Fitness
I Ran 5K Every Day for 28 Days – Here’s What it Did to My Body, My Fitness and My Strength
The challenge was simple: run 5k every day for 28 days. No rest days, no shortcuts, no doubling up to get ahead. Just 5k, every day, regardless of how I felt.
I wasn’t starting from scratch, but I wasn’t in peak running shape either. My training had been half-hearted for a while – enough to get by, but not really enough to improve. I knew 5k was doable on any given day. The question was what it would feel like doing it 28 times in a row, with a sleep-shy toddler, work and general life distractions thrown in. I also kept strength training twice a week throughout – mainly because I didn’t want my gym numbers to completely fall off a cliff.
The plan – if you can call it that – was to hold everything steady and see what gave first.
5K a Day
The first week felt like a chore more often than not. A couple of runs came straight after the post-work commute, when motivation was low and the run itself didn’t do much to improve things. One evening in the rain was particularly grim. Another came off the back of no sleep, was left until late and done purely because it had to be.
The gym treadmill made an appearance one lunch break, which was an immediate mistake. Five kilometres indoors felt far longer than it should, even when breaking it up with intervals just to stay engaged.
By the second week, fatigue started to build. Day nine stood out as the hardest – low energy, heavy legs and no real explanation beyond the fact that everything was adding up. It didn’t feel like I was getting fitter, just more tired.
Around the middle of the challenge, things became more manageable. The daily effort started to feel less like a battle and more like routine. By day 20, it was just part of the day.
Daily Habits
Our fitness director, Andrew Tracey, explains the rationale behind daily fitness challenges.
‘If you’re looking to make a habit really stick, to the point where it’s almost automatic, then daily adherence can remove a lot of decision fatigue and deliberation. A study in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that, on average, it takes 66 days to achieve automaticity with a habit, but that daily adherence accelerated this time greatly.
‘That being said, “daily workout challenges” tend to be found at the extremes: Facebook mums committing to 30 squats a day for a month (no shade, a great thing to do), or YouTube men documenting their weird new obsession (“You won’t believe what happened when I did this for 30 days…”). They also tend to veer from harmless, and usually fruitless, to ill-advised and self-destructive. But there’s a lot of evidence in favour of building daily habits – especially fitness ones – and the benefits these can have on the rest of your life.’
Progressive Overload
I wasn’t new to running, but if you are, heed this advice from Daine McKibben Rice, director of Validus Sports Injury Clinic.
‘Running 5k every day for 28 days is less about distance and more about load tolerance. For most people, 5k daily represents a pretty significant increase in cumulative load, particularly if they’re not already running regularly. The strongest evidence shows that rapid increases in training load are the primary driver of running-related injury, rather than distance alone.
‘For beginners, the risks are higher. Around one-third of recreational runners sustain injuries annually, with overuse injuries being the top of the list: such as tendinopathy, shin splints or patellofemoral pain. This can be due to repeated loading without sufficient conditioning or recovery, as musculoskeletal tissues take more time to adapt compared with cardiovascular fitness.
‘A gradual build-up is essential. For beginners, increasing running volume by 5% per week and progressing from two to three runs weekly towards consecutive running days is a safer approach than starting with daily 5k runs.’
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows…
The Verdict
By the final day, I wasn’t desperate for it to end, which felt like an achievement in itself. I finished with a 5k time trial and came within 30 seconds of the 20-minute mark – not an all-time PB, but the quickest of the year and better than expected given there hadn’t been a single rest day in four weeks.
The more interesting result was how quickly my body adjusted to running every day. Individual runs didn’t suddenly feel easy, but they stopped feeling like a big deal. It became normal to head out, get 5k done and move on.
The strength training was where things got confusing. I expected my numbers to dip, or at least stall, but the opposite happened. At the end of the challenge, I hit a two-rep squat PB. Which either says something about the benefits of consistent training or suggests I’d been underperforming before. Possibly both.
