Stiffness After Exercise

Stretch before and after you run! Hope this helps! And good for you for starting on a program!! Congrats and good luck!!

i did the atkins and lost a good amount of weight. but felt awful most of the time. then i went to a doctor and he tested my body and found that the atkins is very close to the diet i really needed to be on. low fat, (not all the bacon and cheese that you can eat...no,no, no) green veggies. but he told me that i should avoid fruit due to the high amount of sugar. i am insulin resistant. not diabetic though. he did tell me to eat an apple every few days. i also eat beans but be careful of prepaired beans as they put brown sugar or other sugars in them. the BIG difference is that the doc told me to take multi vitimans, fish oil, and omega. i take these at night so i dont taste them all day. the doc also said to drink mineral water. i dont always stick to the mineral water but i do drink lots of water. also if i was really sluggish i took vitiman b-12 in a liquid form. good luck keep it up and do what works for you.

First, KUDOS to you for starting the program! That's awesome and I wish you much success. As a runner, I can say stretching before and after is so important. Another important thing is diet. When running, your body needs carbs to burn. It may be the atkins diet that's contributing to the soreness. Maybe change up your diet and add carbs?

I agree with others, stretching before and after and every morning. Plus plenty of water while exercising. Unfortunately you are going to be stiff and sore at first, but the more you exercise the better it will get. You may want to try different exercises instead of always running, like walk one day, take an exercise or dance class another day, do aerobics at home etc. Fit TV is great for a variety of shows and if you have a DVR you can enjoy them anytime. They have everything from strength training to belly dance. It's important to listen to your body, if you are doing too much slow down, change it up etc.

Keep it up!

Stretch, stretch, stretch! I used to work with a personal trainer, and she would kick my butt pushing me further than I ever thought I could go. However, as long as we had a good stretch session afterward, I was never sore. The one time our session ran long, and I didn't stretch with her, was running late on my evening routine and didn't stretch... boy did I feel it the next day!

Your muscles use up a lot of calcium and magnesium when you work out. Lactic Acid builds up in your muscles instead and that's what causes the stiffness.

Drink lots of water to flush out your muscles and take a powdered calcium-magnesium supplement after workout. There's one called "Cal-Mag" by Peter Gilliam. Read the directions carefully and take exactly the right amount. Too much will give you the runs! You should feel a lot less stiff. I always prepare my cal-mag by boiling a little bit of water in a mug in the microwave. Then I add the cal-mag powder and stir. Finally I add juice to fill the rest of the cup. It helps with the taste!

Calcium-magnesium in pill form won't work as well. And calcium doesn't work without magnesium.

The calcium-magnesium will also be good for your bones. Your body stores calcium in your bones when you work out as well.

Be sure you're taking a good multivitamin as well!

Congrats on your commitment to better health.
Good for you!

I have been employed in the fitness/ wellness field for 20 years. Here is my 2 cents:
You don't have to run every day. Or even most days. Running is a very high impact exercise and not every BODY should run a lot.
Run a little and walk a lot. If you are going from couch to running with 50 extra pounds, increase to jogging very, very slowly! Finish your walks and jogs with STRETCHING!!! Cool down is good, but cool-down with stretching is even better.
Drink lots of water afterwards (and during exercise, too!) This prevents next day soreness. Get in yoga for stretching once or twice a week. That also will really help!
Good luck!

Make sure you strech after you work out and if possible soak in a hot tub or in the tub at home. Better yet, add yoga a couple of yoga classes a week to your routine. Pain is a result of 2 different actions in your body. One is lactate building in your muscles, which causes a burning feeling. As you get in better shape, this will deminish. Second, when you are building muscle, you actually tear muscle down first to rebuild. Way to go! The pain means you are doing something significant. Also, don't hesitate to use and OTC pain med if it is a particularly bad day.

This is due to lactic acid build up in the muscles from your exercise. Eat a banana every day. THe potassium helps to break down the lactic acid. Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water.

Stretch for at least 5 minutes before you work out, and stretch after you are done. Good luck!

