My legs are KILLING ME! Why?!!!!!?!!?

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srenebailey
srenebailey Posts: 39 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
All I was doing was walking about 30 minutes a day with 5 lb weights and tae-bo about 1 a week, and my legs were hurting so bad that I couldn't even walk up the stairs! I gave it a break last week and now my legs are just fine. I can't lose weight without exercising...what do I do now?

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  • bonniejo
    bonniejo Posts: 787 Member
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    Feel the burn! There are things you can do (stretching is a good one) but it's a good thing that your legs are sore. I use Shakeology to prevent pain though. It's a bit expensive, but the workouts I do have me hurting for 3 days if I don't drink one, so I consider them worth the money :) They're also super good for you.

    http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/sore-muscles-keep-exercising
  • nmescalera
    nmescalera Posts: 233 Member
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    a lot of stretching!!!! i had a whole weekend like that one time! it was no fun at all.....
  • bonjour24
    bonjour24 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    tone it down a bit. i'd say stop with the leg weights and slowly build up to that. just go for a walk. ease into it. what's the rush?
  • mcc75
    mcc75 Posts: 72
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    freezing cold baths really work..just enough water to cover your legs
    Not pleasant but trust me it works
  • TheGoktor
    TheGoktor Posts: 1,138 Member
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    I'd also go with easing into it. Make sure also that you warm up and cool down, and if necessary, ice your legs afterwards. When I started running, my thighs hurt so much but as soon as they started getting used to it, they calmed down. When I did my first 20 minute run two days ago, they really ached afterward and yesterday, but today they are fine. It's just a question of knowing how much to push yourself and balancing it with adequate precautions and aftercare.

    Also, are you having rest days or are you doing the same workouts every day? I run every other day and do strength training on non-run days (although I do tend to go for walks too, and sometimes do pilates). I also make sure I have one day a week when I don't do any workouts, just to give my body a day off. I'm not saying this would work for you but it certainly works for me!

    Hope you stop hurting soon!
  • elmarkleo
    elmarkleo Posts: 1
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    What part of your legs are hurting? Is it in particular muscles or is it in the shins?

    If it's just the muscles, then you can probably just fight through it. If it hurts so bad that you can't exercise on subsequent days, you could try backing off a bit on the weights and/or distance, and then working your way back up. I've bailed out on a lot of exercise programs over the last ten years because I overdid it too soon, and couldn't work out again for another week or so, and just found myself discouraged by the memory of the pain. Go at your own pace. Going as slowly as you need to and making the workouts harder as you can take it is important because you need to stick with it in the long term.

    If the pain is in the shin bones in the front half of your lower legs, it's probably shin splints. It will go away, but you may need to figure out a way to deal with it. Ice will help for now. Better shoes might be a good thing in the long run, but if you can, checking with a doctor might not be a terrible idea. I know it's not exactly a life-threatening condition, but he or she may still have good advice for your particular case.
  • TheGoktor
    TheGoktor Posts: 1,138 Member
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    If the pain is in the shin bones in the front half of your lower legs, it's probably shin splints. It will go away, but you may need to figure out a way to deal with it. Ice will help for now. Better shoes might be a good thing in the long run, but if you can, checking with a doctor might not be a terrible idea. I know it's not exactly a life-threatening condition, but he or she may still have good advice for your particular case.

    Also, if this *is* the case, you could try walking on grass or trail-land. You might also find insoles, such as Sorbothane, might help, but you have to get the right ones for your gait/foot structure.
  • ImNotThatBob
    ImNotThatBob Posts: 371 Member
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    I had a similar problem.

    I increased the amount of water I am consistently drinking on a daily basis and that helped. I also backed off the workouts. It hurt so bad I stopped all together for two weeks.

    When I resumed, the pain was still there so I just powered through it (I was only walking 1.5 miles), rested for two or three days, and repeated. It still hurt so I took two extra strength Tylenol before or after exercising and that helped a lot.

    Within two months I had increased first to three, then six miles. By that time the pain was gone. Now I'm up to nine miles three or four times per week. When I began to add jogging... the pain was back with a vengeance. So, I backed off to three then six miles, and am slowly bringing the jogging back in.

    Hope that helps. :wink:
  • srenebailey
    srenebailey Posts: 39 Member
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    Wow! Thanks everyone for the advice. First, let me say, the pain is in the knees. I can't walk up the stairs or do anything that requires me to bend the knees too much (including getting out of bed sometimes). And I should have let you know that the weights are 5 lb hand weights, not leg weights. But I really think that your suggestions about stretching beforehand, cooling down afterwards and taking it slowly should really help. If that doesn't do it, I'll do the soaking in cold water and maybe the Tylenol (I'm not a big fan of medicine). Thanks for all the feedback!
  • electromg
    electromg Posts: 70 Member
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    Are you getting enough potassium? Maybe its worth looking into because it sounds like when I wasn't getting enough. My body just felt weak. Eating bananas helps a lot
  • TheGoktor
    TheGoktor Posts: 1,138 Member
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    Wow! Thanks everyone for the advice. First, let me say, the pain is in the knees. I can't walk up the stairs or do anything that requires me to bend the knees too much (including getting out of bed sometimes). And I should have let you know that the weights are 5 lb hand weights, not leg weights. But I really think that your suggestions about stretching beforehand, cooling down afterwards and taking it slowly should really help. If that doesn't do it, I'll do the soaking in cold water and maybe the Tylenol (I'm not a big fan of medicine). Thanks for all the feedback!

    Maybe take a joint supplement too? My friend, who runs with me, has problems with her knees too, so has just started taking a supplement. Might be worth looking into. You could also try a balm (tiger balm, Dynamint) - really helped me in the early days when I discovered muscles I didn't know I had....because they hurt so much!

    If you can get checked out by a doctor, I would advise you to though because while the pain might be just muscular (in which case, it should go once your muscles are stronger), it kight equally be something more deep-seated, so better to be safe than sorry.

    Whatever it turns out to be though, don't push yourself too much....well, not yet! Pain is a great way to demotivate ourselves, whereas success will spur us on. Better to have steady progress and be able to keep up with it, than a rapid burst which ends up causing injury.

    I wish you every success, I really do - you seem like a very determined lady! :happy:

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