Exercising Caution

I’ve been walking every other day or so. Nothing too strenuous. Just an hour meandering around my neighborhood for an hour. It is great to get outside and move about, and I’ve come up with a number of ideas while thinking and walking.

Well, it rained today, so I decided to make use of the treadmill in the basement. I left the defaults and set it for 60 minutes. It was at a much quicker pace than I was used to doing. Still, I felt great, and I was able to read a book for about 10 minutes.

Then I started sweating. Eventually I had to put the book down because it was going to get wet. I didn’t feel out of breath or anything, so I kept going.

For an hour, I managed to keep going at a brisk pace. I took my shirt off halfway through. Note to self: don’t wear the clothes you went to work in when trying to keep a brisk pace for an hour!

Still, I accomplished it. One hour, on a treadmill, at about 2.5 to 3 miles per hour. I was worried throughout that I was going to pull something or somehow injure myself. I definitely needed to drink plenty of water afterwards, and the shower was great.

I felt fine for awhile, but found that some blisters had formed under my feet. What a great place for them! Now when I got to work or anywhere else, I’ll be in slight pain. Perfect. On top of it all, I think I will likely wake up in the morning with sore muscles.

So if you’ve been immobile for a few years and are starting to get active again, remember to pace yourself. I probably should have realized that the faster pace could have been done in 30 minutes instead of an hour. I could even have given myself a 10 minute break between two half hour sessions. And with my blisters and potential soreness, I’m not going to be in a position to play basketball or soccer anytime soon.

That’s my Exercise Caution.