hello everybody!

i've recently started incorporating exercise into my life. i feel absolutely fabulous for doing this already, i'm noticing a slight degree of tone to my abs, thighs and calf's.

i know not to push myself to hard as i'm a newbie to this. i am suffering for achey muscles for a couple days after, as expected, i'd like to know if any of you have any tips and tricks for easing this!

my current regime:
brisk walk with a 10 min interval of running on treadmill: tuesday and friday.
15 minutes of rowing: tuesday and friday.
fitness bootcamp (intense cardio) for 1hour 15: sunday

i also intend to start a zumba and pilates class on a tuesday evening. do any of you exercise junkies think this will be putting my body through to much? or should i go along and see how i cope with it?

thanks guys! on your weight loss journeys.

snookipaige. x

All I can say is definitely make sure you stretch AFTER your workouts...before you workout, I would "warm" the body, then stretch - you can just warm up my leg marching, jump rope, jumping jacks etc. to "heat" the body - then get into your workout and fully stretch after. Also, a soak in a warm tubs helps too!

The muscle aches do go away as your body adjusts but I LOVE them b/c it reminds me how hard I'm working/changing my body [muscle ache NOT pain]. So I'd just keep up the good work!

thanks for the reply!

i had my second week of intense exercise and this time i didn't ache so much after.. definitely think it was the shock to my system.

been taking warm soaks in the bath and i always strech.

looking forward to increasing the intensity of my exercise sessions and feeling the burn again. your right its a very rewarding feeling!

snookipaige.

Oh! P.S. This is a good video re: dynamic stretching/warm up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4-6U...ature=youtu.be

If you're just starting I don't know if there's anyway to completely prevent/eliminate the post-workout ache but as LM said, warming up before and stretching properly afterwards really help. Your muscles will eventually get used to your new expectations of them and hurt less and eventually not at all as long as you have good warm up, warm down and stretch routines.

Warm up/warm down- I usually walk at a moderate pace or march in place. I pump my arms as I do this and might throw in some windmills on a good day.
Stretching- I make sure to get in my hamstrings, my triceps, my calves, my upper back and lower back, and the muscles in front of my thighs.

Oh and as to whether your regimen would be too much with the Zumba and Pilates added in? I don't think so. Your Tuesday might be a little busy at the gym but if you don't mind this and it won't overwhelm you or put you off going, and most importantly you feel able to handle it, why not, eh? If it was me, I'd probably shift my regular workout (treadmill/rowing) to another day, not because it's not doable, but because it may be a little overwhelming on low-motivation days, but like I said, if you just want Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays as your gym days, go for it!

Stretching has been the biggest help for me, both before AND after. When I first started working out (literally maybe a month ago at most), I felt like crap after I was done. Sometimes, if I'm still feeling sore from a previous workout, I'll take some time in the middle of my routine to stretch again. That way (in my opinion) you get the most out of your body. This worked wonders for my sore, out of shape muscles.