Walking - Help!

[vickisgrey 3]

2nd week of walking 1 lap, but today I could barely lift my legs up. They weren't sore, just heavy. I've had both knees replaced and lots or arthritis. Walking is good for you, but I need something else for days like today. I was a couch potato! But am really trying to exercise. Hubby walks 2 miles every morning, but I can't walk that fast. Any ideas?

[missybear 86]

To break up your walks have you tried Pilates or yoga? The stretching movements may help alleviate the sore/tired muscles from walking and mix up your exercise routine. If you want to try it out first in the privacy of your home, look at downloading a session online or grab a DVD. If you like it, you can try a professional studio or gym that teaches correct posture and pushes you a little further. Plus it's great to tone up muscles and yoga ESP can help you relax.

[Summerrain 520]

2nd week of walking 1 lap' date=' but today I could barely lift my legs up. They weren't sore, just heavy. I've had both knees replaced and lots or arthritis. Walking is good for you, but I need something else for days like today. I was a couch potato! But am really trying to exercise. Hubby walks 2 miles every morning, but I can't walk that fast. Any ideas?[/quote']

Hi vickisgrey, have you tried walking or exercising in Water? The Water takes a lot of the weight off your joints and you get a really good workout because of pushing against the water. I don't last longer than ten minutes doing aerobics on land but I can do a 45 minute water aerobics class easily and some days I do two back to back classes. When you get out of the water your legs are like jelly but not painful. I've been told by my water aerobics instructor that walking in water for 15 minutes is the equivalent to walking on land for 30 minutes. If you are able to you can also strap some weights around your ankles whilst in the water for an even harder workout. Seeing as you suffer from arthritis warm water exercising may be beneficial for you.