Fantastic advice!!! And kuddos to you for working on your health! I personally have had trouble losing weight in the past without running...I was a runner in the Army and unfortunately have just started back to it after 8 years! The stretching is totally on target, drinking water is always good, and just another note....some of the soreness can be eased with (believe it or not) by drinking a cup of coffee after you're workout. Research has proven that the intake of caffiene will help the body dispose of the lactic acid produced by your muscles with exercise. Obviously you want to skip out on the "frue-frue" coffee drinks that are loaded with extra/useless calories! But a regular cup of joe can help. Best of luck to you and hope this helps! One other note....my soldiers hated when it was my turn for physical training because I would do a full hour of nothing but stretching!!!!! Keep in touch, I'd love to trade achievements and goals!!!

Make sure you stretch and that you are drinking the 64 ounces of water that you need...it will start to go away after a while. Shoot...get me going with you!!! I need the exercise too

Congrats to you for getting started. Just remember your body is an amazing machine. So think of it in terms of expecting a neglected bicycle to start training for a 5k race. It's going to squeek, grind and overall not be in top shape. Your body is similar to this, however your body can improve over time.

Basically, you may be expecting too much out of yourself too soon. Diet and exercise are a wonderful combination to lose weight and get a healthy body back. However a strict routine like Atkins and a 5k plan can be very aggressive...hence the aches, pain and stiffness.

In addition to your "running" try warming up, then stretching AFTER you're warm (you can pull cold tight muscles), then doing your run/jog, then cooling down (like walking), then gentle stretching. Remember that most of the stretching is for your muscles and ligaments. JOINTS are different. You are pushing your body hard right now. Your bones and joints aren't used to the extra pounding on the pavement of the force and weight, they need time to heal and recover.

You don't mention what your running routine is, but you may find it helpful to alternate between running and water exercises or lifting weights. The running is cardio + stress on your feet, joints and muscles. Water exercises can alleviate some of the stress, while still giving you cardio. Lifting weights can challenge your muscles, still burn calories and improve your tone while giving your joints a break from the impact.

Also, make sure your hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Water is essential to flushing out toxins, replenishing your body and helping your body to recover.

Consider after your exercise to take a steam shower or warm bath or get a massage. Exercise tears down your muscle fibers. They are stiff and sore because they are rebuilding themselves. You need some "rest" between runs and ways to help keep those muscles loose.

If your still having pain and stiffness you can look into a supplement like Glucosamine - http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/glucosamine-000306.htm You aren't a teenager anymore, maybe your body needs a little help repairing itself in light of the new challenges it is facing.

As for foods, I agree a balance is important...carbs, proteins and yes even some sugars and fats. Bananas and Gatorade for me when I exercise hard. The bananas help reduce cramps and so does the Gatorade. Also the Gatorade provides electrolytes that help hydrate and replenish the body's losses faster than plain old water - especially in this summer heat!

Best wishes! And don't be too rough on yourself. You don't have to go from couch to 5k due to an upcoming race deadline. There's no shame in walking part of it, or doing a combo of walk, jog, run, jog, walk. Research has proven that eating healthy and getting exercise is the best way to take care of yourself LONG TERM...so don't get hung up on a race.

BTW - I've learned to love the Body for Life books and webgroups. Even if you don't follow their "program", it shows you HOW to lift weights, gives you a schedule that exercises each group of muscles and on alternate days you do cardio AND includes a sensible diet program. The idea is for you to maintain the lifestyle, not go "on" a diet only to come off later. It's more about reprogramming your head to learn a new lifestyle. Perhaps you can borrow it from the library if you're interested?

No matter what, just take it slow and listen to your body. You didn't get 50 lbs overweight in 6-8 weeks, so just do your best!

