How long did it take

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dianniejt
dianniejt Posts: 175 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How long after you started exercising before every part of your body quit hurting. I went from couch potato a week ago and now I am walking a halof hour twice a day. My legs are so dang sore. Just wondering how long before it will feel better

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  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    It really depends on your body. If you were completely sedentary before, it could take a few weeks for your muscles to adjust, because that's a lot of work to suddenly ask of muscles. They will adjust within a week or two, though, don't worry. :)
  • Elise_healthy4life
    Elise_healthy4life Posts: 182 Member
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    It took awhile for me I started taking bio magnesium for awhile to help with the muscle soreness now I don't need it :)
  • LittleButMightyOne
    LittleButMightyOne Posts: 117
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    Like the above commenter said. But when you do adjust, try to work even harder so you're always "chasing the burn." Alternately, your muscles may be sore because you are not stretching well enough.

    Do not stretch before you work out, because this has been shown to tear muscle fibers. Rather warm up to exercise (e.g. start at a slower pace and work up to a brisk walk) and after you're done with your walk make sure to stretch your quads and hamstrings well. A good quad stretch would be to stand on one leg while you hold the foot of your other leg behind your back (you should feel a pull at the front of your thigh). Perform that stretch on either leg. Then, a good hamstring stretch would be to sit on the ground with your legs spread in a "V" in front of you, then bend forward as far as is comfortable over each leg and then to the center. How long you stretch should depend on how long/hard you've worked out. 5-15 minutes is a good average.
  • monyango
    monyango Posts: 166
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    I'm pretty much sore all of the time since I started weight training and running. I find yoga really helps to stretch everything out. There are also some supplements that you can take to help with the soreness and they really work!
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
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    Everyone is unique. Hard to extrapolate from other people's experiences back to you. It will take as long as it takes... :-(

    You might want to eat a banana a day, as this will help prevent muscle soreness.

    Congrats to you for getting active. It hurts a bit now, but it gets a lot better.

    --Prahasaurus
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
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    Oh, and water, lots of water. Keep those muscles hydrated.
  • dianniejt
    dianniejt Posts: 175 Member
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    Like the above commenter said. But when you do adjust, try to work even harder so you're always "chasing the burn." Alternately, your muscles may be sore because you are not stretching well enough.

    Do not stretch before you work out, because this has been shown to tear muscle fibers. Rather warm up to exercise (e.g. start at a slower pace and work up to a brisk walk) and after you're done with your walk make sure to stretch your quads and hamstrings well. A good quad stretch would be to stand on one leg while you hold the foot of your other leg behind your back (you should feel a pull at the front of your thigh). Perform that stretch on either leg. Then, a good hamstring stretch would be to sit on the ground with your legs spread in a "V" in front of you, then bend forward as far as is comfortable over each leg and then to the center. How long you stretch should depend on how long/hard you've worked out. 5-15 minutes is a good average.

    I had no idea I should be stretching after walking. I will start with that tomorrow. Thanks for the advice.
  • dianniejt
    dianniejt Posts: 175 Member
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    Thank you all for the advice and encouraging words. It was extremely difficult for me to want to walk tonight but thankfully I got some support on here and got off my butt and got it done.

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