Occasional Fatigue And Pain In Legs Of Regular Walkers!
Many regular walkers experience days of weakness, fatigue or heaviness and pain in legs when they wake up in the morning and want to go out for their regular walk.
It could happen due to a few reasons, mostly not too serious.
Sweating heavily on long walks especially on warm and humid days and not drinking enough water can cause dehydration which can cause interference in normal contraction and relaxation of muscles causing this kind of heaviness or fatigue in leg muscles.
Same kind of interference in normal contraction and relaxation of muscles can occur due to the deficiency of magnesium, potassium or calcium and can cause this kind of heaviness or fatigue in leg muscles.
Repetitive use of quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles in walking sometimes can cause building up of lactic acid in these muscle groups or can cause micro tears in muscles, causing heaviness or drained feeling in these muscles. This happens more often if you have increased the intensity or duration of walks or have added some upward slopes in walks recently.
This can also happen if the muscles haven’t gotten enough time to recover from long walks or prolonged standing.
This can also happen if your shoes do not provide proper support to the arch of your feet or if the sole of your shoes have worn thin with long use, or you have been walking on hard surfaces, causing strain on your leg muscles, making them painful.
Pain in legs could also be caused by vertebral problems causing pressure on the nerves going down into the legs or due to some neurological diseases, but these pains are less likely to be temporary.
Preventive tips:
Drink ample water, more so in hot climates.
Use good quality walking shoes of a good brand.
Try walking on softer surfaces like on natural ground or lawns.
Lie on your bed with your legs elevated, preferably against a wall close to the bed, or on cushions or roll of a blanket, after a walk.
Have a rest day between walking days to allow the muscles to ‘recover’.
Include magnesium rich foods like pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, cashew nuts (in moderation if you’re watching your weight), brown rice, oats, black , lentils (masur, toor, mug, matki), chickpeas, soya, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, sea fish, in your food.
Happy walking to all!
Also read ‘Magical Health Benefits Of Walking’ and ‘Walking To Be Slim And Healthy’ on this website!