I am also overweight by about the same amount, after having my daughter. A couple of years ago, after a messy divorce, I had about 100 pounds to lose, and I lost it. It's probably a combination of the fact that you are overweight and it's hard on your joints and you just aren't used to it. When I was that big, I felt so old and tired, and I was in a lot of pain. Working out at first was embarrassing for me since I was so out of shape. Worse, it was hard. It's going to take more than a couple of weeks to get used to the change, but just stick with it, because once you start shedding those pounds, a lot more than your self esteem starts to feel better. Also, good job!! I am not a fan of the Atkins diet, but I hope it works for you :)

Take longs baths in Epsom Salt. This is very typical if you are overweight. Until you build the muscle and take off the fat, the extra weight is just that much harder on the body. You will see change as the days go by.

As for doing the Atkins, I would suggest a more rounded diet. Stick with chicken and fish and veggies. If you do eat carbs, eat whole wheat and such. Even though fruits are high in sugars, they are natural sugars that your body will burn. When you do a diet like Atkins, you are depriving your body of some of the nutrition it may need to recover from your exercise routine. Some carbs are good carbs. Just try and stay away from things like potatoes and white rice and whit pastas and white breads.

Good Luck.

M.,
Besides the cal-mag, add some b-complex.
I am a personal trainer. If you are interested in the products I recommend, let me know. There is a great sports nutrition product to drink right after exercise to help prevent soreness.
And, do not stretch muscles that have not been warmed up.
Good luck!
Victoria

Check out some free pilates and yoga dvd from your library. That way you can always get new ones and won't get bored. Also great for crosstraining.

M.

May be your diet choice. My husband and I tried the Atkins diet and we both were plagued by leg cramps. When you take a food group away from the body it sometimes rebels. Try a low-glycemic lifestyle instead. My suggestion is to think long term and call this a lifestyle change instead of a diet. My family has been eating low-glycemic for about 12 weeks and we are the healthiest and slimmest that we have ever been. We chose the Transitions Lifestyle program which in my opinion is the best and least expensive choice out there. The kit comes with a journal which has been proven to ensure better results. It also comes with 2 supplements: fat conversion inhibitor and carb absorption inhibitor, these supplements keep insulin and glucagon balanced. It is almost impossible to lose weight efficiently without keeping these two hormones in balance. Also included is an informational CD as well as the opportunity to sign up for a website that helps you track exercise and weight loss as well as provide you with loads of recipes.(cost is below $10 a month).
As far as exercising goes stretching is key but starting out slow is key to staying on an exercise program. In my experience when I started out gangbuster style I eventually found a reason to stop. I have been walking and swimming and this built up my stamina so that I could start working out with exercise band weights. I also use a product called Torch for the muscle repair and it really helps with the muscle soreness. Most of all be proud of your self, no negative talk and take your weight loss slow. Fast weight loss is hard on your metabolism and you want to train your body to trust you again otherwise you will go into fat-storing mode no matter you choose to eat. Simple rules of thumb: Eat breakfast no later than a half hour after you wake up. Do not put a morsel of food into your mouth unless it has been at least 2 hour after you have eaten. (allows for gastric emptying) Never go longer than 4 hours without eating because the next bite you take will be stored as fat. Just think of your body as a finely tuned machine. We were made to have a healthy balance of all the food groups. My business is working with physician to implement health and wellness programs into their practice. This program and these products are very successful for everyone that stays focused. You can purchase the products at this website: http://www.visionary-wellness.com, under the products tab look for weight management and sports nutrition. If you need help or moral support please feel free to contact me anytime. Good Luck and God Bless!

L.

Check the Atkins plan for your health. It is not good for most people and can bring on heart problems. From what I understand, the South Beach diet is much better.
The achey feeling comes from a build up of lactic acid and inflammation.
Also, Mercola has offered a place to determine the best way for you, individually, to eat. His site is www.mercola.com/nt ~ the "nt" is for nutrtional typing. When you bring up the site, scroll down until you see a gauge on the right side with a note under it to take the NT test free of charge. You will be asked 30 multiple choice questions and , from that, sent the best way for you to eat. There will be recipes included.
Congratulations on choosing to take care of yourself,
Lorraine