Just starting to exercise, horrible cramps and pain

Sweet_Misery_

I weigh 405lb, just getting started on following diet and exercising daily. My goal was to go for half hour walk each day. Every day I walk I stretch before, and have a nice walk. Then later that night I get horrible painful cramps all throughout both legs. When I do other exercise (daily burn, just dance, elliptical) I don't have this issue and no cramps at night. Only when I walk. I would like to walk every night but the cramps are so painful. What can I do to fix this? Will my body adjust over time?

lorrpb

I suggest you build up more gradually. 10-15 minutes every other day for 2 weeks, then increase the time by 5 min or frequency 1 more day every 1-2 wrrks week. It might take 2-3 months to reach your goal of daily walks x 30 min. That's OK. Just keep building as you are able. Congrats on getting started!

Alatariel75

You may want to take a Magnesium supplement, too. Both my husband and I get cramps at night, and Magnesium helps a lot.

Purplebunnysarah

Make sure you have good shoes. And I agree with starting more slowly as well. Both losing weight and building distance/time gradually should help reduce the pain.

Also, if you haven't already I suggest getting a checkup at the doctor before starting any kind of exercise program just to make sure there isn't anything else going on.

speedingticket

Cramps are normally a sign of fatigue (especially if they follow exercise). Cutting back and building up more slowly may help. Make sure you are hydrated, too (use the colour of your urine to guide you). If you're on any medication, check with your doctor that they may not be exacerbating the cramps, as it is a side effect of some medicines.

callsitlikeiseeit

make sure you have good shoes, are well hydrated, and your potassium and magnesium levels are good.

when i first started working out, 7 minutes on the elliptical or 10 minutes walking and iwas DONE. now i can do 60-90 (when i have the time) minutes without a second thought. but it took time to build up to that.

you build up endurance over time. dont worry about it, just keep aiming for better. roll back to 10 minutes. every week, add 5 more.

apullum

If you're sweating, then it may be an electrolyte imbalance. A sports drink (like Gatorade) instead of plain water will help with this.

Otherwise, it may be overexertion--either building up distance too quickly, too fast pace, or terrain that's too steep for your current level.

It could also be that you need new walking shoes. As a runner, I find that a lot of aches and pains start happening when my shoes need to be replaced.

mmapags

Alatariel75 wrote: »

You may want to take a Magnesium supplement, too. Both my husband and I get cramps at night, and Magnesium helps a lot.

This^. Sounds like electrolytes to me. Also, hydration can be a factor.