Thursday, July 9, 2009

I'd pass out but my legs hurt so bad I'm not sure I'd be able to get up! Week one of the new exercise class

Monday I started a resistance/cardio exercise class that I heard about through a classmate I reconnected with on Facebook. She mentioned it from time to time and recently my curiosity got the better of me. With nightmarish flashbacks of High School PE, I sent her a message, asking what the exercise class entailed. She reassured me that the class was designed to allow each person to do the exercises at their own pace.

The last time I took an exercise class was probably 5 years ago, maybe longer. Any exercise I've done in the recent past has been in the form of walking or hiking. With a recent lecture from the doctor still ringing in my ears, I decided that it was now or never with getting in shape. So Monday I showed up at the city park where the class was taking place.

To my relief the class was small and predominantly women. (There were 2 men) The instructor greeted me warmly and repeatedly told me to take the class at my own pace and to listen to my body. There were bench squats, body lunge walking, jogging and pushups. There was arm lifting and curling with weights, modified sit ups (plain ole' situps are too easy) and leg lifts. It was hard work but I did ok keeping up. I was a little sore when I finished, but it was manageable.

I got the first inkling of pain in the middle of the night. I woke up when I shifted in bed and every time thereafter and when morning finally broke, my thighs hurt so bad I had to roll out of bed. Roll out of bed.

All of Tuesday I hobbled around at a snail's pace. Sitting and standing were difficult to say the least. I had no idea how much you depend on your thigh muscles to sit and stand! When getting ready to sit, I would lean on objects and then arrange my body in such a position that relieved my thigh muscles of most of the work. I usually landed with a hard thud in a chair, or...ahem...on the toilet. (I will spare you the details of how much work it was to use the bathroom) And stairs...oh geez. Stairs were not in the cards on Tuesday. I could not walk down the basement stairs.

The class was a discouraging experience for me Wednesday evening. The instructor started out with cardio exercises and right off the bat I got tired and winded. We weren't into the class 15 minutes when I felt light-headed and maybe, if I pushed myself too hard, I would faint. I immediately stopped exercising. If I fell over, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get up because my legs were still so sore! I did what I could but took it easy. I worked out harder Monday night than I did Wednesday night. Again the instructor was supportive, telling me a lot of beginners take a period of adjusting to the class and also to exercising in the heat. But I was discouraged, very discouraged.

This morning I mistnetted at the Bird Sanctuary and talked with Bird Whisperer. She's an exercise fiend. Despite the teasing she gave me, she told me her husband had the same experience of sore leg muscles and the inability to walk up and down stairs (thank goodness!) when he started exercising with her. She offered advice that ranged from leg stretches to the suggestion of eating protein after a workout in the thoughts that it builds muscle and perhaps cuts down on the soreness.

I felt a bit better after our talk, but I'm still feeling, well, discouraged. I'm not giving up on the class, but I've got a lot of work ahead of me to get back into good shape.

5 comments:

  1. I share your feelings! Wednesday was a hard class for everyone. I certainly have good and bad days but recently to good are in greater numbers than the bad! Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh gosh, I just did a google search on this subject because I am feeling the same exact thing! I started working out this week and my thighs hurt SO bad that it is a wonder I can move around at all. Every step I take on the stairs I hear myself saying "ow...oww...owwww...owww." I had to roll out of bed too. I blame the squats! lol. I hope you feel better soon and don't give up! When I feel discouraged I just tell myself I may be hurtin' but I'm not injured, and if anything this is my body's way of telling me I need to get in shape and be heathy. Best of Luck! And btw you have a cool blog. I'm a WoWer, too. =)

    Amy

    ReplyDelete
  3. I googled the same exact thing and OMG thank goodness I am not the only one! I started a hard core boot camp work out but i havent worked out in over 6 years! I thought i was doing great keeping up etc but boy o boy was i wrong! I cannot take 1 step up from the pavement to the side walk haha I need to help to even sit on the toilet! I really thought i did something horrible to my legs but thank goodness this reassures me it is most likely extreme soreness....DRINK LOTS OF WATER :) good luck to you all

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just started a workout program to get healthy and lose weight...my thighs hurt sooo bad too..i didnt even wanna come down the stairs it hurts sooo bad? any thing i can take to ease the pain i have a 5day a week workout so dont work out again til monday.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Lori

    The best thing to do is STRETCH your thighs beforehand. What I usually do is stand next to a wall to balance myself and bend your knee so that your ankle is behind your butt. (You see runners doing this before they start running) I grab that ankle and gently pull. You'll feel the stretch in your thigh. My instructor says each stretch should last about 15-20 seconds. When I first started my workout, I would do those same stretches after the workout and periodically through out the day/night until I went to bed. A warm shower after my workout also helped.

    If there is a fitness instructor ask them for the best stretches. The soreness will diminish as time goes on and I imagine about 2 months into this you'll be mostly pain-free. I still am sore on occasion but it doesn't last as long. The first month is the hardest but you can do it! Good luck. :)

    ReplyDelete