My husband bought me a Cardio Cruiser for Giftmas, and he put it together last Thursday, on the theory that I might as well be using it now. I find that I can only use it for a few minutes at a time before I am in pain and worn out. How long does this stage last? I hop on the thing two or three times a day, and work on it until it’s plain that I’ve hit my limit.
I’ll talk to my doctor about this the next time I see her, but in the mean time, anyone got any hints or suggestions?
I looked up what a cardio cruiser is. For cardio, you should absolutely pull back to once a day at most and lower your pace until you can continue for thirty minutes. After that, you’re done for the day.
Where is this pain? Is it that you cannot continue because you’re tired (in which case lowering the pace and, optimally, using a heart rate monitor would be your best bet) or because your arms or legs hurt (in which case you do need to talk to your doctor about it before continuing your exercise program)?
I’ve set the tension as low as it will go. I could go slower, I suppose. The pain usually hits me on the inner thighs. I’m NOT getting pain in my joints! I’m using the machine for cardio help, and for circulation in general. It’s non-impact, which helps me a lot.
My mood has been much better the past couple of days, so I want to keep on this thing.
Priceguy is right. If it’s hurting your muscles, you need to work them more slowly. Could you use the machine every other day and walk the other days until your leg muscles build up enough to use it for 30 minutes.
Slowing down isn’t a bad thing. Remember the Joggers oath “Start slow and ease up.”
Keep moving, but never move so much you’re out of breath. That keeps the exercise aerobic. Check your heart rate frequently, and stay within your Target Heart Rate
You may be able to continue on your exerciser if you’ve been over shooting your THR.
Good Luck. I got a treadmill a couple months ago. I haven’t used it like I should, but I’ve restarted the last few days. I need someone to say “Did you walk today?” 
Actually, no, I can’t. My doctor doesn’t want me doing ANY sort of impact exercise, and walking is very painful for me right now. My mother has one, and during my visit last month I tried it out. I was able to get on it (which I’ve never been able to do with an exercise bike, I’m not tall enough) and it didn’t hurt my joints when I used it. I was gonna ask my doc about it and THEN see about buying one, but my husband heard about it from my daughter, who also made that trip with me, and he got it for me.
I appreciate the suggestions.
For the curious, here’s a link: http://www.cardiocruiser.com/ .
I think that I’ll just slow down quite a bit. I’ve been almost completely sedentary for years. Of course I want to see results NOW, but it ain’t gonna happen soon.
Set realistic goals for yourself. If 10 minutes is all you can do, don’t feel guilty when you don’t do 30. Increase your time by one minute every other day.
To stay aerobic, you should be able to carry on a conversation.
I can’t speak about your particular exercise machine, having never used one, but I do know about starting to exercise again.
Around January I decided that I needed to start working out. I am a recovering alkie and for a good number of years I sat on may ass, drank and smoked. When I started working out I was in pretty bad shape and it sucked. 15 minutes on the treadmill at a slow speed and very low incline was all I could do. I think I posted a thread on the apparent time dialation* that happens on treadmills, especially when you first start.
I followed the advice of a trainer, which was basically the same as what others in this thread are saying. Start slow, don’t try for too much too soon and set realistic goals. The key is to want to work out. If you want to work out, you will and the results will follow. If you set unreachable goals you will end up discouraged and stop.
I ended up losing ~40 pounds and switching to a strength training program I feel much better and can do stuff w/o the worry about my body getting tired. The progress was really slow at first. After a couple months the progress sped up and I improved quickly and then it slowed right down again. It’s normal.
Good luck!
Slee
*When I first started doing the treadmill I did 15 minutes. It felt as though empires rose and fell during that 15 minutes. It seemed like forever. A couple months later, 15 minutes became my warmup time on the treadmill and it *flies * by.
When I bought my first bike to get back into shape, I would get lactic acid burn in my thighs like you describe by riding around the block. No kidding one stinking block. It does get better and fairly quickly.
Keep using the machine. If what you are getting is lactic acid burn which is a fairly intense burning in a muscle during exercise. Keep doing what you are doing. If on the other hand you are becoming stiff, and find it hard to move you need to give your body some time off to allow it to recover.
Here is a link that talks about lactic acid.
Keep it up girl, exercise is a great mood elevator.
I started working out a few months ago, and I agree with everyone else that you have to start slow and set realistic goals. Like sleestak said, when I started, 15 minutes was an eternity, and now, after an hour, I could keep going, if I didn’t want to get showered and settle in for primetime.
I’d also recommend adding strength training, and some yoga, or at least some good stretching, to the end of your workout. Not only because it’s good for you, but because it *feels * really good. I typically do (depending on time contraints) 30 - 60 minutes of cardio, followed by weights, followed by 15 - 30 minutes of yoga. And I *really * look forward to the yoga. When I’m done, I feel great, all stretched out and relaxed.
Also, for me anyway, music is key. I have two or three cds that I do my cardio to, and the right music is terrifically motivating, and distracts you from any tiredness or discomfort.*
*Within reason, obviously… if you’re experiencing more than a tiny bit of discomfort, stop! You should know your limits.
No suggestions, but that looks like a great piece of equipment that’s pretty reasonable!
Does it take up a lot of room?
