Committed to my EA Active but need advice

DataBased

Hi all, I really need some good advice because I'm not 100% certain what I should do.

Yesterday I got and used the Wii EA Active (not 2 or 3) workout and I did a 30 minute workout heavy on squats and deep knee bends and lunges (with and without kick). When the 30 min. was up, my legs were quivering but I felt such a sense of accomplishment. I did 20 of the 23 exercises, though I had to hold on to something through the leg exercises because, face it, I'm 244 lbs. and I have absolutely zero muscle tone.

My goal was to do this workout 3 days a week. But today, I cannot control myself going down stairs. I cannot sit down without grasping something and using my arms to support me on the way down. Walking is okay, but my balance is shot to the moon. I simply have no control over my thigh muscles, it seems.

So please help me understand what to do. Should I do the leg exercises tomorrow? Just muscle through this, so to speak? Or would it be better to let myself heal some more before I attack it again?

Please - I'm not being sarcastic. I'm an older gal who has gotten really really out of shape and I don't know which way is best.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

amdahwd

I am not sure what everyone else will say, but I say work through it. I have just started working out again in the last few months and it does not matter how sore I am, when it is time to do my classes, I am there. I feel much better after it's over. It will not take you long to build up your strength if you keep it up. Great luck to you!

DataBased

Okay - that's what I want to do, but the Hubs says I should rest. I think he's factoring in the cold/fever I caught, but I can work through that. I just don't want to do any real harm to my muscles.

Thank you so much!

DSeay88

You shouldn't just rest b/c of muscle soreness. If you wait for the soreness to go away, you'll just get really sore all over again the next time. I would, however, recommend taking the intensity down a bit until you become stronger. Being so sore that you can hardly move or having your muscles so torn apart that they can barely function the next day is not the way to sustain progress. Losing weight and getting more fit will take time, so don't try to do it all in one day or one workout. You can use the same workout you have, but just adjust the intensity down. If this workout focuses on the lower body, I would at least alternate it with something that works upper body and/or abs. Maybe throw in a day when you only do cardio and nothing that works your muscles intensely. Most weight training guidelines will tell you to NOT work the same muscle groups two days in a row.

As for being sick, I think that depends on how sick you are. If you have a fever, I would say rest. If it's just a cold, you can still exercise.

I commend you for pushing yourself and exercising hard. If you don't feel any discomfort, you're probably not working hard enough and won't get more fit. On the other hand, you don't want to sabotage yourself by causing an injury by pushing too hard, too fast. Good luck!

DataBased

Thank you, Dwitham88. You hit the nail on the head, of course. I honestly thought I could do a 30 min. circuit and obviously I was ridiculously optimistic. Believe me, lesson learned! After reading Amdahwd's advice, I thought it would probably be a good idea to do something reeeeeeeeeeeally light just to loosen my muscles up a bit. So I climbed (slowly) onto the stationary bike and went a whopping 13mph for a little more than 20 min.

It didn't really help, but I felt better anyway somehow.

I am running a fever (Hubs took my temp - low grade @ 101.2) so it isn't really bad. Just a cold. Really, that's something I can work through. But when he saw me trying to make it all the way down to the throne, grasping the door knob for all I was worth, he got alarmed.

I''ll go much easier in the future.

Thanks so much! :flowerforyou:

DataBased

Just in case anybody checks back - I did do my EA Active routine today. I included one set of 12 reps of two kinds of lunges; front lunges and side lunges. Wed. it had me do 3 sets of 12 each. I really do like the game - it makes working out as fun as is can be. I also got an app for my Kindle Fire for core workouts that I am doing (5 min. per day) and try to spin at least 15 mph on the stationary bike for a 20-30 min. ride every night. So far, I'm still alive so it must be good.

The cold is kicking my tail more than I would have thought. But I did power through the workout, so I'm feeling pretty proud of myself today.

DSeay88

I'm glad you're hanging in there and not getting discouraged. I admire your motivation! I hope you feel better soon. :happy:

DataBased

Thanks so much! My legs are really starting to feel "powerful-sore" rather than just painful-sore, if you get the distinction. I like this kind of sore.

Now this cold - man! It's really stubborn. Funny how you don't think about air until you can't seem to get any through your nose. :indifferent: