Discussion Board

My exercise went AWOL for about a year (along with eating healthy) but I am finally getting back on track. I signed up for a one-hour exercise class that meets three times a week and started two weeks ago today.

During the first week, I suffered from a lot of tension headaches. I realized I was tensing my neck muscles to compensate for weak other muscles and got better about keeping them relaxed. I've also gained a little bit of strength. The headaches have subsided.

Last week, I started going to a gym 5-6 days a week. Since I am prone to overtraining syndrome, I am being careful not to overdo. I'm only doing the weight machines twice a week since the class above features a little bit of strength training already. I am starting with easy weights and only one set of reps so far.

Mostly, I'm taking advantage of the air-conditioned facility to get my walks in on the treadmill. I'd been walking a little before joining the gym but not consistently due to the heat.

The problem I'm running into is I'm wiped out after exercising. I have plenty of work I need to do in the yard and around the house, but don't have the energy to tackle it. I know this won't last but I could use some estimates on when my body will become accustomed to the new demands I'm placing on it and actually start boosting my energy levels. I can't keep ignoring my to-do list forever!

You should start feeling more energy after a few weeks of consistant exercise. Going 5 to 6 times a week is a pretty aggressive start. If you haven't been exercising and just now starting up, try two days a week of weight training and two to three cardio sessions. Start out at 30 minute sessions and increase gradually from there. Your body will adjust but takes time. Eventually you'll actually crave exercise. Your body needs it and will want more of it. Make sure you're eating enough carbs. Since your on this site I'm sure you are. But not enough carbs will rob your energy. Drink lots of water and stick to it. Your body will love you for it.

Hope this helps,

Karen -
Certified Personal Trainer

Thanks, Karen.

I am more active than many people in my day-to-day life, so I feel okay about the start at the gym. I work in the garden regularly, digging holes for new trees, pruning, weeding, turning compost, etc. I'm actually only going to two of the thrice-weekly fitness classes and since they are designed for seniors (which I am not...yet), they are pretty easy.

Before joining the gym, we had been walking 3-4 mornings per week with the dogs, about half an hour to 45 minutes but slower than I wanted because they have to sniff everything. I'm only doing half an hour to 45 minutes at a time on the treadmill so far and generally in the fat-burning zone rather than cardio yet.

My plan is to get used to the walking by early August and then start training to walk a half marathon (again) in December. If I can look forward to being productive again by the end of this month, I'll be a happy camper! (Hubby, too, as I think he misses my labor in the garden. LOL)

Sounds like you've got a good regimen going. Great goal to have (half marathon!). I'm not quite a senior either. Will be turning 52 in September and I have more energy than in my 30's. Best wishes on your training and best of luck, (but we know it has nothing to do with luck!) on your half marathon.

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be”

I'm betting you have that determination!

Karen

I usually aim for an hour a day of exercise.

If it was weight day then I'd have less cardio. If it was cardio day then it would be a lot more cardio and abs.

Now I spend 45-50 on cardio, 15 on either yoga, or core exercises or maybe some extensive hoeing in the garden. I just be sure to get an hour. Then I do chores inside for a hour and half.

I did work up to my exercise. I started with five minutes a day years ago.

Chile you are getting enough rest at night aren't you?

Ah, Faith, you would ask the hard question. I don't sleep all that well and haven't for ages. Too many little aches and pains, worries, etc. I'm hoping that will improve with better diet and exercise!

I did modify one aspect of the exercise routine. Since I'm already getting some strength training twice a week, I've cut back the strength training at the gym to one day a week instead of two. I may eventually look at targeting the areas that need it most more than doing an overall routine. After all, the gardening work I do is consistently working some muscles while not working others much.

Today is a rest day because I'm just worn out.

I think the cardio should help you sleep. It does for me at least. The body needs to rest and rebuild.

Carroll, thanks for asking. As a matter of fact, I just had full bloodwork done. My TSH was absolutely fine (much to my relief). Each of the things I mentioned has separate explanations.

The vertigo is primarily a consequence of structural issues in my neck/shoulder area. After having a full battery of tests, including an MRI, to rule out medical causes, I went through 6 months of physical therapy that helped tremendously. I've had neck issues for decades and an SC (sterno-clavicular joint) problem (for over a decade) that flares up when I overwork the area or am extremely stressed.

The vertigo also is impacted by my food choices, particularly caffeine. While it may sound odd that a particular food can cause a skeletal-muscular system problem, it's not unusual for me. When I tried "barley greens" - the drink - years ago, I was at the chiropractor three times in a week. It totally threw my back out of whack. Twice!

I'm exhausted after the workouts because, as I often do when I start exercising anew, I ramped up way too fast. I've scaled back and am listening to my body more now. (Example of ramping up too fast from a couple of years ago: I went from biking about 5 miles per week to biking 80 miles a week....in one week. Dumb.)

Aches and pains are nothing new. My knee started hurting months ago when I took up hiking steep trails too soon and it still aches some because the muscle around it are weak. It's improving, slowly. My foot hurts from plantar fasciitis issues; it's not accustomed to the walking, especially on the treadmill. As long as I stay away from dairy and stretch adequately, it will subside. I'm not yet stretching as much as I need to, or as often. Dropping weight should help a lot!

Trouble sleeping? Sadly, that's been for years. The best sleep I've gotten in the past ten years was when I had a regular meditation practice. And the only reason I stuck to that regular 45 minute-a-day practice then was because I was enrolled in a research study and pretty much had to. Once it was over, my practice gradually fell away and my sleep quality diminished again. Taking up the practice is on my to-do list, especially since I need to lower my BP to make my doctor happy.

Sorry for the LONG response. I'm wordy...

Valeran is good too for relaxing and sleeping, but it tastes terrible.

Chile, the mediation sounds good, and maybe a little lavender. I hate when I get not sleeping. It becomes a pattern so easy.

I'd rather avoid any special substances for sleep, since I do get enough to function reasonably well. I've used valerian in the past, and it is not tasty. No lavendar - can't stand the smell.

I slept pretty good last night after walking over 4 1/2 miles on the treadmill yesterday!

The subject of this thread made me laugh. In the past, I have usually recovered from a new exercise regimen in just a few days. On day 1, I'd be all gung ho and excited. On day 2, I'd be sore and why-ny ("Whyyyyy do I hafta doooo this?"). By day 3, I'd typically be substituting food treats for exercise. ("Ummm... I ran two miles, well, okay, I walked but I was walking fast and I KNOW it was at least a mile and a half, well... okay, a mile, so how much peanut butter can I afford?") By day 4, I'd be recovered and back to official couch potato status.

Since I've been doing the month-long challenges and posting my workouts in the exercise forum, however, I really seem to have succumbed. It looks like maybe I won't recover at all this time. I've been going 51 days straight now (March 31 - May 20 - and I turned 51 yo during that period, on April 28). Most of what I've read about habits says it takes 21 to 42 days to establish a habit, so I guess I have a real, honest-to-goodness exercise habit now. I'm so embarrassed...

NOT!!

For real, I can relate to ramping things up too fast. I've done that plenty of times. Stay on track. Dial the intensity back as much as you need to and keep on trucking.

Funny, Tom!

I have "dialed back the intensity." I decided for now, at least, that I'll just do the weights in the 3/week class and only do cardio at the gym. 'Course, now that I'm really getting into using the treadmill at the gym, I may have hurt my foot stretching. When I grabbed it to stretch my quads, it made a bit of noise and hurt. I don't think I broke anything, but it continues to hurt in certain positions. I'm going to call my doctor next week to see about checking it, maybe getting an x-ray. If nothing's cracked or stress-fractured, I may go to my chiropractor who is good at fixing my foot problems. (Just don't want to go to her if there's even a tiny chance anything's messed up inside.)

Strangely, it doesn't hurt much at all when I'm walking, just when I flex it when sitting or stretching.

Tom I was always the same. I mean how embarrassing is it to set out exercising, and only do it for a tiny amount of time. No we want to set out and do a full routine. I remember when I was 20 I set out to be a runner, I finished the first day what I wanted to run. I couldn't walk for a week, heck I hardly could breath, and my side stitches were so bad.

I finally got more patient in my late 40's and start out really slow and didn't set out to 'run' before I could walk. Now at 52 I'm still going.

I'm doing better at listening to my body and taking it easier as needed. I wonder if the positive benefits of exercise on the brain (endorphins, seroetonins) could be why so many of us jump in too fast and furious. We start to exercise, and once over the initial soreness, realize it makes us feel good. So we keep going when we should slow down. Just a thought.