Walking is too easy, couch to 5k too hard and gives me shin splints

[Avocado]

I could walk all day, more or less, but when I try to do anything harder, not only is it hard cardio but my shins hurt so bad I need to stop a few days to recover, which starts me over. Should I just powerwalk every day but not run?

edit: I could almost stand the cardio...its the shins that are the worst

 

[rav3n]

Considering how moderate exercise regimes have been significantly correlated with longer lifespans, even moreso than extreme exercise, do walk and try to eat healthy.

 

[ceecee]

Try a treadmill. Shin splints come from hard surfaces, treadmills are very easy on the knees and shins. Plus you can easily up the cardio with incline. Or use a bike.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

^

 

[Hiraeth]

You can also try vinyasa yoga. I had shin problems too and hated running. The main form of exercise that I do now is yoga. Oddly enough, I'm in better shape now than when I was a gym rat years back.

 

[Abcdenfp]

when i first started running consistently i got shin splints all the time, then they kind of stopped all together. the treadmill on incline helped alot. correcting my form did as well. i use the workout app apptiv and honestly has made my runs so much more effective and assisted with keeping my form the whole run through

 

[Avocado]

more than anything, I'm exercising to get more energy. I'm in a constant state of my mind racing too much to really be productive or fall asleep, but still being really tired and "sleepy"

 

[Dreamer]

Try a treadmill. Shin splints come from hard surfaces, treadmills are very easy on the knees and shins. Plus you can easily up the cardio with incline. Or use a bike.

to add to this, try a good pair of running shoes on too [MENTION=18694]The Wailing Specter[/MENTION]. I love running longer distances and my feet don't have great arches so I need the support and thicker sole, so I tried a pair of Brooks and they haven't let me down since! Keeping up their shape and not falling apart either after a couple years of ownership and a handful of races later.

But totally agree, treadmills feel like you're running on a cloud after running on concrete for so long.

 

[miss fortune]

get a bicycle!

my kneecap never set right after breaking it, so no matter what shoes I wear or how enthusiastic about it I am, I can't run without a lot of pain... bicycling doesn't hurt my knee like running does, but still lets me spend time outdoors getting exercise

 

[Peter Deadpan]

Pain during or after running/jogging is usually an indication of weak muscles (I'm not specifically familiar with shin splints though).

I did a couch to 5k a few years back and practically blew my knee out after a month or two because I was ignoring some pain. I ended up finishing my run, and then not being able to walk despite having just been running. I had to limp the last 2 blocks home and up the stairs and then needed physical therapy. Turns out I had weak hip abductors and tight hamstrings and needed to focus on those areas first because it was causing too much hip dropping and subsequent kneecap tracking issues.

Basically: Strength training and stretching are absolutely crucial to ANY fitness regimen. And actually, as you build muscle, you'll increase your metabolism and have more energy in no time (assuming you eat well).

 

[Yuurei]

I could walk all day, more or less, but when I try to do anything harder, not only is it hard cardio but my shins hurt so bad I need to stop a few days to recover, which starts me over. Should I just powerwalk every day but not run?

edit: I could almost stand the cardio...its the shins that are the worst

Shin splints are THE.WORST. and I am comparing this to the pain of missing lower lumber disks. ( I feel like the back pain eases if I just say "this is happening. Deal with it." and keep going. Shinsplints;can't do a thing about.) I've always wondered what exactly causes them.

 

[Tellenbach]

Stair climbing might be a good cardio exercise, but I'd bring some vinyl gloves because stair rails are often filthy.

I'm in a constant state of my mind racing too much to really be productive or fall asleep, but still being really tired and "sleepy"

Try some vitamin B-complex capsules.