In body composition, not much changed. I didn’t lose muscle, but I didn’t drop any body fat either. That’s probably down to eating more to keep up with the extra running. Daily cardio on its own isn’t a guaranteed shortcut to getting leaner, especially if you’re fuelling properly. And to be fair, that wasn’t the point of the challenge anyway.
Running every day isn’t something I’d recommend in the long term and it’s not the smartest way to improve performance. But as a short, controlled block of consistency, it does exactly what you’d expect: it builds a habit, raises your baseline and proves you can handle more than you think.
Isaac Williams is Site Editor for both Women’s Health UK and Men’s Health UK, guiding and supporting the content teams to create content across all platforms. Isaac’s love of health and fitness began at Loughborough University, where he graduated with a History and English degree in 2014. His first job was at Men’s Running magazine, where he progressed from Staff Writer to Editor. Among his highlights of those four years include completing a 24-hour track race (never again), just about finishing a multi-day ultramarathon in the Azores, and chugging his way around a ‘beer mile’. Isaac ventured into the world of freelance journalism in 2018, interviewing some of the biggest names in sport – like Anthony Joshua and Ben Stokes – and writing features for the likes of The Guardian, Red Bull, ShortList and BBC Countryfile. He was also a regular contributor to an adventure series called ‘The Man Who’: speaking to some of the world’s most extreme explorers from the wilds of Caffè Nero. In late-2019, Isaac became Editor of Men’s Fitness UK. In his five years there, Isaac was responsible for editing the monthly magazine and managing website content, ultimately helping the brand transition to a ‘digital-first’ approach. He joined Hearst UK as Multiplatform Editor in December 2024, where he manages day-to-day digital output, edits content and writes articles on all things health and fitness. When he’s not hammering at his keyboard, Isaac enjoys exercise and trying – unsuccessfully, so far – to teach his baby son to kick a football. You can follow Isaac on Instagram @isaacw1993.
Fitness
Jennifer Aniston, 57, says she’s stronger now than in her 20s – and credits one simple training shift
Known for her disciplined approach to fitness, Jennifer Aniston has been using the Pvolve method for five years to build strength and mobility. Her trainer, Dani Coleman, recently shared the biggest changes she’s seen in Jennifer’s fitness since they started working together.
‘She has always been passionate about movement and wellness. But it has truly been game-changing to watch her strength year after year just get better and better, and to see her mentality shift with how she imagines what a successful workout is,’ she said on an episode of The Bossticks podcast.
Jennifer used to define a successful workout as one that was more traditionally intense. But she’s realised that ‘you don’t have to break your body down to get a good workout’, Dani revealed.
‘She’s talked about previous injuries she’s had and how she used to think that you needed gruelling workouts, even when she had a back injury. I think the most rewarding thing is really seeing her mindset shift.’
It’s therefore been especially gratifying ‘seeing Jennifer level up her weights and just trust me to put her through it now’.
Jennifer agrees.
‘Simpler is better – and consistency,’ she said in a recent Pvolve clip.
Pvolve founder Rachel Katzman also acknowledged that Jennifer now believes the best workouts build up and support her body, rather than punish it.
‘The one thing she always says is, “I wish I had this in my 20s,”’ Rachel said of Jennifer’s enthusiasm for Pvolve on another recent episode of The Bossticks.
‘“I wish I didn’t destroy my body when I was younger to look a certain way because that’s what I thought I had to do,”’ she continued. ‘And now with Pvolve, I look better than I did back then. I feel better. I’m stronger. I’m leaner. I just have more energy.’
Jennifer Anniston’s current Pvolve routine
Rachel confirmed key details about Jennifer’s workout schedule.
‘I heard a little rumour that she does Pvolve only four days a week,’ podcast host Lauryn said.
‘I think that rumour’s true,’ Rachel confirmed.
‘And she does an hour,’ continued Lauryn.
‘You can ask Dani for specifics, but yes,’ Rachel replied.
The founder also emphasised the importance of strength training and described her own changing attitude towards lifting weights.
