How to you recover from a 20k steps + walk

[Cloud44]

Over the weekend I went for a really long walk, I regularly do 12k+ steps a day but this was over 20k+ and I still feel knackered!
AIBU to think I should feel ok now or is it normal for it to take a couple of days for feet / legs to stop aching and to have energy back?! Any tips of what I should be doing?

That does sound a little unusual if you do 12k normally to take that long to recover. Do you have any other medical conditions?

Rehydration salts. Pop a sport in science one in some water. Makes me bounce back. Have you eaten enough?

Yes, your legs might ache a bit. You should probably have an ice bath, a sports massage, no cooking or housework, if you have children is there someone who can look after them for a few days while you recover. Phone in to work sick.

a banana?
up your potassium

It's quite normal for me to do 20k steps at the weekend, we live in a seaside town and rarely take the car anywhere once the weather brightens. DS is five , I did 19876 Saturday and he was with me. I was ready to put my feet up in the evening but I went to a gym class Sunday morning then took ds to a soft play party where tbf I had a coffee but he bolted around for two hours. I think unless you're particularly sedentary or wearing really bad shoes you shouldn't need to recover from that kind of walk

I wouldn't need any recovery time. I do it about three times a week (walking to work / town and 5k run days).
Were the shoes the problem maybe? Or Were you going up really steep hills? I'm sure it'll be OK in a day or two though.

Tbh I'd assume you have a low-level virus or similar if you're still feeling wiped out. Or perhaps you mean just a bit tired and achy legged? Anyway, the usual staying hydrated and taking it easy for a couple of days would usually apply.

Just rest for the remainder of the day. I’m in a walking group and often feel exhausted after one long walks, I’m usually up for nothing after it

I regularly do nearly 20k steps a day so wouldn't need any particular recovery unless I'd done a lot of hill work or worn the wrong shoes.

If your body is telling you to rest. Have a rest day. When you do things that are different from normal routine, it is normal to feel more tired.

If you wear a wrist counter, a lot of steps on a normal day are from moving your arm rather than actual steps.. If that is the case then the 20,000 step walk will have taken it out of you.

It'll pass in a day or so. Just slow down, eat & hydrate properly. You'll be fine. No need to take time off work.

well it is a lot more than you usually do, were you properly hydrated?

It surely depends partly on how old you are? I’m 49, and until recently did a job which would have a 20k steps shift once a week or fortnight. Last couple of years I suppose I’ve felt it more, like you’re describing: next day my legs still feel a bit sore, I still feel a bit knackered. It’s just my age/level of fitness - you’ll feel fine later on today. No need to phone in sick!

This.

It doesn't matter if other people do 20k steps every day and feel just peachy - you don't, and your body is tired from doing something different.

I do find it helps to do stretches in the evening after a long walk, than a really good night sleep. Lots of water too

(You don't need a day off work, though.)

Eat more protein.

I do this daily but protein intake makes a difference to how I feel the next day.

There's is a big difference between middle age recovery (I'm in my 50s) and recovery when you're young. My DS17 has a part time job in hospitality and his phone told he'd done 30,000 steps in a very busy 8 hr shift recently. I thought he'd be wiped out the next day but he didn't even mention it and carried on as normal. He usually does 20k steps a shift

Another saying if you regularly do 12k steps, an extra 8k shouldn’t leave you like this, or was it very hilly and you normally walk on the flat?

you might be fighting a bug as well.

😂

😂😂

How old are you? That seems really unusual to me.

Have you made sure you're rehydrated? I can feel really tired and sluggish after pushing myself more than usual if I don't make sure I've drunk loads of fluids after.

I am in my mid 40's, very unfit and overweight and do little exercise due to my sedentary job taking up all my week.

Last year we went to Florida on holiday and were doing 20,000+ step days every other day. Other than being a little tired and achy on the in between days, there was nothing really to "recover" from. In fact, the best thing I could do was to just carry on and do another 20,000+ day!

I came home much fitter (and lighter!) than when I went!

If you're already used to 12k steps per day I echo the other comments that say it's unusual to feel so bad after just doubling it once. Keep an eye on it OP and if it happens again, you might want to speak to your GP.