Help me help her

[Boggy]

Hello ladies, I made this account to ask a couple of questions in regards to how to properly train my wife in the art of hiking. My hike-fu is strong, but my wife had zero experience in hiking before last three weeks, and I am trying to get her into it. She is totally out of shape, most walking she ever did was perhaps 5 miles with zero elevation gain. Problem is, ever since second hike she's in pain. Muscle cramps, no doubt, but it does not go away. Every hike since then, first 30 minutes she's in royal pain. It's the kind of intense pain you get with sprain ankle, but she never twisted her ankles, there was no bruising nor swelling, and it's both of her feet. So I am inclined to think it's the smaller muscles down there that stabilize her foot. Anyhow, I am attaching a log file. Perhaps she needs longer periods of rest?

[BuckeyeBill]

Try having her eat bananas, the potassium will help the cramps. My question would be does she want to hike or do you want her to hike? Attitude goes a long way in learning something new. You mention rest periods. explain to her that longer breaks tend to allow the muscles to cool off and can lead to pain and cramping. Her foot pain could come from improper arch support in her shoes. You may want to check out slide in insoles like Superfeet or Soles. Good luck and good hiking.

[Boggy]

She does want to hike, I am not forcing her to do it.

[Spirit Walker]

Try walking every day at home, an hour at a time. Not climbing, just walking. When she is comfortable with that, increase the time. When that is comfortable, then try hiking. Add a mile or so a week. Sometimes you need to start with baby steps. With any exercise program, consistency is key, and you are most likely to gain consistency if it doesn't hurt too much. Willpower only goes so far.

Does she have comfortable shoes to hike in? Not overly worn, but not brand new either? If her feet are hurting, bad shoes are a good possibility. If she is having leg cramps, if she is a smoker, it could be PAD (peripheral artery disease). If so, hiking is really the best thing she can do (besides quitting) to get the circulation going so she doesn't have a stroke. But it does hurt.

[HooKooDooKu]

Your chart looks like a good start. From what I've experienced, anyone capable of hiking should be able to do about 5 miles in a day with 2,000' to 3,000' elevation changes. Now when you're not used to that at first, you very well may have some muscle soreness for a while. So starting off with 2-3 miles in a day sounds like a good way to work up to 5+ mile hikes without getting TOOO sore.

On the subject of breaks... the generic advice I read years ago was that breaks should last less than 5 minutes or longer than 20 minutes. The reasoning goes SOMETHING like this...
When your body is active, your muscle produce (and need) lactic acid. When you stop, your body initially continues to produce lactic acid for a while and it begins to build up in your muscles. After about 5 minutes, there is too much lactic acid for your muscles to perform properly, but the production of lactic acid has stopped. It then takes about 15 more minutes for your body to absorb the excess lactic acid.

Now I'm sure I've got some of the biological detail wrong here... but the basic concept is that your body wants/needs either short or long breaks (no medium sized breaks).

So while hiking, your wife should take as many breaks as she wants so long as they are less than 5 minutes in duration. Then, every once-in-while, you need to take a long break where you sit down, rest for a while, eat some lunch or a snack, and don't get started again for at least 20 minutes.

Another concept (that I again do not understand the full biological details) is getting your second wind. The idea is that when you first start excersizing, you change your body's balance of lactic acid/oxygen production/usage. This can produce pains and even shortness of breath as you get started. After a while (perhaps 15 to 30 minutes), your body gets lactic acid and oxygen back in balance for the new activity level. When this happens, the pains subside and breathing can become easier (i.e. getting your second wind).

However, another concept is that there is no third wind. Once your body is in balance with the new activity, when pains and shortness of breath return, that's your body signalling that it is tiring of the activity. You're going to "hit the wall" before the pains go away unless you do something to change you activity.

BTW: From what I see in the picture, your wife is not "totally out of shape". She is simply not used to the activity of hiking. Over time, her muscles will adjust and things will get easier as her body adjusts to this new activity. I remember on our honeymoon that my wife and I visited GSMNP. We did the 1/2 mile walk up the path from the parking lot to Clingman's Dome (about 350 feet higher). At each bench along the path, we had to stop and rest to catch our breath. The only thing that kept us going was the my desire to not let that little old lady behind us from climbing this hill faster we could... after all, we were only 25yo then (and about 50lbs lighter). So when we got back home, we started doing weekend hikes in our local state park so that the next time we returned to GSMNP, we should better hike those trails. Years later, I started backpacking in GSMNP. Those initial trips, it was all I could do to put in about 5 to 6 miles per day. Now, about 10 to 15 years later, I'm more "out of shape" than I was when I was younger, but I can now put in 10 to 12 mile days on the steepest terrain GSMNP has to offer. So baring some underlying medical issue, there shouldn't be a reason your wife won't be able to do longer and more difficult hikes. She just has to want to and have the will to keep at it. Things will get easier as her body adjusts to the new activity.

[Rocket Jones]

Try standing on one leg at a time, barefoot. Try to get to at least a minute at one go. You'll feel all the little stabilization muscles in your feet, legs and thighs working like crazy to keep your balance. Your balance will improve amazingly quickly too.

[Trillium]

Your log seems like it was a reasonable break-in so since your wife is encountering foot pain, there are several things you might consider.

