I want to begin a walking regimen. However, I have severe?!
Question: arthritis in my right knee. Should I wrap the knee with an ace bandage; use aspirin cream to dull the pain?
Anyone with a background in physical fitness can you please direct me on the best way to begin preparing for this new regimen. it is to help me in two ways; lose weight and build endurance. I am 67 years old and have had a sedentary job all of my life.
thank you so much.
Answers: arthritis in my right knee. Should I wrap the knee with an ace bandage; use aspirin cream to dull the pain?
Anyone with a background in physical fitness can you please direct me on the best way to begin preparing for this new regimen. it is to help me in two ways; lose weight and build endurance. I am 67 years old and have had a sedentary job all of my life.
thank you so much.
You will find that walking will help with the pain in your knee. You will have to experiment to see what works best for you - a knee brace, a muscle cream or nothing at all.
When you start your walking regimen, start slowly, just walk 15 minutes each day - that's 71/2 minutes away from home and turn around. Each day, try to walk one house farther than you did the day before.
Even though you may feel ready to walk lots farther the first day - don't, because the achiness you may have the next day might discourage you from getting back out there!
If it's cold in your part of the country, consider walking inside a mall. We have walking clubs that meet everyday in all of our malls and they do laps around the stores. It's temperature controlled and you aren't so isolated as when you walk by yourself.
After each walk, do a warm down - stretch out a little bit before sitting down. If your knee aches - try icing it (although some folks can't tolerate the ice), or try a heating pad.
Just remember to start slowly and build up slowly. Your goal should be to walk 30/day 3-4x a week. And after you reach that goal, increase the time, increase your speed and increase your frequency.
Have fun!
I'm a few years younger but also worked in an office my entire life. After I suffered a cervical spine operation I used alternating hot/cold packs and started off very slowly until I build up my balance and strength. Good luck and get healthy