‘I’m definitely going up in my weights. I was somebody who was very, very scared of weights. I didn’t even want to use a 2lb (0.9kg) weight. Now, I’ve got my 12lb (5.4kg) and my 15lb (6.8kg) weights.’
Echoing her, Dani’s main piece of advice for Jennifer – and trainees more generally – is still ‘to prioritise strength, as well as your mobility and stability’.
One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.
Get the plan
Getting in shape doesn’t always have to be gruelling. “Snack” workouts – meaning short, well-executed bursts of activity – can be enough to get your heart pumping, endorphins flowing, and energy levels up, no gym membership or matching sets required.
Perfect for the time-poor, gym-shy, or those who simply dread the prospect of slogging through a lengthy workout, these bite-sized exercise sessions could be anything from a quick burst of high-intensity movement (like squat jumps, burpees, lunges or high knees), to climbing the stairs multiple times, hoovering, or even dancing to your favourite song. It simply has to get your heart rate up.
Here, experts weigh in on the snack workout fitness trend.
What are snack workouts?
Micro workout sessions that take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, but contribute to your daily movement goal.
“One of the best things about micro workouts is how they completely lower the barrier to entry,” says Dani Coleman, vice president of training and head trainer at Pvolve. “They break that all-or-nothing mindset. Instead, they help you build a consistent movement pattern that fits into real life. Plus, they are an amazing shortcut for a quick mood boost and an energy reset when you are feeling sluggish.”
@doctoranddancer Have you heard of exercise snacks? Small bite size movement can be effective ways to get in the many benefits of an hour long workout! So when you’re sitting at your desk for prolonged periods of time, take an exercise snack! Exercise snacking is defined as a brief period of high-intensity movement or exercise that typically lasts for 1-10 minutes! Some examples include * Stair climbing * Jumping jacks. * Jumping rope. * Chair squats. * Lunges. * Sprints. * Pushups. * Mountain climbers. #health #exercisesnack #workout #healthy ♬ original sound – Dr. Poonam Desai
Science supports the argument that “brief, intense” spurts of exercise can have huge benefits for our fitness levels, with one study showing that those who fit exercise snacks into their day (in this instance by taking roughly 20 seconds to climb 60 stairs as fast as possible), improved their aerobic fitness by around five per cent.
Are snack workouts effective?
Depending on your goals, yes, snack workouts can be very effective. (And remember, some movement is always better than none.)
Personal trainer and founder of the physical-therapy practice Pearls From a PT, Lori Diamos, points to a study in the journal BMC Public Health, which found that sedentary office workers in China who performed three-minute micro-exercise breaks every hour during the workday for 12 weeks saw improvements in their HDL (good) cholesterol, as well as reduced systolic blood pressure and waist circumference.
These workout sessions included exercises like marching in place, desk or wall push-ups, squats, standing heel raises, arm circles, and shoulder rolls. Participants also reported higher energy levels and improved productivity, and more than 80 per cent completed at least 80 per cent of the programme. “That adherence piece matters, because many people today have full schedules and high responsibilities, so trying to carve out large blocks of time for exercise can feel overwhelming,” Diamos points out.
@lucywyndhamread 3 Minute ⏳Exercise Snack 🍿 Keep moving – because movement is medicine. This is full body snack takes just 3 minutes and you can do this daily to kickstart your day towards better health ✔️❤️ Lucy 💃🧚🏻♀️💋💋 #perimenopause #menopause #womenshealth #gettinghealthy #wwuk #homefitness #exercisesnacks #exercisesnacking ♬ original sound – Lucy Wyndham-Read – Fitness
What’s really important, Coleman notes, is the quality of movement. “Your muscles don’t have a clock – they just respond to stimulus,” she explains. “If you use those shorter windows for highly intentional, resistance-based movement, you’re still getting the exact muscle activation and metabolic output your body needs to thrive.”
