Sore, but afraid if I take a break I'll just quit.

graham0516
graham0516 Posts: 2
in Fitness and Exercise
A little background before I launch into my questions. I'm 25, female, and finally lost about 50 lbs over the last year (was 185, now around 139). I lost most of my weight through dieting with only sporadic exercise. Even though I'm at my goal weight, I still have a fairly high body fat percentage. I recently started working out again and have worked my way up to running a 13.5 min mile (tremendous progress for me). I've also been doing some strength training and this week is the first week in a long time that I have done at least 30 mins of exercise every day (except Tuesday).

Here's my week:
Sunday - Ran 1.14 miles in 18 mins. First time running a full mile without taking a walking break!
Monday - Walked for 30 mins with my little sisters (ran around some and carried a couple of them on my back)
Tuesday - Rest day
Wednesday - Ran a mile in 13:36 mins.
Thursday - Did 20 mins of strength training (squats, planks, side planks, push-ups, dumbbell presses and flyes, and mtn climbers).
Friday (today) - Went on a hour long (4.36 mile) bike ride with family.

My legs were sore after the squats yesterday and now they're very sore and stiff. I'm concerned about overdoing it, but If I take a break longer than a day I'm really concerned I'll just quit. I feel so much better when I exercise on a daily basis and I don't want to lose that.

Any tips, tricks, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    Perhaps you could take two rest days in a week, but stagger them (like, one on Tuesday and one on Friday). Eventually, your body will get used to the harder workouts and won't be as sore, and you can go back to one day. Right now, though, you don't want to risk injuring yourself, because that will derail you a lot harder than an extra rest day. Or, you could do a half-rest day and just take a long walk instead of running.
  • Hexahedra
    Hexahedra Posts: 894 Member
    You just started working out again, so DOMS is normal. If you push yourself too hard into pain, that might make you quit too. Just take it easy for several days and come back with a vengeance next week.
  • Darius66
    Darius66 Posts: 62 Member
    This used to happen to me all the time. I would take a couple rest days and never start up again. I have now successfully taken as much as 4 days off and not quit because something about this time feels more important.

    I feel like when you realize that this is it.... You HAVE to do this. No amount of rest days will stop you from starting up again.

    Maybe try doing long walks on the rest days to still move and be outdoors which always makes you feel like you are active at the very least.
  • janebshaw
    janebshaw Posts: 168
    Please schedule regular rest days into your workout schedule.

    On those days, it can be fine to do light exercise, such as light yoga or walking, but nothing that puts a lot of stress on your muscles and joints.
  • Sarge516
    Sarge516 Posts: 256 Member
    Rest & recovery are important parts of a fitness plan. When you workout, you cause microscopic tears to your muscles. That is why they are sore. When you rest, your body repairs that "damage" and you come back stronger. You need to rest to allow that process to take place.

    You need two things:
    - Rest
    - Commitment so you "come back" after rest days.

    I second the poster above that says to do something light, like walking, on rest days.
  • graham0516
    graham0516 Posts: 2
    After reading everyone's posts, I'm definitely going to include a few rest days/light exercise days a week.

    There's a half marathon two days before my birthday in October and I'm seriously considering training for it. After being overweight and non-active throughout my teens and early 20's I think this will be the best birthday present I could ever give myself.

    Thanks for the encouragement!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Rest and ice baths. You're not going to quit because you're not going to let yourself quit.
  • Ke22yB
    Ke22yB Posts: 969 Member
    I am constantly upping my pace or my distance and so at age 65 I am usually pretty sore I deal with it by starting out at a walking pace for a 1/4 or 1/2 mile if I have to and then taking off or walking around the gym before my fitness class to warm up the muscles and this helps me to keep going. I am not afraid of stopping this has been 5 years now of ongoing life style changes but I just feel off if I dont workout so I deal with the soreness
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    The light aerobics (5mph on a bike) is one of the best things you can do for the soreness!

    Rest days do not have to mean sitting around - they just mean you aren't pushing yourself to the limits.
  • megalin9
    megalin9 Posts: 771 Member
    I find that just plain ol' walking is best for sore muscles. But a regular rest day is also a must.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    during the school year, you had weekends off, right? did you quit school monday?

    rest days are important.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    pain is pleasure, keep on going!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    DOMS is normal, particularly as you're new to strength training. I recommend doing 3x weekly for your strength training, that'll give you some recovery time in between. Your body will get used to is. If you are having issues with recovery do a split routine...most people do 4x weekly splits, but you can do 3x weekly splits as well...that's what I do. If you can though, you should do full body 3x weekly until you just can't recover and start hitting strength gain plateaus.

    Also, you should have 1-2 rest days per week. Not necessarily sit on your *kitten* and do nothing, but no vigorous exercise. Rest is actually where the magic happens and you get the benefit from your workout...the workout is just the catalyst.
  • _the_feniks_
    _the_feniks_ Posts: 3,412 Member
    Congratulations on your success so far. Besides proper rest, foam rolling will help alleviate some of your muscle soreness. It isn't a cure-all, but will help break up scar tissue and speed your recovery. But honestly you need your rest, it won't kill your motivation. You've come this far so why would you allow an extra rest day derail your progress?
  • stephaniemarie416
    stephaniemarie416 Posts: 49 Member
    That happens to me a lot as well. I used to do all sorts of random things when I would exercise but I started alternating strength training days with cardio and/or rest days for the same reason. I like to go for long walks on my "rest" days. If you walk somewhere where there are lots of hills or an a trail its a great workout! I also sometimes alternate between muscle groups on my strength training days
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I suggest walking...keeps you moving and should help reduce the soreness. When you get back to it, warm up sufficiently and start light.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Stretching, yoga and walks on your rest days. I hate rest days, too, for the same reason.
  • SuperKeely
    SuperKeely Posts: 20 Member
    Treat yourself to a nice bath with epsom salts.

    Take a little walk to get blood flowing & gently stretch out your sore muscles.

    Then get back at 'er.

    You can totally do that 1/2 marathon!
  • anniecrisis
    anniecrisis Posts: 20
    At the stage you're at - at least two rest days a week. I ached dreadfully after exercise and also learned to stretch muscles gently aftewards...and then, as the exercise got more intense and more frequent, also to use a foam roller to help me massage the knots out. To give you an idea - I went from doing absolutely nothing to running 5km (just over 3 miles) in about three months, via interval running (walk five minutes, run for one, repeat...and gradually over many runs increase the running time, decrease the walking time, and eventually also increase the total time - there are many schemes for this online, including Couch to 5k) - and am going to be fifty in another couple of years or so. Find out about good stretches online too - it's amazing how much difference this makes. Having started exercise last October, I didn't get my foam roller til just a couple of weeks ago, and for the first time found myself not limping whilst doing my supermarket round the day after running -woo :happy: .

    I feared giving up too - but, stay in there with it, the benefits are incredible. I now get "antsy" if I can't exercise, and sometimes sneak in a cycle ride if it's not a running day, just so that I can feel good. And no - I don't feel good doing it.....I feel good when I stop :wink:

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