First, perhaps she needs to reduce the mileage and elevation gains/losses and slowly work up, well more slowly than what you started with.

Second, perhaps she needs to do some stretching of her feet, ankles and legs before and particularly after she walks/hikes. Maybe you could also massage her feet.

Third, perhaps her shoes/inserts need to be fitted better. Find an expert fitter in your area. If you were anywhere close to North Carolina, then you should see Rob in Franklin at Outdoor 76. I'm intending to do so within a week. He's been highly recommended by Baltimore Jack as one of the best on the trail and I've seen additional recommendations from at least 3 thru-hikers this year on their trail journals.

Fourth, perhaps she needs to consult a health professional like someone in sports medicine. Or maybe start with a podiatrist. I went to a podiatrist to ensure that the excruciating foot pain that I encountered last year on my hike from Springer to Winding Stair Gap wasn't something that would have lasting long-term effects and if anything special needed to be done footwear-wise. The doctor was able to rule out tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, stress fracture and that my walking pattern was not in need of custom orthotics.

Walking is such great exercise, particularly for women since it's stress bearing for the bones so helps to keep osteoporosis at bay. And to walk with a loved one gives double benefits. So, I hope that your wife can find a solution so that she is able to walk/hike without pain. Good luck!

[gunner76]

It would not hurt to have her doctor to a physical to make sure there is nothing medically wrong with her and make sure she relays the issues she is having. Hopefully it nothing more that being out of shape but it would not hurt to make sure.

Best of luck on your future hikes.

[Kerosene]

Try standing on one leg at a time, barefoot. Try to get to at least a minute at one go. You'll feel all the little stabilization muscles in your feet, legs and thighs working like crazy to keep your balance. Your balance will improve amazingly quickly too.Keep your balancing knee bent a little. Instead of a minute straight, work up to 90 seconds straight broken into three 30-second parts: leg in front, leg to rear, leg to side. Once you get there, move to a less stable surface (a rug, balance disc (http://www.amazon.com/Reebok-05-59300-Balance-Disc/dp/B008R65UKO/ref=sr_1_9?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1400098132&sr=1-9&keywords=balance+balla), a BOSU trainer (http://www.amazon.com/Bosu-72-10850-2XP-BOSU-Balance-Trainer/dp/B00AQ4F19K/ref=sr_1_5?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1400098132&sr=1-5&keywords=balance+ball), or even a balance board (http://www.amazon.com/Reebok-05-55101-Balance-Board/dp/B003PAZ7B4/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1400098132&sr=1-3&keywords=balance+ball)). If you really want to make it hard, try closing your eyes(!), which also aids in increasing your proprioception (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprioception) and thereby reducing the chance of ankle sprains.

[Boggy]

Thank you for replies!

I made following changes to her break in routine based on your insight:

Increased potassium intake (mainly bananas and sweet potatoes).
Improved stretching routine.
Tried insoles with better arch support (did not work out, she hated them).
On rest days we introduced one hour urban walks with zero elevation gain.
We slightly shortened our hikes and rest a little more in between hikes, so instead of hiking two days out of three we now hike one day out of three.

There are major improvements. Sharp pains in ankle area were replaced by mild pains higher up in the major muscles. She is noticeably stronger by now.

[Feral Bill]

She does want to hike, I am not forcing her to do it.
Very good idea.

[Just Bill]

Thank you for replies!

I made following changes to her break in routine based on your insight:

Increased potassium intake (mainly bananas and sweet potatoes).
Improved stretching routine.
Tried insoles with better arch support (did not work out, she hated them).
On rest days we introduced one hour urban walks with zero elevation gain.
We slightly shortened our hikes and rest a little more in between hikes, so instead of hiking two days out of three we now hike one day out of three.

There are major improvements. Sharp pains in ankle area were replaced by mild pains higher up in the major muscles. She is noticeably stronger by now.

Two suggestions-
Add a half hour a week of barefoot (sidewalk) walking- break it up if needed. (wear cheap socks if concerned about modesty or minor items)
See a professional shoe salesperson and get her properly fitted. My wife went from walking sporadically with pain to jogging up to five miles- simply by getting fitted properly. find a local running club or HS track team for a good shoe store recommendation.

Otherwise- good for you both!

[HooKooDooKu]

There are major improvements. Sharp pains in ankle area were replaced by mild pains higher up in the major muscles. She is noticeably stronger by now.
Great to hear... :) but I'm not surprised... not if she (and you) are willing to keep at it and make adjustments as needed.

[BuckeyeBill]

Thank you for replies!

I made following changes to her break in routine based on your insight:

Increased potassium intake (mainly bananas and sweet potatoes).
Improved stretching routine.
Tried insoles with better arch support (did not work out, she hated them).
On rest days we introduced one hour urban walks with zero elevation gain.
We slightly shortened our hikes and rest a little more in between hikes, so instead of hiking two days out of three we now hike one day out of three.

There are major improvements. Sharp pains in ankle area were replaced by mild pains higher up in the major muscles. She is noticeably stronger by now.

Glad to hear. Looks like your on the right path for a great hiking partner. AS far as insoles go, some people like them, some people don't. They are like shoes they need broke in too.

HYOH
happy Trails