Another factor to consider is intensity, says personal trainer and founder of health coaching platform FisioPR, Dennis Colón. “Short-burst exercise routines are very effective as long as the intensity is high enough,” he says.
Can snack workouts replace longer workout sessions?
Should a shiny new exercise snack replace more traditional 30 to 45-minute workouts? The answer, according to personal trainer Alice Liveing, is: it depends upon your goals. “For those wanting to really progress their workouts and notice a difference in their strength and cardiovascular fitness, then I’d say dedicated [longer] workouts are probably best to help you reach the intensity needed to elicit a physical response.
The experts agree: snack workouts should be viewed as complementary to longer sessions, not something to replace them with altogether. “Longer sessions usually allow for greater training volume, deeper fatigue, heavier strength work, endurance training, power development and more focused recovery work,” Diamos says. If you’re into heavy strength training, for example, Colón points out that it requires longer rest periods. Otherwise, you could introduce fatigue or cause form breakdown, which could, in turn, lead to injuries.
“Think of your longer sessions as your foundational pillars for strength and structural longevity, and your micro workouts as the connective tissue,” Coleman continues. “They lower the barrier to entry, protect your routine, and keep your movement patterns primed on the days life gets in the way. Consistent movement is the ultimate goal, and using a mix of both is how you actually sustain it.”
How does the snack workout trend compare to other short-intensity workouts, like Tabata?
Tabata workouts are a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in which you perform exercises for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds, for a total of four minutes – definitely not office-friendly. Consider snack workouts the low-intensity version of Tabata, though.
@lucywyndhamread SATURDAY SNACK – Inspiring you with a short exercise snack to keep you on track over the weekend – this week this move will work your Waist #saturdaysnacks #exercisesnacks #inspiringyou #weekendinspiration #waisttoning #waistworkout ♬ original sound – Lucy Wyndham-Read – Fitness
“Are you looking to maximise a short window with high-intensity conditioning, or to weave movement into your day in a more moderate, restorative way,” Coleman asks? “Both fit into a tight schedule, but they treat your nervous system in completely different ways.”
How much physical activity should you do per week?
According to the NHS, adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week. You should also consider strength-training exercises at least twice a week. “Physical activity is cumulative,” Coleman adds. “Your body doesn’t care if you hit your baseline in one continuous block or stack shorter, highly intentional workouts throughout your day. They all count toward your total weekly volume.”
How can snack workouts be integrated into your daily life?
Here are some movements to add to your everyday routine:
@outofshapetostrong #womenover50 #outofshapetostrong #strengthtraining #exercisesnacks #exercises ♬ original sound – Out of Shape to Strong
- Take the stairs at a brisk pace
- Aim for 10 to 15 squats between meetings or episodes of your favourite show
- Park a little farther away from your destination to add time to your walk
- Do one minute of jumping Jacks or marching at your desk – or in the stairwell
- Raise your calves while you brush your teeth
- Walk while you take calls or meetings
- Carry your shopping back and forth in indiviual bags when unpacking it, rather than all at once
- Stretch or do a short plank while your coffee brews
- Stand up from your desk every hour to walk or stretch
- Do a few push-ups against a wall or your desk
Original article appeared on BRITISH VOGUE
- Scientists are using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to permanently turn off two iver genes, PCSK9 and angiopoietin-like protein 3. Both are common drug targets for lowering LDL cholesterol levels.
- Small clinical trials show promising results with creating a ‘one and done’ treatment. Turning off the PCSK9 gene lowered cholesterol levels by 62 percent. Turning off angiopoietin-like protein 3 lowered cholesterol by nearly 50 percent.
- Heart doctors find “incredible potential” in gene therapy and a future where people may not need daily cholesterol-lowering pills.
GETTING A DIAGNOSIS of high cholesterol is not fun. It requires a revamp of lifestyle basics like how you eat and making sure you’re taking medications on time. Not to mention the never-ending worry of what would happen if cholesterol levels don’t improve. Because no one wants a future filled with potential stroke and heart attacks.
