After the excesses of Christmas and New Year, many people's thought turn to getting fit in the New Year. Why not make your New Year's resolution stick by setting yourself a fitness challenge and raising funds for Coping with Cancer?
Below are a few of our favourite fitness challenge ideas, along with some hints and tips about getting started raising money for us.
Running
Why not contact your local running club? They are not just for people who are training to run marathons or a 10k race in 40 minutes, many clubs offer beginners sessions and weekly runs at differing levels of ability. West End Runners, the local club to Helen Webb House, has a beginners 10 week course starting on 11th January 2012, open to people who have no running experience and varying levels of fitness. Details can be found at www.westendrunners.co.uk
Once you've got the running bug, then there are many ways you can have fun and help raise funds for Coping with Cancer. You don't need to travel far as there are many well organised runs and races around the county and Rutland, which are easy to travel to and relatively cheap to enter. Here's just a taster:
- Leicester 10k, Abbey Park, Sunday 1st April
- Belvoir Half Marathon, Sunday 8th April
- Leicester Full and half marathon – Sunday 14th October
For race details go to
www.therunningbug.co.uk which has details of the main organised races around the area and the UK, plus training guides and tips.
If you fancy something a little different - what we actually mean is taking part in one of two very challenging, muddy and wet 10k runs - then check out the following two events coming up in 2012:
- Farmyard Frolics at Brooksby College, near Melton Mowbray, Sunday 25th March
- Adventure Run at Sibbertoft, near Market Harborough, Sunday 5th February
Details of both can be found at: www.quest-events.co.uk
Group Events
If indoor is more your thing and 2012 is the year to take up Zumba or spinning classes, then why not get a group of friends together and hold a 'One Big' Zumba or Spinning Day! Get your local gym or zumba host to offer you the use of a studio for the day, gather a team of fellow class mates and challenge yourselves to an 8 or 12 hour mega-session! Get sponsored for completing the whole day or by the hour. Regular breaks, high calorie snacks and plenty of spare clothes required! 
Setting a personal challenge
Why not set yourself a sponsored distance challenge, using the equipment at your local gym (do check if you need permission), or dust off that gear you bought last January. You could cycle the distance from London to Paris, or row the channel, without all the travelling or getting caught in the rain!
Mountain challenges
Start training for a special challenge. Download our information sheets on climbing Ben Nevis, Great Britain's tallest mountain, or Completing the Three Peaks Challenge - climbing the tallest mountains in England (Scafell Pike) Wales (Snowdon) and Scotland (Ben Nevis) - all in 24 hours. Two teams completed this challenge for Coping with Cancer in 2011 - read their stories here and here.
Getting started
If you want to take part, set yourself a fitness challenge and raise some funds for Coping with Cancer, simply create your online fundraising page with our friends at Virgin Money Giving or get in touch with our fundraising team on 0116 223 0055. Once you've got your page set up, email the link to all your friends and family, tweet about it (include @CopingwCancer in your tweet and we'll retweet it for you) and share your link on Facebook.
You can also download sponsorship forms from our 'Get Sponsored' page. If you haven't got access to a printer, drop us a line on 0116 223 0055 or email fundraising@c-w-c.org.uk and we'll send some copies out to you.
Send us your stories and photos
Don't forget to email us your fundraising stories and any photos that you take - we'll include them on our website and a selection in our newsletter.
Contact us
For more information, or help with your fundraising idea, contact us on 0116 223 0055 or email fundraising@c-w-c.org.uk.