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Walking tires me out

juliaky84
juliaky84 Posts: 72 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I am trying to increase my step count. Average day is 3000 steps Some effort gets me 5000 steps. Working harder gets me 7500 steps a day which is my goal - even this amount REALLY tires me out and makes me sore. It's not that much! Why am I so tired from this amount?
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Replies

  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Simply because you're not used to it. Keep at it, and your endurance will improve!
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    Simply because you're not used to it. Keep at it, and your endurance will improve!

    Yup. And you might be surprised how quickly this happens. In no time at all you might find yourself shooting for 30k or more, just to do it, because you've built up enough endurance that you know you can.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Lourdesong wrote: »
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    Simply because you're not used to it. Keep at it, and your endurance will improve!

    Yup. And you might be surprised how quickly this happens. In no time at all you might find yourself shooting for 30k or more, just to do it, because you've built up enough endurance that you know you can.

    Agreed. Keep going at least 5 days per week because if you take too many rest days in a row, you will lose that endurance quickly.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Also consider your footwear. As a hiker, I try to follow the old army saying that "1 lb. on your feet equals 5 lbs. on your back" (or something like that). Light-weight, comfortable, and supportive footwear can help with fatigue.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    Me too! And I'm addicted!! My biggest step day so far is 30000. Keep it goin'
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    Another vote to keep at it and make sure you have good shoes. I have knee issues and like Asics Gel.
  • bri170lb
    bri170lb Posts: 1,375 Member
    I was having trouble with extreme fatigue when I walked or did housework. It turned out to be a thyroid problem. Once I got that straighten out, there was no stopping me!

    Be sure to rule out any possible medical issues.
  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
    It gets better the longer you keep at it. I was only able to get 3K at first and now regularly get 10K - most are intentional exercise. That's after 4 months of at least 5 days a week. I usually walk intentionally for exercise 6 days. I'm working on speeding up using Couch to 5K. I speed walk when I'm supposed to run.

    I wore Keds when I started and quickly realized they were killing me. Now I have a pair of Brooks. I'll never go back to Keds despite how ugly I think running shoes are and the expense. Next pair I'm going to a running store and get a proper fitting.

    Wearing good shoes definitely helped me increase my endurance. The difference was night and day.
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    With an average of 3000, I think a goal of 7500 is too much right now. At least it was for me. I hit the wall trying for 6000 every day, and had a setback. I started back at 3000, and SLOWLY raised my goal. I don't raise my goal until I can easily meet my current goal every day for at least a week. I've seen some suggest raising goals by 10% each week. I went from 3000, to 3500, to 4000, to 5000. It's taken a while. Now I can do 5000 almost every day. Pushing yourself too much leads to burnout (and sometimes injury). It's more important to be consistent with walking than to reach a high number.
  • pstegman888
    pstegman888 Posts: 286 Member
    I agree with the advice to get thyroid checked. And good shoes! Also, as I have other health issues that cause fatigue, I found it helpful to use a walking stick (not a crutch but a tall hiking stick). A sturdy branch about 3/4" in diamater will work, or you can get a real nice one on ebay for not too much. I found that it just helps stabilize my walk enough to really cut down the fatigue. A short walk is better than none...just add a little bit every few days and build your endurance slowly. Not all of us can do 10 or 20 or 30,000 steps in a day!
  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
    64crayons wrote: »
    With an average of 3000, I think a goal of 7500 is too much right now. At least it was for me. I hit the wall trying for 6000 every day, and had a setback. I started back at 3000, and SLOWLY raised my goal. I don't raise my goal until I can easily meet my current goal every day for at least a week. I've seen some suggest raising goals by 10% each week. I went from 3000, to 3500, to 4000, to 5000. It's taken a while. Now I can do 5000 almost every day. Pushing yourself too much leads to burnout (and sometimes injury). It's more important to be consistent with walking than to reach a high number.

    I agree with this. It's hard to know how much to push yourself. You don't want to do too much and have a setback but you want to do what you are able to do. Hard to find that balance.
  • riceflourde
    riceflourde Posts: 58 Member
    Are you tired in general? Does sleep help? I go to the dr like others said.
  • Dariasen
    Dariasen Posts: 145 Member
    You will get there. When I got my Fitbit I was shocked to see I only walked about 3000 steps on average. I started added 500 more as a goal each week. Now I feel weird if I haven't made 8000 by lunch time.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    I used to have to lay down for an hour after walking 1 mile at a slow pace. Now I power walk every day from 3 to 7 miles at a 4 to 4.5 mph pace. That combined with my regular steps gives me well over 10,000 steps per day.

    If you plan on doing it every day invest in a good pair of running/walking shoes.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Maybe 7500 is too much of a jump from your average 3000 steps. If 5000 steps is challenging for you right now why not make that your goal for a few weeks and then increase when that is easy for you?
    5000 is more than 3000. It is okay to increase your activity gradually.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    Up your steps gradually. Doing 3000 now? Aim for 4000. When you can do that comfortably, add another 1000 to it. Giving yourself time to get used to extra exercise makes it easier to stick with it.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    I sounded just like you last year year. I went to the doctor and was put in a high_strength prescription NSAID fot heart inflammation. It made a world of difference. Go, see if you have an underlying medical condition, and BE PERSISTANT!
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    Given that you're sore, I'd put my money on out of shape over medical problem, but keep an eye on it.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    edited December 2015
    How long has it been since you started walking?

    I'm going to go against trend here and say that it is worrisome for a 31-year-old who is only 8 pounds overweight to be struggling so much with so few steps.

    Slowly increasing your goal and walking every day are both good ideas...but if you are still feeling really tired after a month or so, it might be worth checking in with your doctor about this.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Increase your goal by ten percent from 3,000. Do that until it feels natural. Then go to 3,600, and so on. Fitness is gradual.

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