Help please (seriously please read)

ChaoticMiNd

Hi guys I am new to the whole getting fit thing. For the past month or more I have been being more active and walk a minimum of 3 days a week doing 5k. I never seem to stop being sore all over, let's not mention when I try to workout video's etc. I have been stretching and doing what I can but sheesh. Also want to add I'm almost 40 could this have something to do with it? Thanks guys.

TylerJ76

Muscles sore?
That is normal.

swbsug

muscles being sore is normal, that shows that you are using them I recommend tha tyou drink plenty of water to keep your boyd hydrating and to prevent cramps. In addition a soak in a nice warm bath with epsom salt will make you feel better. I fyou are really bad off take a coupel of pain relievers immediately following your workout

medpal

I can relate to this I am also training for a 5K in aug. My first and goal is to finish. Keep pushing and good luck.

pinkspanglystar

Do you warm up and cool down properly before doing anything?? I know most people skip this part out as being not needed but it really is important to help prevent injury!! I trained for a while to do triathlons and never warmed up untill I realised the harm I was doing!!

NicLiving

Drink more water. :flowerforyou:

nboot1

I agree that working muscles that are not worked consistantly will leave them sore- I have always done the eliptical at the gym (for years!) and when I began jogging outside for a change I could hardly walk for a few days- it was from a new way of working the muscles. If you are haveing another king of pain/ soreness (like joints) it is best you talk to your doctor. also make sure you have properly fitted shoes- I had a lot of trouble with my knees and ankels untill I went to get my feet measured and all that fun stuff! Good luck

only1tcb

Warm ups, cool downs, hot baths, and Alieve!

elfinsnow

Are you stretching enough? Makes a bg difference. I have a foam roller too and that helps a lot too.

vegankat

I used to get really sore too, all the time, and had muscle cramps. My aunt (a nurse) suggested a magnesium supplement. It's only a couple dollars at any grocery store or Wal-mart. Since then, I've been working out harder than ever with hardly any soreness at all!

clehman71

Are you drinking enough water? I find if I don't drink enough water, even on non-workout days, then workouts are going to leave me with sore muscles.

Almost 40 is not what is making you sore, your new routine just is going to take some time for your body to adjust to if you weren't physically active before. If you were physically active before and only now are getting and staying sore...see your doctor to rule out any medical problems.

suttercm

Are you doing rest days in between your workouts? Sounds like you are just pushing hard. Keep going and it will definitely get better. I remember when I started seriously walking, first few weeks my feet hurt so bad! When they stopped hurting then my calves hurt. When calves got in shape then my thighs. Just worked up my body. Give your body some time to adjust!

tmonsta617

I agree sore muscles are normal when you're getting started OR even after you've started and you continue to push yourself. You are training your body to do things it hasn't done before or for a long time (thus it being called training). The advice to drink more water is def true. Also, consider adding orange juice to your diet (not a lot just an 8 oz serving at breakfast) to make certain you are getting potassium. This will help avoid dreaded muscle cramps.

Abells

Hi guys I am new to the whole getting fit thing. For the past month or more I have been being more active and walk a minimum of 3 days a week doing 5k. I never seem to stop being sore all over, let's not mention when I try to workout video's etc. I have been stretching and doing what I can but sheesh. Also want to add I'm almost 40 could this have something to do with it? Thanks guys.

strongly suggest you drink more water eat some bananas and invest in a foam roller www.performbetter.com

take a rest day or a yoga day where you just stretch then

Titanuim

Since I started c5k a few weeks ago my calf muscles have been constantly aching. Sometimes less. Sometime more. I just take magnesuim and glucosamine daily, use the foam roller when it is particularly bad (as well as ibuprofen) and just keep on going. I am 40 and have put it partly down to age and muscles not recovering as fast as they do when you are younger.

ChaoticMiNd

If you're walking outside, 3 miles- a few times per week, you NEED to make sure you have good shoes. When I say "good," I mean-- you should probably get fitted for your personal gait/foot at an athletic shoe store, like FLEET FEET or something. Sore muscles are totally normal. But if you're getting shin pain, joint pain, etc.. It's probably because you need proper footwear.

This makes sense because my sneakers are three years old lol....(I never used them so much before). Also to everyone else thank you for the input, and I do get plenty of water I love water.

caraguard

Drink more water. :flowerforyou:

DITTO!! Drinks lots of water.

RuthSweetTooth

Sore muscles are caused by lactic acid in the muscles. Drinking more water will help. Be more consistent with your diary and be sure you are getting enough calcium which is important for bone and muscle function. And I don't know but perhaps that is alot of exercise all at once. Try something more manageable before deciding to become an overnight athlete, work up to it. How about a walk for 30 minutes every day for starting out instead of 5K. Be nice to yourself !

Ruth

TamaraJackson27

Hi. Since you"re just geting back into it, you are going to be sore!! The key thing is to keeo pushing through it. You will soon not be able to feel a thing and then you will want to push yourself even harder just to get that soreness back! When youre sore from working out its a good thing. Those toxins/waste is what you are waking up!! So keep at it and drink plenty of water!!!! oh and plenty of stretching. Hope this helps a little.

RuthSweetTooth

Potassium is also important too . . . eat five fruits and vegetables a day to prevent cramping.

