Hi, Chickies!

I am just starting out with my healthy eating plan BUT I've been implementing exercise into my routine (TRYING TO) for a couple of weeks now.

I know not to do too much and am doing things within my limitations to build up some muscle, which will help burn fat which will help me lose weight.

My question is, when you all work out, does it just HURT?????? I've been doing treadmill for 20 minutes to start my workouts and it just HURTS LIKE HECK! My legs just ache and ache -- especially the muscles that run along the sides of my calves. After 20 minutes, I move on to arms and legs and free weights and then back to the eliptical for 7 minutes. The elliptical doesn't even hurt that bad -- just the walking part.

I know working out is not supposed to be easy but my goodness I wished I'd land on it just being a little bit uncomfortable.

How long does the aching last? Anyone else have that ache in their legs? I have asked my mom and she said she had it when she first started working out but at her max she weighed 240 and I'm 375 so it's a big difference between the two. It's not hurting like I'm in danger of hurting myself -- it's just the muscles aren't there or are tight or whatever.

Anyone make sense of this post? You probably deserve a medal if you can! My point is, is there an end in sight? Does anyone else experience this pain? I know I'm not hurting myself or pushing myself too much but the pain is just ARGH.

I don't think you should still be experiencing that much pain. When I first started out, my entire body was so sore I could barely move for a few days, but I think it was pretty much gone after a week. I continued to experience some soreness for probably the first couple of months, but not like what you are describing (except when I was running outside, then I was really sore). I've been at this almost a year now and I do still sometimes experience muscle soreness if I do something new, but it never lasts for more than a few days or a week at the longest and it's usually pretty mild. I know the calf muscles you are talking about because I had the same problem in my right calf a couple of weeks ago. I laid off the treadmill for a while and did other machines and it seems to have resolved itself. When I do have soreness, I take Ibuprofen; it can really help.

My first thought is that if the treadmill hurts, don't do it. Stick with the elliptical or ride the stationary bicycle. It might help if you just stay off the treadmill for a week or so, then, if your legs are feeling better, try again.

It could also be your shoes. I'm not sure how much you've invested in your shoes, but if you haven't bought a good pair, you might want to consider upgrading.

I'd probably give it a little longer, but if it continues to be a problem, you might want to consult an orthopedist. It's possible that an orthotic would help. My SO has bowed legs and wears a little orthotic in his shoes; it makes a huge difference for him. Orthotics can correct for all sorts of problems with your feet/gait.

- Barbara

Thanks for the input, Barbara. I'm glad to know that someone else actually knows the pain I'm talking about. It just burns -- almost like shinsplints but on the side. I have figured that it's mostly due to how much weight I have on my 5'3" frame. I'm just now starting to have problems with knees and getting up off the floor when playing with my kids, etc. I figure that the stress of the weight on my body might be doing it. But I hope that it resolves itself with continued exercise!

Anyway, I have invested in a couple of pairs of good shoes thinking that that was the problem but still nothing. I've been going steady for a week so I figure I'm going to give it another two weeks and if it does not resolve itself, to the doctor I go (I hate going to the doctor!).

I'm off to take a Motrin -- they work wonders on my achy legs!

Hard to tell what's happening, but you might be pushing yourself too much. I would say if it hurts while you're exercising, be careful! If the elliptical doesn't hurt, try that!

OH! And welcome!

If you like, join our exercise thread! We track the number of minutes we exercise individually and as a group and are working up to 100,000 minutes of exercise! The exercise thread is stickied at the top of the page.

In March when I first got back on the treadmill after years of not even looking at it my legs were so sore.. it felt like it burned. I probably should have cooled it but I was afraid if I did I wouldn't get back on so I stuck with it. My legs have never been that sore in my life. I was constantly propping them up on the wall while I lay on my back which really helped. If I recall the pain lasted close to a week.

Sunday evening my back was a little sore due to some yoga type moves I'd been making with the strength ball. So yesterday I cut back on those kinds of movements to give myself a rest.

Be careful not to overdo it. The most important thing is to be able to determine if the pain is a good one or not.

sugar, when I used to walk sometimes (determined, quick pace), I would get very painful shots of pain in and around my ankles. I don't know why exactly but it seems similar to the pain you are having. I don't experience that pain any more and I think it did seem a matter of taking some weight off. I am a clutz though and I can't do the treadmill so I only do the elliptical or the bike at the gym. I would recommend switching exercise machines for now and see what happens.

Sugar: If you started out trying to do 20 minutes you may have tried for too much too soon. Having been 375 in the past there would be no way that I would have been able to last that long in the beginning. If you're in the same kind of pain now that you were in when you started a couple of weeks ago, you might want to back it down a tad until it gets more comfortable. Also make sure that you are doing your warm up stretches going into it and then again as a cool down after you're done. The last piece of advice would be drink plenty of water. You want to keep those tissures hydrated.

