year after joining. “I had started improving my fitness and wanted to add it into my life again,” she says.

Since that point, she’s completed 5 and 10k races, as well as obstacles and mud runs – and she says it’s the app that has helped her stay consistent with it.

“I have improved my strength and fitness beyond measure thanks to using the app and doing a mixture of cardio/strength training,” she says. “As a result, while running can still be hard, I can go faster and further than before (I completed my longest run of 15K ever over the weekend and achieved a new 10K PB of 57:10).”

Running is her “free therapy”, she says. “It’s great getting outside and clearing my head, even after a busy day! I feel fit and strong being able to run and love getting out the door first thing when I can to start the day with a big endorphin boost (that's when I am not scheduled to do a BC app workout!). Hand in hand, app workouts and running make me feel amazing and so confident in my abilities.”

Find out more about The Body Coach app and how it can improve your health and fitness in a manageable and sustainable way.