I have a Gazelle that’s really low impact for off days. I got mine at a garage sale that’s similiar to this one except there’s a bar in front that you hold on to. I don’t know how effective it is, but it’s pretty fun. You just sort of swing your legs.
This is also sort of fun for off days.
For Lynn, this may well be correct, but in general terms it depends on your fitness level, your resting heart rate, your age, and your goals. I consider being able to speak three syllables without gasping for air to be a good level for me.
This is excellent advice. Do what you’re able to do and don’t feel guilty that you’re not doing as much as you think you should. Any exercise that you do is better than doing none and you will be able to do more as you get used to it.
My only caution would be to go ahead and talk to your doctor if you’re getting excessive pain, you could be doing more harm than good. There’s a reason they say to consult your doctor before starting a new exercise or diet plan. 
It takes up a teensy bit more room than an easy chair, I think. The legs fold up easily when it’s not in use, so that’s good. It’s adjustable for a great range of heights and different workout levels, so everyone in the family can use it. It’s easy for me to get into and out of. About the only drawback is that some people find that they need a pillow for the lower back…my husband, mother, and I all do, while my father and my daughter don’t need the pillow. Just a little throw pillow works very well for me.
I am not any sort of expert on physical training (or I wouldn’t have started this thread) but this machine does seem to work most of my body at once.
I have arthritis, and a couple of joints that will freeze up if I don’t move them enough. This machine helps me to gently work out the stiffness. I’ve also fallen down a few times when my bad knee goes out (which is one of the reasons why I am not supposed to walk for exercise) and since I’m in a seated position on this machine, I don’t have to worry about that.
Right now my immediate goals are just to be able to use the machine for 20 minutes at a time, and generally build more stamina. I have set the machine for the lowest level. I’m going to try not working out today, then working at a slower pace tomorrow and every other day.
Thanks for the information and encouragement.
Good for you trying to get fit,** Lynn**. Many wouldn’t take that step.
As for advice…apparently I’m a HUGE dissenter. I’d go until I puked. Then I’d go some more. Go until you can’t and remember the pain the next morning. Keep pushing because that pain will go away and you’ll know that you don’t want to let yourself get like you were. To me, going through any initial pain made me appreciate it.
And apparently, I’m a masochist.
I always recommend starting with 15 minutes five or six days a week and adding five minutes every week until you’ve reached thirty minutes. Once you can consistently do thirty minutes, you can decide if you’d like to add more exercise. Don’t be the least bit concerned that you can’t do as much as you’d like now. In fact, most people seem to get burned out when they try to get results as fast as possible. Remember, this is something you do forever; there’s time to get to the level you’d like to be at.
Right now I can’t last for 15 minutes, and I’m adding single minutes to my time. My ultimate goal is to be able to use it for an hour at a time, every day. I’m going to make an appointment with my doctor as soon as her office opens up today.
I think you’re doing great. Take it slow, and stay in tune with you body all of which you’re doing.
According to a study I read in Prevention magazine, your body doesn’t really care if you get your cardio all in one lump or broken up into smaller pieces so if 3 ten minute sessions (or six 5 minute sessions) is what you can do that still counts as 30 minutes for that day which is awesome. Take your time adding minutes. Personally, I’d stay at a comfortable level for a week before I added resistance or time.
And yes, go slower. I used to get on the recumbant bike when I was a gym member and while I could do an hour easily on the eliptical trainer or the treadmill the recumbant thingy really worked my leg muscles and I had to really take it slow and at the time I was working out 4 days a week.
Good luck with the doctor and good for you on finding a way to exercise.
Then you’re doing well to start with what you can do. When I started running, I could only run for three minutes and then I had to rest for three minutes. And that was after ten years of regular cardio exercise (I do 100 minutes, 4 days a week). It took me *weeks *to get up to 10 minutes of running at a stretch.
Unless you’re training, take a day off every week. You body needs time to recuperate, and you’ll learn to enjoy that exercise-free day.
Good luck! You’ll truly enjoy the benefits.
Something to remember with exercise is that you need rest time too and that doing too much of anything is counterproductive. Especially starting out, you also need off days to recover. You should not try to work out every single day. Even elite athletes need days or sometimes a week or so off in between training cycles, and they have regular days off during the cycle itself. Don’t overdo things.
Doing cardio 2-3 days a week to start is just fine. Your max should be about 4 days a week until you get fit enough to really crank it in your exercise sessions. That’s pretty much a day on, day off schedule. Since you said you’re adding about a minute each time, you’ve got the right idea as far as time progression. You do not need to do an hour of cardio a day. Your time would be better spent in upping the intensity once you get to where 35-45 minutes isn’t challenging anymore. You reach the point of diminishing returns at about the 30-35 minute mark. You still get benefits, but not anywhere near as much as up to that point. So, for best results with the least time spent, you should be doing less than about 45 minutes of cardio.
Whenever I’ve let myself get out of shape, it takes about two weeks or so after I get back into an exercise routine for everything to stop hurting. Even mild exercise will give you sore muscles at first, and in weird places too. Just be patient and don’t push too much. Remember, injuring yourself or really overdoing it will force you to stop exercising until you heal, and that could take long enough for you to lose some of the gains you’ve made to that point.