Btw, welcome to the area. You might like to jump in on one of the numbered discussion threads and meet the rest of the girls. There are some navigational tips posted in the "sticky" thread above marked "NEWBIES" that might be helpful.

Good luck. I hope you're feeling better shortly.

I have just started my exercise after not doing anything .. but on doctors orders Im doing 5 min 2-3 times a day on the Fitness Flyer .. the first 5 always kills me lol .. but by the time I get to the last 5 of the day my recovery is quicker.

Im impeded with a lot of exercises where I have to stand up as both of my ankles have been broken numerous times so they arent as strong as they could have been had I not been carrying this extra weight, but I am to try to add an extra minute every week on the flyer until I am up to 20 min a day ... by which time I should also be able to walk a couple of km into town and a couple back again without having to take crutches with me for my back pain and ankles (I have also been in 14 car accidents ... NONE of which I was driving .. and I was always the only one that got hurt ... go figure! But I survived every one of them so there is a good thing ).

Im so looking forward to the day where I will feel confident enough to go to the pool again .. I havent been in a pool for almost 4 years!! And I sure do miss swimming ... that is my goal for the summer ... only another 4 months to go lol ..

But yes .. I would say if the pain is still persisting in your legs with a 20 min walk .. halve it .. spend more time on one of the other exercises that will give you a work out while not doing what may become damage to your legs or system ... once you get 10 min without any pain add ONE minute at a time .. as soon as the pain starts STOP .. go on to your other exercises ... eventually you will be back up to the 20 min .. but I know I couldnt do 20 min ... unless I had my back brace on .. and I refuse to put that silly contraption back on again lol ..

Good luck and let us know how you go ... oh and welcome too !!

I find that the elliptical was harder to start with muscle wise. But once I built up my endurance on it, I have found that it is more gentle on me joint wise. I would try building up in smaller amounts, and definitely stopping if you are in a lot of pain. Seeing your doctor would probably be a good idea too. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself and not be able to do anything.

Hi Sugarkube

I have a question that I haven't seen anyone else ask you yet. Are you stretching your legs before you do the treadmill? Walking on a treadmill is just like a "real" exercise--even if we all think it should be so easy because for crying out loud--it's WALKING. But if you're planning on doing the treadmill as an actual exercise instead of as something to warm your muscles up, then you should be either stretching to help get your muscles warmed up or you should be going at a slower pace for at least 5 minutes to give your muscles the time that they need to warm up. By the time you are doing all of the other machines your muscles are nice and warm so they won't hurt as much.

And of course, like the others have said--maybe you're trying to do too much, too fast. Good luck and keep us updated.

Vicki

Sugar, Melissa's post is similiar to mine. I've been exercising consistently since July 4th, and while my back pain is better some days, most days the pain in my back gets so bad that I am unable to move until I sit. I know from past experience that once I manage to get some weight off AND some muscle built up, the pain will diminsh. Your pain may be related to pressure on the sciatica nerves that run down each side of the legs, which can be very painful. Or it could be something else entirely.

I agre with the other advice given and maybe try other exercises that don't hurt so much.

Good luck!

Jen

I understand your pain treadmills are my worst enemy, and give me pain. I get shinsplints quickly on them, even on the pavement sometimes as well. While I'm sure weight does affect shinsplints I've had them at my highest weight and also at my lowest when I played soccer in high school. I've gone to the orthopedist several times and have inserts which do help for everyday walking and such but at least for me never fully solved the problem. So I changed things up at bit and had more success at less pain.
Couple suggestions you might want to try:
Stick to the elliptical. I live by it, it's a total body workout with low impact (reduces leg pain esp. for me!!) Even if you aren't able to do it as long as you might on a treadmill work up to it! It's a great machine!
Shoes do make a difference, while for me it didn't solve my problem completely it did help, esp. wearing good tennis shoes most the day... goodbye cute pointy heals and flip flops :-(. If I hurt after the gym anything I do the next day could make it worse... or better.
Swimming! Also a low impact activity! If you have access to a pool laps might help shed a few pounds and get you in better shape so that your routine takes a slight lesser toll on your body.
Just some suggestions! Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, ladies. When I did my workout this morning I did straight eliptical. And while I only did eight, it was one more minute than I'd ever done so that's progress!

I do swim -- my mom lives a mile down the road and they have a pool. The kids and I swim EVERYDAY! It gets VERY hot here in the summer! 105 today. Blech!

I am going to hit the elliptical instead for the time being and see how much good that does me.

Thanks again!

Sugar,
Several years ago, i joined a gym and tried walking on the treadmill. I experienced similar pain to what you described. Well, the urge to join a gym went away quickly, so this time around, I decided to walk on a walking/jogging path that is asphalt and I've had no trouble. I think some of us just weren't meant for the treadmill!