Take a break?

[SusieQue13]

I've been having a blast with my new FitBit. It has really made me more aware of how much/little I move throughout the day. Prior to getting it I was very sedentary. I'm on a streak right now with 18 days of meeting the 10k goal. However, my knees have been getting progressively more sore each day. I don't want to break my streak... but don't want to injure myself and have to take an even longer break. Thoughts? 

Also, any recommendations for strengthening knees? I know once the extra weight comes off things will be easier, but need to do something to help now.

Thanks!

[JamieS_Wisco · Accepted solution]

You are going to have minor aches and pains as you go.  As long as it isn't intolerable pain I wouldn't worry too much about it.

If it gets less tolerable, I recommend a few things;

1) consult your doctor.

2) lessen your step goal.  Maybe move down to 8,000 steps and gradually pull it back up.

3) take a rest day.  We all need them

Happy Stepping

[emili · Accepted solution]

hi @SusieQue13 and welcome to the forum! You can look up knee strengthening exercises- just please consider the source before trying any of them. If you belong to a gym a certified trainer can help you as well. One other thing about the gym- the elliptical is a good low intensity option for those who have knee issues. just an fyi for step counting- its about half. yes you are probably sore because its a new experience for your legs and it should get easier as you go. However, knee damage is no joke and if gets worse will really will hinder you progress. You may want to consider shorter walks but more of them if possible and I would invest in knee braces. nothing fancy, just some added stability. Good luck to you!

[GershonSurge · Accepted solution]

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@SusieQue13 wrote:

I've been having a blast with my new FitBit. It has really made me more aware of how much/little I move throughout the day. Prior to getting it I was very sedentary. I'm on a streak right now with 18 days of meeting the 10k goal. However, my knees have been getting progressively more sore each day. I don't want to break my streak... but don't want to injure myself and have to take an even longer break. Thoughts? 

Also, any recommendations for strengthening knees? I know once the extra weight comes off things will be easier, but need to do something to help now.

Thanks!

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In my opinion, if you continue to stress those knees in any way including other exercises, you may end up with a chronic injury. Pain is a warning from the body to stop doing what caused the pain. 

What I recommend is going back to being sedentary until the knees stop hurting. This may take a week or two or even three. Then start from that level and limit your daily step increase to a couple hundred a day. This is a constant process in any exercise program where slight injuries will appear in succession. Backing off at the first sign prevents the situation you have now.

We've all done it. 

[shipo · Accepted solution]

@SusieQue13, as a runner and (for the most part) former cyclist, I am no stranger to knee issues.  One of the things I've been told by the various sports doctors I've visited over the years is for knees which are uncomfortable, but not painful to the point where collapse is imminent, the good old fashioned RICE (see below) methodology (along with moderate dosages of NSAIDs) is a good way to treat the issue and to still maintain some semblance of exercise.  The good news is, assuming you keep your workout regimen moderate, your body will catch up and you will no longer need the RICE and anti-inflammatory drugs.

RICE = Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation

[brerbill · Accepted solution]

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@GershonSurge wrote:

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In my opinion, if you continue to stress those knees in any way including other exercises, you may end up with a chronic injury. Pain is a warning from the body to stop doing what caused the pain. 

What I recommend is going back to being sedentary until the knees stop hurting.

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@SusieQue13 - This is good advice. Although you may be anxious to continue exercising even though you have pain, taking a break now will allow you to exercise more later. Knowing how to differentiate between pain and simple soreness is key as well. As an example, I have gradually doubled my weekly running mileage over the summer, and as a result, my knees are sometimes sore due to the added stresses. So I have sometimes worn simple knee braces (elastic pull-over support types - not braces), and taken a day or two or three off here and there. I haven't allowed myself to get to the point of having "pain" and now my knees are feeling better. This week I reached my overall mileage goal, but instead of continuing to increase it, I'll just keep it the same for a month or two - and maybe take a '50% cutback week' somewhere along the way when I feel too tired, to let myself rest before continuing.

I like streaks too, but they are only coincidental for me. I've streaked for up to 72 days before, have no interest in streaking for long periods of time, and don't mind taking a break for one or a few days. This is because I know from experience that taking the appropriate break at the right time(s) allows me to meet my goals. Otherwise, I might become injured, and unable to exercise for a LONG time.

As far as strengthening your knees, you are already doing that now, but you need to take breaks when needed. In a few weeks or months from now, you should see significant improvement!  IMHO from what you wrote, doing specific 'knee' exercises  could  be detrimental to your exercise program and might delay reaching your goals.  Good Luck - 10K each day is really good!

[FitBeforeFifty]

I would recommend 2 things:

1. Incorporate strength training into your routine. Learn some proper strength training techniques to strengthen your lower body (see a personal trainer or do your own research)
2. Don't use streaks to get more fit, use periodization (see description below)

Strength training

If you were to follow a strength training (generally mostly body weight) routine recommended for runners that would get you on the right track:

1. http://www.runnersworld.com/health/build-a-stronger-knee-injury-prevention-tips-from-runners-worl
2. http://www.runnersworld.com/newswire/to-relieve-runners-knee-strengthen-your-hips

I personally prefer heavier lifting but that's because I've built up a base over the years. If I start to slack off on my strength training, I start to get some knee issues. 

Periodization

The best way to become more fit is the use of periodization. Periodization doesn't include the concept of streaks ... in fact, it teaches you to avoid streaks. Periodization involves build and recover cycles during the week and between weeks.

Instead of going from 0 - 60 from day one, you BUILD to 60 over time. Don't get too hung up on the terms here (macro vs. micro) but notice that instead of a linear progression to you goal, you build, build, build, then have a recovery cycle and then you build, build build, recover again etc...

Those of us that have experience in endurance training know about periodization but it doesn't seem like the concept is that well known outside of those circles (although it is used in strength training as well).

I don't know of a training plan for walking and increasing steps specifically but you can use periodization techniques as a guide.

Here's how I would do it:

(These numbers are picked out of the air and are demonstration only, pick your own goals)

Instead of a daily goal for steps where you start at your goal, think of where you'd like to be in 3 months. Let's say you want to get to an average of 15k steps per day in 3 months and you are starting at sedentary around 5k steps.

At the end of month 3 we want to be at 15k so let's say we divide that 10k increase over 3 months evenly, so we want to increase 3334 steps per month

Month 1 end level: 8334

Month 2 end level: 11668

Month 3 end level: 15002

Break the month down into weeks 

Now we break down each month into weeks where we do a build, build, build, recover where our peak is at the 3rd week and the 4th week is lower where we "recover." Keep in mind that recovery is relative and doesn't mean a complete rest week. Recovery is relative to your current cycle and might be at the same level as week 1 of your current cycle. If we are building to 8334 in the first month and starting at 5000, then we might do:

1. Week 1: 5000
2. Week 2: 7000
3. Week 3: 9000
4. Week 4: 6000

Once again these numbers aren't absolute, you pick your own goals. 

Break the weeks down into days

So, let's take an example week (week 2 above at 7000). Instead of evenly distributing the 7000 goal for every day of the week, divide the total and do many build, build, recover, build, build recover at the daily level. The goal is 7000 per day, so that's 49k for the week: 6000, 8000, 5500, 7000, 8000, 9000, 5500. So, you can see the trendline below is on target for 7000 but you have 2 days that week that are well below 7000.