Cue this radical, ingenious method that sounds like something out of The Twilight Zone. Scientists have found a way to permanently stop cholesterol from ever building up in your body. All it requires is a little snip of your genes.
Here’s what you need to know.
Turning off Two Cholesterol Genes
BEFORE YOU WRITE this off as mad science, know there is some legitimacy to a gene-editing approach. Scientists have been using a gene editing technology called CRISPR-Cas 9 for years. The tool acts as a molecular scissor where it “cuts” a certain sequence of DNA bases. It then takes advantages of the DNA repair system to replace the existing segment with a customized DNA sequence that could fix the mutation or even turn the gene off. In other words, CRISPR lets you rewrite the genetic code. CRISPR is already in use for treatments of genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia.
Two separate studies found gene-editing a promising approach to tackling high cholesterol.
In May 2026, The New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a small phase 1b study of a drug called VERVE-102. VERVE-102 works by editing the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) gene. People with overactive versions of the enzyme liver gene, PCSK9, tend to have a harder time clearing out LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood. Meanwhile, people with defective versions of PCSK9 tend to have lower LDL levels, making PCSK9 a favorable target for high cholesterol.
The new drug works by making a small rewrite in the PCSK9 genetic code. The new instructions stops the gene from ever producing the PCSK9 enzyme.
Thirty-five people at risk for early heart disease or genetically have high cholesterol were given different doses of the drug to test if it was safe. There were no major side effects (the most common was a temporary increase in a separate liver enzyme, suggesting minor liver injury). Though the study was small, it did show that a single infusion of the highest dose lowered cholesterol levels by 62 percent.
In November 2025, a separate group of scientists edited a separate gene called angiopoietin-like protein 3. This gene increases cholesterol levels by inhibiting enzymes used to break down fat. Their phase 1 clinical also published in the The New England Journal of Medicine used an experimental CRISPR-Cas9 tool called CTX310 to create a mutation to make the angiopoietin-like protein 3 lose function, thereby reducing LDL cholesterol, along with triglycerides (a type of fat in the body).
Within 2 weeks, people’s LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels dropped and stayed low for at least 60 days. While the researchers originally planned to consider a 30 to 40 percent drop a success, CTX310 reduced LDL cholesterol and triglycerides by nearly 50 percent or more on average at the highest dose.
“This is a permanent change,” says Steven Nissen, MD, study co-author and chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. “It’s a one and done treatment. That’s why it’s so exciting. It allows us to permanently fix a gene.”
Heart Doctors Find “Incredible Potential” With Gene-Editing
THE GENE-EDITING approach is already getting a lot of buzz in the medical community. “There is incredible potential with this,” says Yu-Ming Ni, MD, cardiologist and lipidologist at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. “It’s really quite amazing that you can permanently remove this as a risk factor for heart disease in one treatment.”
Cardiologist and Men’s Health advisory board member Christopher Kelly, MD, says this treatment is “approaching magic” for people with high cholesterol. “It’s definitely where the future of medicine is headed.” He adds that gene therapy is helpful in shifting away from taking daily pills.
Both gene editing therapies will move on to a phase 2 clinical trial. That will be larger and involve more participants to better study the effectiveness of the treatment. Kelly is hopeful of promising results once the technique is reviewed and approved for use. “Once the technique is perfected, the side effects will probably be minimal, since specific genes are targeted in very precise ways.”
Still, even if everything continues to go well, don’t expect your doctor to recommend custom gene therapy yet. Because CRISPR-Cas9 changes your DNA, the US Food and Drug Administration recommends long-term safety monitoring. That’s usually 15 years for CRISPR-based treatments. In other words, there’s still a long way before you can simply roll up to your doctor’s office with high cholesterol and leave with altered genes and a lower cholesterol status.
“This won’t be a treatment for everybody but, for people who are difficult to treat, the concept of a one and done treatment is attractive,” Nissen says. Ni agrees. “This could be a major game-changer,” he says.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men’s Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
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