Over 60's - Treating muscle pain after exercise?

[dinglethedragon]

Ouch.

I'm late 60's and decided to start regular gentle stretching and move every hour . I walk the dogs for an hour daily, so not a total couch potato, but realised I was sitting still for most of the evening.

I started following someone on YouTube with gentle, 5 min, stretching for the over 50's. Really enjoyed it, did it for a few days, moving every hour and doing the stretches once or twice a day.

I'm now really stiff and sore.

I don't want to stop - should I carry on or wait until I'm not in any more pain? I can still just about touch my toes but bending sideways is painful. Don't want to do any damage but would like to get fitter.

If it is all over, and you didn’t knowingly pull a muscle or cause yourself another obvious injury, and don’t have any obvious swellings around joints, then you’re probably suffering with DOMS - delayed onset muscle soreness. This is normal and occurs because your muscles have micro-tears from the exercises which will repair and make the muscles stronger. It usually comes on not the next day, but the day after that following the exercise day.

Try to keep moving but keep it gentle for a couple of days and it should ease. Take some painkillers if you need them.

Good on you for getting active!

Not quite all over, one side is worse than the other but I will take it easy and just move and stretch rather than the more "exercise" form of stretching.

Thanks

DOMS tends to be a dull, tired feeling that passes in a day or two, and is your muscles repairing and building strength. Go easy while you feel it as your body is recovering.

Massage and heat can ease the tightness.

I'm over 50 & can't imagine getting muscle soreness from simple stretches.
OP: can you post link to the video you used?

More pain on one side than the other could be because your body is naturally imbalanced (I know mine is) so one side has been more excercised/stretched than the other.

Epsom salts in the bath might give some relief

Here you go @lljkk it's this one. I do admit it seemed so easy and gentle that I did it two or three times in one day, not just once.

I'm almost 70 and can feel my mobility reducing, harder to get up from kneeling for example, so am keen to try and reverse that - or at least halt it. Am a good weight (size 12/14) and walk for about an hour a day, just really doing too much sitting the rest of the time.

Oops this one

ah ok, you're almost 70.
Good on you.
It will get easier, and you shouldn't stop, just maybe don't overdo it.
I wish my dad had done stuff like that. He's 80 & increasingly seized up.
You're making me think I should get back to yoga or at least do basic ballet moves.

Im in my 60's and do 30-45 mins of stretching every day, but have done it for most of my life. Going from a 'standing start' to once or twice a day is bound to have surprised your muscles and now they're protesting.
I'd give them a couple of days off then start again. Start with just a couple of reps of each exercise just once a day for a few days, then work it up from there.
Another thing I practise daily is getting up off the floor. Sounds odd, but if you have a fall, or get down to the floor to pick something up and then find you can't get back up, you could possibly be stuck for hours. So I finish my stretching routine with floor exercises and do it from there. Try different ways too - eg get up from the floor using different furniture, or roll from your back to your side, then raise to a sitting then kneeling position, and finally stand up. Create your own method/routine.

Not for now, but when your body is adapted and ready for another stage, Mr Motivator's Daily Dozen videos are aimed at older adults. They're easily adapted from chair-based to adding light weights (e.g. a can of food). They're 12 mins and aimed at being easy to fit in, and maintain aerobic and muscle health.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Mr Motivator! That's a blast from the past 😃. I think the practicing getting up from the floor is a very good idea - I have a friend who now needs a live in carer after falling a couple of times and being unable to get up - so I know how crucial it is for independence.

I don't want to stop - should I carry on or wait until I'm not in any more pain? I can still just about touch my toes but bending sideways is painful. Don't want to do any damage but would like to get fitter.

It's not pain as in indicating an injury or damage - t's discomfort, often called "DOMS" -
Delayed
Onset
Muscle
Soreness

It means your body has worked, and done something it's not used to doing. This is GOOD!

The best way to assuage it is more exercise - a long walk, a swim, or more of the same gentle stretching.

But when you stretch, NEVER do it with a "cold" body or use static stretches you hold for more than a count of 5. Make sure your body is warmed up - literally raise the temperature of your core by 5 to 10 minutes of all over body movement.

Try a combination of moves such as marching or jogging on the spot - be vigorous enough to get to the point just before you lose your breath - jumping jacks, body weight squats (only do those if you know how to do them with good form) single leg swings - hang onto a door jamb, and swing your leg forwards & backwards, and then side to side across your body - keep it low and LOOSE.

Then go into your stretching routine, and take it sloooowly.

You mention touching your toes - if you are unaccustomed to doing this, don't just bend over. Roll down.

First of all, stand straight and get your pelvis in a neutral alignment - try to feel as if it's a bowl of water and you're trying to prevent the water from slopping out.

Then gently bend your knees ad drop your chin to your chest. Breathe out as you then try to roll down through each vertebra of your spine, until your chest is almost lying on your thighs. Be aware of the weight of your head and keep your neck loose and your head relaxing down. Let your arms drop as your spine rolls down.

When you've rolled over as much as possible (aim your nose to your knee, but DON'T strain) bend your knees a bit deeper, and then try to touch your toes. Leave your fingers on your toes, and GENTLY stretch behind your knees, while keeping the momentum of your torso going forwards - you should feel that if you shifted your weight a bit more you'd fall forwards (but don't do it, jst get that sense of weight forwards!)

It's a lovely slow gentle stretch with the addition of a really nice spine roll, which is great for the flexibility & mobility of the spine.

Reverse the process to roll up. Aim to straighten your knees as you raise your head ie these are the last things you do.

PS,I'm in my mid-60s and have always worked on flexibility and mobility - I still do several dance classes a week and lift very heavy weights and run. It's all possible - you just have to work up to it!

Just watched the video - and UGH - the way she shows you a forward bend is horrible. I know it's the way a "forward fold" in yoga is done, but don't do it this way unless you're in a yoga class and have done much more of a warm up.

Personally, I think the best way to start stretching s lying on the floor - the floor supports your back & helps you to get a neutral pelvic alignment. Then you can swing your legs etc.

Thanks for the tips @EasterIsland