Tread Carefully
Monday, April 03, 2006
I returned to exercising at least 5 times a week thanks to an abundance of kiddy snacks (ie. junk food) at school and a weak will. Disgruntled over lowered metabolism due to aging aside, I was disappointed that results of all the hard work I'd put in for the last 9 months dissipated much faster than one can say, "Maybe just one more helping."
2kgs might not look much on the weighing scale but it's a huge strain on the knees. My right knee began to hurt bad in early February 2006 after an easy run. Initially I thought it was a lapse in routine that caused the soreness, but it took 3 days for the discomfort to subside. Subsequent runs ended with same result and there was one time I actually teared because of the pain.
An occupational therapist friend suggested that it could be a ligament strain. Have yet to have the knee examined since I don't intend to pay consultancy fees only to ignore the doctor's 100% probability advice to lay off running for a period of time anyway. As my own doc, I'll continue to hold onto the pretext that it's the added weight that aggravated the condition. So it's cardio, cardio and more cardio!
I'm a huge fan of the treadmill. Firstly, it beats running on hard concrete. Secondly, it keeps your pace in check while you space out unlike other cardio machine that requires more concentration to get the movement right. Thirdly, there's no chance of slacking especially when you don't fancy the idea of falling off the machine. An article in a fitness magazine also noted that it's the best cardio machine exercise for burning calories and cutting fat because it takes more energy to have both feet leave the ground even when running slowly.
However, it's a knee killer due to constant high impact. Normally I'll run between 30-60 minutes at moderate-high speed but because of my knee, I'd switched to brisk walking with a steep incline at mid-run when discomfort reached level 7. No pain no gain.
It may sound like I'm asking for trouble, but as stubborn as I am about working out the way I think it's best, I do not intend to be like my father who had to stop running for good because of his weak knees... at least not before I run a full marathon in my lifetime. I suppose I ought to lay off running for a while or do kickboxing and use the elliptical. Still, it's easier to keep to the routine than to build the form back up again. The only thing I can do is not overdo the treadmill pounding and (for goodness sake) lay off those darn cheesecakes! |
