Week 3 of working out and my knees are killing me! Help!

ksh1983

Hello all my name is Kamesha and I am new to My Fitness Pal. I have also just began getting myself back healthy from my high school softball years and need some help. I have begun doing Zumba 3 times a week for an hour, taking the stairs at work every day (and I go up and down a lot) and parking up the street from my job to walk to work. In the middle of week three my knees have begun to kill me. It's harder to go up and down the stairs now and during Zumba I can't do the jumping jacks anymore. I'm sure that this has something to do with my weight (300lbs) but this is becoming discouraging to be in pain while trying to work out. And the headaches I am getting are horrible as well. Can somebody please help and let me know what is going on? Thank you in advance!

WendyTerry420

Yes, it's likely the weight that's the problem. Did you speak with a doctor before you started working out?

You might try some low-impact exercise for a bit and see if that helps. If your knees continue to hurt, you should check with a doctor. A little bit of soreness is normal, but it shouldn't hurt so bad that it's "killing" you.

Google "low-impact aerobics" for some ideas on exercise.

Piggytummy

I agree with Wendy on her points of making sure youre not over-doing it too quickly. I have a knee problem as well and im 189lbs, its something youll have to find the right exercises that wont make it hurt too bad. I wince if Im told to do lunges! Just keep at it and know that the smaller you get, the less it will hurt.

sweebum

When I was heavier, I started with Leslie Sansone indoor walking DVD's. They burn lots of calories, but are not too stressful on the body and joints. Good for you for exercising though!:flowerforyou:

rach41413

Try exercises that are easier on your joints...swimming, walking, or even the elliptical! As you get stronger, high impact exercises will get easier and less painful. Good luck!

Helloitsdan

every pound in the gut is 8 on the knees and 10 on the back.

Chill.

Eat right and take relaxing walks for exercise till you are more comfortable and have built up sone strength to do more.

xLexa

When I was heavier, I started with Leslie Sansone indoor walking DVD's. They burn lots of calories, but are not too stressful on the body and joints. Good for you for exercising though!:flowerforyou:

I had been doing turbo jam and zumba and after a couple of weeks my knees started to give me probs. So a good friend suggested Leslie Sansone and I started that tonight, just finished actually. Very low impact and was actually fun because I was able to keep up Good luck!

hooperkay

Going down stairs are harder on your joints than up. All of your weight is being put on them to go down. Maybe until pain is gone I would avoid stair climbing. I would also avoid jumping exercises. Explain to the Zumba instructor about your pain and maybe you can walk in place or something when they do jumping exercises. You could if you have access use a stationary bike at a slow pace until pain gets better. You will be amazed at how things stop hurting once you start losing. I stopped hurting at 20 lbs. Stick with it, but don't over due it!!

EnchantedEvening

I started at 356, and my knees felt like they were stabbing me with razor blades when I tried to do anything too involved. Start out very slowly. I went for walks until they felt a little more limber, and then I started doing Turbo Jam and followed the low impact instructions (there are two instructors on the screen who do modifications you can follow).

If you have access to a pool, I highly recommend swimming. You'll still get a great workout, but it isn't a "load-bearing" exercise.

Make sure you get fit for a good pair of walking shoes. Not everyone is built the same, and they'll examine your stride so they can get you into shoes that give you the correct support and cushioning. I kept getting shin splints and ankle pain because I over-pronate. It took a good pair of shoes to give me support where I need it and correct my stride.

Don't forget to stretch (gently).

I'm not sure what's causing the headaches. Headaches can be a symptom of SO many things. Are you staying hydrated?

ashesannes

I had the same problem. It was because I became so active so fast, I over worked the tendons in my knees. What I did is iced my knees every night after working out and took Ibuprofen to decrease swelling. I was back to new in no time! My head hurts sometimes when I work out also. It usually means I am too hot. Make sure you are drinking a lot of water before you do your exercises! I hope this helps!

mjpTennis

There is a lot of good advice about going more low impact. One piece of advice that helped me was to stretch my hip flexors and over time using the hip flexor machines with weights. This relieved all of my pain in the knees. Good luck.

Lalo_Nyc

Hi Kamesha,

You are doing great but you may be going a bit too hard. Cut back on Zumba to once a week and do what you can and instead do the treadmill and elliptical machine. Be sure to do the interval or hill programs on both machines as this will give you a chance to challenge yourself. They are great low impact and knee friendly machines and can be your best friends. Walking is a fantastic exercise, keep a journal jotting down distance/time and you will see improvement as long as you stick to the plan.

You gotta go easy on your knees. So be sure to stretch before and after any of your exercises. Drink water at regular intervals and do not be discouraged.

Be sure to have a talk with your physician or nutritionists.

Peace,

Ed from NYC

boatsie77

The pain is your body telling you to STOP and slow down--you'd better heed the warning or you won't even be able to function normally throughout your day, then were will you be? You are really piling on the exercise--how is your healthy eating going? You're not using exercise to compensate for your eating habits, are you?

