I have been walking since the day of surgery. Granted it wasn't more than 5 or 10 minutes there at first but every day I walked. I worked my way slowly to walking down the drive way and back. Eventually I started walking down the drive way then out to the barn and back. Then I added walking to length of the horse pasture. Then I started going around the edge of the pasture and so on. Every week I added more until now I am walking about 2 miles a day.

I have been hesitant to add other types of workouts. I have a genetic heart disease that makes exercise well, interesting. I also have an ICD implanted in my heart to make sure that if it ever stops (again), I will be restarted automatically. (I like to think of it as a battery backup) I have learned that there are things I can do and things I just can’t do. I can swim and walk and dance and ride roller coasters but I can not scuba (which is something I really miss) or sprint or be a run marathons. I have accepted that.

Recently I decided that while walking has been great, I need some toning and strengthening. So, I did what any computer nerd would do, I got online and found some toning exercises from Women’s Health (you know, the one with all the plastic, airbrushed women on the cover) and some yoga sites. I decided that I would walk one day, use small hand held weights to tone my arms, legs and butt the next and do yoga the next. Then I would start it all over again. I put them on my pinterest site so I could just pull up the posters for the ones I know how to do and click to the sites for those I needed more instructions for.

So Tuesday I did my walk. I made sure to hit the area on the ranch that was an uphill climb so I got a work out. Wednesday I felt great so I grabbed my 3 pound dumbbells and started my “Bye bye arm jiggle” workout. It went pretty well. I didn't do all the recommended exercises as I don’t have some of the equipment but I did what I could. Since I didn't do them all I did three sets of then ones I could do. That took me about 15 minutes. Then I did 5 of the “12 best butt exercises”. I did two set of each of these but man I could feel it in my legs right away. These were a lot harder as it involved some balancing as well. Afterwards I felt great. I logged my time in MFP and went about my day.

I woke up this morning and got out of bed and OMYFLIPPINGPANCAKES!! Pain ripped through my in ways I never knew it could. I have never been this sore. My arms are not sore at all. But my thighs, hamstrings and butt HOLY TOLEDO. I tried stretching out my sore muscles but it hurt too much. It hurts just thinking about how much it hurts. Walking to the bathroom was agony but I had to do it, Hubby refused to carry me. (because he was laughing too hard). I loosened up a little and went to my office where I could suffer in peace. Sitting wasn't so bad but standing up was pure hell.
I pulled up my pinterest site, cursed at the pin for the butt workout and pulled up my yoga pin. This is a modified Sun Salutation set and I figured it would be good for stretching. It felt like knives pulled through my legs at first but after the third round I started to feel better. By the time I finished the sixth set I could touch the floor during the forward bends and no longer felt like I would cry when I moved.

I can not believe how sore my legs are. Aren't these the same ones that walk 2 miles? Aren't these the same ones that manage 6 to 12 flights of stairs a day? I guess I am just really out of shape. I am going to stick with my rotation plan and see if it gets easier but dang, this strengthening stuff is hard!