I've found that I can reach the library, do my food and sundries shopping, all within a mile roundtrip. I can find one or two excuses a day to do that, then when I'm watching a movie at home I can do curls and overhead lifts while sitting. I want to do some day hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail so I'm working up towards ten miles a day walking with a backpack. So far my foot injuries and knee problems are driving me to find therapies, I'm downing silica and gelatin and a joint supplement, quitting coffee and tea, if that doesn't get my knees feeling better in two to three months I'm going to get prolotherapy....
I used to when I was younger and single. Now that I'm remarried and older, for some reason I just don't give a shit.
those joint supps don't do shit. prolotherapy creates even more SCAR TISSUE! :eek: no cure for severely damaged ligaments or arthritis.
My BIL, a doctor, swears by Glucosamine and Chondroitin, but it takes a few years for the full effect to become apparent. He had knee injuries from football and he says it really helped. PS. Get an old style Nordic trak. The original ski machine. I don't think they make them anymore, but you can find used pretty cheap.
I have some good New Balance shoes, that helps a lot, they might be a half size too short though, squeezing my big toe just a mite... and after a walk I can hit the stair stepper, it's a pneumatic model, no impact involved, adds to the cardio and works the knees at angles not encountered in walking city streets... I'm sort of interested to see if gelatin and silica will firm up my messed up ligaments and tendons, I discovered that idea on a horse forum, it was based on testing done on humans!! Prolotherapy is something I discovered recently so I got a book on it at the library thinking it was a scam or some chiropractic bs thingy, the foreword to the the book was by Koop! I just about dropped the book when I saw that.. he said it had saved him from a life of chronic pain so that's my plan B, plan C is to go for the orthoscopic stuff but I trust mainstream doctors the least of all..
chiropractic bs thingy? no it's a MEDICAL bs thingy. at least chiropractic if it doesn't work doesn't leave you WORSE OFF than you started.
Something to consider, is walking with even a light pack will alter the effect on your knees and feet, even if someones knees are great, hiking can be rough for a while, until the knees get used to it. The only tips i can think of, are get some new shoes-maybe some hikers to suit your prospective pack weight, proper orthotics can work a marvel for dodgy knees to. Strapping or knee supports? Don't forget, your feet will swell like crazy over any distance to. I had some dodgy knee problems, when it didnt hurt to much (i could feel the cartilage rubbing sometimes) i did stacks of leg extensions with very light weight, that helped tremendously.
Go to the gym for about 30 min to 1 hour 5 days per week. Yoga every day, but not like hard core into it. I just do the basics to keep my back nice and straight. I used to go to a chiropractor several times per month. Once i started doing yoga, i didnt need my chiropractor any more which saved me about 30 bucks a visit.