In the beginning, dropping the pounds is more about what and how you eat--that should be your main focus. Then when your knees recover, start out slow (i.e. walking, low/no impact) as the weight comes off, working out will become easier on your joints.
Using MPF to track your food intake is key at this stage of the game...I know you want the weight GONE NOW (we all would like that to happen), but pushing yourself to injury isn't the way to go. Take a breath, eat healthy, ease into exercise and the weight will come off. You can and WILL do this.

lovethyneighbor

I was having a lot of hip joint pain when doing bootcamp and kickboxing classes at the gym. The teacher over the class is also a nutritionist, and she suggested drinking aloe vera juice (located in the joint supplement area at walmart close to the pharmacy). I have always gotten the 'original' because I mix it with my protein shakes or chase it with a glass of water, but she always suggested the fruit punch flavor. I drink an 8 ounce glass once/day. After about 4 weeks, I started noticing less pain. I'm not saying this will fix your problem by any means, because you should see a doctor about your knees. There may be more going on there than you realize, and should have it checked out before any possible damage is done or worsened. There isn't a doctor in the world that will tell a person to not work out and make healthier choices. But atleast seeing a specialist can tell you if the Zumba class is right for you or if you might need to have an alternative workout routine. But as far as the aloe vera juice goes, it MAY help. As for the headaches, that could possibly be caused by the force of impact made on your spine from the Zumba class. Don't get discouraged, b/c it is wonderful the effort you are taking to get healthy. Just find alternative workouts that aren't as hard on your body. If I were you, I would definitely see a doctor because they can tell you what level to start at, instead of going full force right off the bat. You may just need choose other routines to prepare your body for what is to come...

LinaBo

I would definitely consult a doctor about what exercise (and how much) is suitable for you. I totally empathize, here; I'm trying to lose 125-130 lbs (140-144, if we're counting from my highest weight of 279 lbs), and I avoid anything that has me bouncing up and down. Right now I'm just burning a lot through strength training, which I highly recommend because there are a lot of low impact options in strength training, and it does double duty: it gets your heart pumping and calories burning, and also builds muscle that both supports your joints and raises your calories burned at rest. Aside from that, I throw in some fairly easy walking at 70% of my maximum heart rate (for me, that's about 135 bpm) to stay in the "fat burning" zone.

Aside from that, I agree that for high intensity cardio, replacing some of your activities with time on an elliptical (that also has moving handles so you can work your arms. The one up at my rec centre also has an "arm blaster" feature that forces you to really push with your arms for short bursts). The elliptical will give you a good burn, without gravity bringing your weight down repeatedly on the knees.

Last, but not least: look into exercise classes at your local pool. The ones in the deep water are what will really give you a workout (I'm not a swimmer; they had float belts you can wear), there is more room to adjust your own intensity and go at your own pace (I'm not encouraging you to go slow, here. What I mean is, paddle and kick as hard as you can). I'm currently off work for disability issues right now, and last August I started back with exercise and rehabilitation by going to "Chronic Disease Management" classes, funded by my local health authority, at the local rec centre pool. I built crazy amounts of muscle, more than I ever had even in my prior lifting days. It's also great because it's a relief on all of the joints. The water removes most of the gravity from the equation. I have now graduated to land exercises again.

Casey45

Kamesha!

First: YOU ROCK! It's so fabulous that you are taking your life back.

As to your problems, everybody else has given you good advise. In particular I agree with: check with a doctor, until you've lost more weight and have stronger legs/gluts, you will probably have knee pain. Lower impact (elliptical, treadmill - walking as fast as you can, add incline when you can) will help, but again, check with a doctor. Try to access a trainer/physical therapist. Maybe through work, health insurance. They may provide you with specific exercises for you that get your heart up and strengthen thoses legs. The irony is (and my husband who is also 300 pounds is facing the same problem) it's hard to get stronger legs/less weight when the knees hurt.

DON'T GIVE UP! It's so amazing that you've started and you will be better with time. Remember, it took a LONG time to get up to the weight you are when you decided to change, so give yourself a long time to come back down. You are facing a change in your whole way of living so you need to do it little by little.

On August 15 I will have been on this journey for one year. My aforementioned husband now says, 'damn, if I had started when you did, I"d probably be more than 50 pounds lighter by now." It may seem like a long time as you look in the future, but looking back, this last year has been so fast! so be easy on yourself.

As to the headaches, again check with a doctor. My first thought was that you may need to pay more attention to hydration. Second thought was wondering if you had decided to ditch caffeine from your diet. Going from lots to less or even no caffeine can cause NASTY headaches (I found out one year I gave up caffeine for lent - dumbass idea).

Again, ALL THE BEST!!!!! You are awesome.

ksh1983

WOW! Thank you all for the response, I'm new and really didn't expect so many people to respond I really appreciate this a lot. Seeing the advice that everyone has given I went out today and purchased a few workout DVD such as the "Walk Away the Pounds" That was much easier to do. So I will be doing those. I really enjoy my Zumba class and really don't want to give it up because it is making working out fun for me. So will do like someone suggest and do some modifications during the class. As far as seeing a doctor, I have just changed Jobs and unfortunately my insurance does not go into effect until next month so I will have to wait until then. But when it does I will be sure to make an appointment ASAP. Another statement that was made was about hydration. I despise water! LOL! It is taking everything that I have to get the recommended 8cups down. But I am working on it. I have kicked sodas to the curb, because between that, tea and juices that was all I was drinking. So yes I do believe that I have quit caffeine cold turkey. I will try to ice my knees down and just realized that I don’t stretch really unless I’m at Zumba. The first time I actually stretched after working out was with the lady on the “Walk Away the Pounds DVD”, so I will be sure to start doing that more often. Now, as far as my eating habits I am trying my best to change that. It is really difficult. I’m not a breakfast person so I have bought the “Body By Vi” shake mixtures and I make smoothies for breakfast. I have cut out pork and fried foods. But it is hard to cut down my portion sizes, but I really am trying.

Again, thank you all so much for your responses you all are awesome!!!!!!


P.S. I don’t have any friends on here o if anyone would like to add me I will gladly accept.