Sore legs...

[highwood]

So I decided this week to focus and do 10,000 steps per day by getting up at my desk and walking, running up the stairs, etc. at work.    It is a great thing because it definently gets me moving more at work.  I started Wednesday so on day 3.  Today as it is my day off I am aiming for 15,000 steps.

Last night though I noticed that my legs though are achy and sore...I guess it is a good thing because it shows that I am working them and also is letting me know that my body is not used to walking that much.

Did anybody else experience this when they started going full tilt at walking more?

[runlacerun]

FOAM ROLLER!  

I am an avid half marathoner and my foam roller is my best friend.  Helps keep your muscle limber, especially when upping workouts.  I use mine on my back, neck, legs...everywhere I can! 

[GinaTN]

Icy Hot TENS therapy is phenomenal. Use the Hans setting on level 7.

[RexFeral · Accepted solution]

I remember when I first started a walking routine, about two years ago, my legs, back, feet, everything would be so sore that it felt like I had been run over by a truck by the time I was done just walking a measly 3'000 steps. If course that was the price I had to pay for being so sedentary all of my life. The soreness in my muscles was the least of the issues that presented themselves for me. Lets just say, I was living in daily torture but I pushed through it. No pain, no gain.

Now I am able to go to 35'000 steps with minimal discomfort. Yeah, I've gone through everything from corns, blisters, painful popping knee, ingrown toenails, tendonitis, etc but its been 100% worth it.

Keep at it. Sooner or later the pain will go away. Its going to take time. I know it took forever for me and even to this day if I push past 30'000, I get soreness but I heal immediately, after just one nights sleep. Much better than having to suffer through days of agony like i did before.

The human body is incredibly adaptable. It will work through what you throw at it. It has to. Thats what its done for thousands of years it's been here. Adapt or perish. It always chooses to adapt. That's why we are all here. You can do it!

[DoctorJC]

Congrats on your persistence.  Obviously, it pays off in the long run.  Stretching before and after exercise can be incredibly helpful, and should be part of everyone's exercise regimen.  Keep at it.

[TandemWalker]

Hi @DoctorJC. I do believe that stretching after exercise is indeed incredibly helpful, but not so much before exercise. I think it is very important to warm-up first before doing any stretching. If I go for say a one hour jog/walk interval workout, I'll first walk at a fairly good pace for about 10 minutes; stop to do a bit of stretching and then start the 60 min. workout, with a 10 min coold down and streching at the end. Is this more or less what you meant?

TW

[DoctorJC]

Exactly! The early stretching can be more of a warm up. At the end, however, I advise cooling down with more formal stretches.

[DerrickS]

I totally agree with @runlacerun, foam rolling was a game changer for me. I was skeptical at first, but foam rolling makes a significant difference on how I feel the next day and makes getting out of bed the next morning way easier.

[Corney]

Running stairs can be very hard on the knees, especially descending, because it puts extreme strain on the Patellar-Femoral joint. If you really want to run stairs, my advice would be bo run up and walk down.  I would like to hear the opinions on this subject from other experienced runners.

[Corney]

You are right, using ibuprofrn is not a very good option, think of you liver!

[Casey169]

Wow you gave me some seriouse insparstion. I found out i didnt move as much as i thought i did. Now that im getting up every hour wow body is achy. Im still around 3000 steps a day. Desk job...thank you for sharring. I will hang in there. Sorry the user name should be casey160.

[kamsmart]

Hi Rexferal,

I did a search on sore legs from walking and I found this thread on the fitbit's community where you had posted about your experience.  I want to thank you sincerely for sharing your experience; because I feel that I am in exactly the same boat that you went through.

I have been sedentary all my life.  Late last year, I started developing lower back pain.  The doctors suggested physical therapy and being active, build body strength and stretch the body, etc. When I started walking and doing some physical therapy and exercises, I was is no much pain!  Proof that my body had deconditioned itself thoroughly because of my sedentary lifestyle, and sitting at my office desk for hours without moving!

The past six months or more, during which I have been trying to be active and exercise and stretch, it has been very tough - I have to be honest.  Everyday, there would be pain in one part of the body or the other ....pain has become a story of my life!  I have been quite depressed about this pain actually.  I was taking pain meds, (Tylenol and Aleve in the first few weeks of my lowback pain), but then, since the past few months, I stopped taking it, trying to toughen up.  It has been really tough though. I was wondering, whether you have any more words of advise, or some more experiences to share with me?

My doctor says that I have achieved a major victory by being off the pain meds.  He says that every now and then, if I feel pain because of my exercises, I should not feel shy from taking the meds, but except for once or twice in the last 6 months, I have been off the meds.  But there IS pain.  How long will suffering continue? When will the body feel that it is strong enough to take in the exercises and walking that I am doing! I want to see some hope, some light at the end of this long dark tunnel ...

Thanks again,

Kamran.

[kamsmart]

Thank you @Casey169 for sharing your experience?

I did not have a fitbit when I started having my low back pain, as I mentioned in the previous post to this thread.  I got it in the middle of my being active and trying to get back in shape.  I think, I must have been doing 3K a day, in the days before when my lower back started paining.  Now, I average 10K a day.  How much are you doing now?  What has been your path going from 3K to wherever you are now?  Would you please share your experiences?