Once you are 40, you may find you need arch supports, especially if overweight. The ones in the store don't help much.

billsica

I would definitely look at new shoes. Don't get cross trainers. go to a real running store. If the guy doesn't look at your feet and makes you walk around or whatever, your not in a real running store.

Chocolate milk after a +20 minute workout.

ericsperling

Don't overdue it. Start out walking briskly for 10 minutes each day. Use a pedometer to record gained calories. Gradually increase walking time as you start losing weight. Over-exercising will deter you from exercising and injuries will add negative re-inforcement to stop you from exercising. More serious injuries will prevent you from exercising.

Keep this in mind: exercise is not the path to weight loss; dieting is. If you don't count calories, exercise will just increase your appetite. Do use exercise as a tool to bank more calories for eating. Don't use exercise as a means to lose weight.

When I started dieting at 232 lbs, I resigned to walk 10 minutes daily at 2.5 mph and a gain of 55 calories. As I started to lose weight, 10 minutes was only giving me back 45 cals so I increased walking time to 15, 20, 30, 40, 60 minutes. I walk during lunch break (big walk) and take little "coffee break" walks and "bathroom break" walks. I try to walk enough to accumulate 120-200 cal per day. Also record walking while shopping, mowing lawn or other general landscaping activities.

Always eat before you walk because you need food to ignite fat burning. Always carry cold water if walking in intense heat. Walk briskly but no so fast that you cramp or become fatigued. Enjoy your walk.

P.S. Comfortable shoes, orthotics and comfy clothes are also helpful.

ChaoticMiNd

Potassium is also important too . . . eat five fruits and vegetables a day to prevent cramping.

Once you are 40, you may find you need arch supports, especially if overweight. The ones in the store don't help much.

This is ironic because I just bought some arch supports/insoles yesterday and they didn't seem to help lol.

fdavisdarthard

It's possible that over time you could have damaged your metabolism. If you’ve caused metabolic damage as a result of following starvation diets or losing weight too rapidly in the past, it can be extremely difficult to achieve any further fat loss at all. The good news is, metabolic damage can be repaired. All it takes is the right combination of metabolism stimulating exercise and metabolism stimulating nutrition (NOT just a diet), all done consistently over time. What’s most important for boosting your metabolism is CONSISTENCY in applying the your nutritional and training principles every single day. By making better food choices such as unprocessed foods with high thermic effect (lean proteins like chicken, turkey, egg whites and fish are highly thermic, as are all green vegetables, salad vegetables and other fibrous carbs. You should also have a sufficient caloric intake by maintaining a small calorie deficit and avoid starvation-level diets (suggested safe levels for fat loss is 1200-1500 calories per day for women; adjust as needed). Finally, weight training is very beneficial. The basic exercises that include the largest muscle groups or even call into play the entire body as a unit (squats, front squats, split squats, deadlifts, stiff legged deadlifts, overhead presses, all kinds of rows and core-activation exercises) will have a much greater metabolism stimulating effect than isolation exercises (concentration curls, calf raises, etc). The weight training is extremely important in cases of “metabolic damage” because this is the stimulus to keep the muscle you have and begin rebuilding new muscle tissue, which is the engine that drives your metabolism. Hope this information helps! :-)

SueMizZou

I believe that an anti-inflammatory pill might be in order if you are sore all the time. I know that popping pill is not popular here but sometimes it pays to get muscle inflammation under control while trying all the suggested physical and dietary fixes. Aspirin, aleev should help

jppd47

Water! stretching is good. Also is your food diary accurate? Cause some days you are way under your goal, especially the days your burning more. Fuel your body, its need it to recover

ChaoticMiNd

If you're walking outside, 3 miles- a few times per week, you NEED to make sure you have good shoes. When I say "good," I mean-- you should probably get fitted for your personal gait/foot at an athletic shoe store, like FLEET FEET or something. Sore muscles are totally normal. But if you're getting shin pain, joint pain, etc.. It's probably because you need proper footwear.

This makes sense because my sneakers are three years old lol....(I never used them so much before). Also to everyone else thank you for the input, and I do get plenty of water I love water.

Yes! You need new shoes! And here's a trick.. Go to an athletic/running shoe shop and have them measure your feet and observe your gait/stride. They will then recommend shoes that are best for YOUR feet. But.. You don't HAVE to purchase them there. Write down the names of the shoes they recommend. You can always go on Amazon and find a better price. Proper shoes can be pricey (especially in the specialized athletic shops.) If they are having a sale or something-- it's nice to buy them there since they took the time to measure, etc.

I am sooo going to do this tomorrow.

BeeElMarvin

I'm 53, I'm sore all the time in one spot or another. I spent 50 years beating the hell out of my body in every way that I possibly could, and over the last 2 years I've tried to turn things around.... it's a tough road, but you just gotta do it.

iLose2Gain

Sore after a workout is normal but sore for a month is not! Definitely look at your Protein, Potassium & water intake to help prevent sore muscles. If after you have looked at your intake & still do not find relief, you could have torn muscles or an underlying problem. Here is some info from Live Strong website: http://www.livestrong.com/article/413096-sore-leg-muscles-after-working-out/