Thing #1 Elliptical at the gym

I’d been curious about the elliptical for awhile, so I figured if I had an interest I might as well do it. It also meant starting off this adventure pretty easily – using a machine at the gym does not feel very foreign to me. For the record, they are those machines that look a little like the old Nordic-skiing machines – you’re standing, and your kind of running, and your arms move. The advantage they have is that your feet don’t lift, so there’s no impact on the ankles, knees, or hips.

The big question for me that day was which one to use.

My gym has fancy new ellipticals upstairs that my trainer had had me warm-up on one day. I Hated it, please note the capital H, because it kept making me run (ellipt?) backwards without my permission. It’s very sensitive to our movements, and supposedly more closely mimics running.

Too bad. Hated it.


So this time I used the older machine downstairs. It was a good workout. My shoulders felt tired after awhile, and my upper body was kind of sore the next day. The problem? I think it bugged my knee. I have a sore knee – runner’s knee is the casual name for “patellofemoral pain syndrome” – and while the elliptical is supposed to be a great option for people with knee problems, it wasn’t for me.

A note to anyone new to various cardio work, especially weight-bearing cardio work – for heaven’s sake start slowly. I’m not kidding. When I started being more active thirteen years ago, stepping it up after my initial weight loss – I went from zero to sixty waaaaaay too fast and got knee problems for my haste. Most injuries are preventable if you start slowly. For example, if your doctor okays it, run half a block, walk two blocks, and go from there. Or thirty seconds running, two minutes walking on the treadmill. Seriously slow beginnings. I took a much more cautious approach when I actually started running, and it has been helpful. I promise you, I went from running a half block at a time to setting a PR for a ten-mile race by taking it sanely and slowly.

Anyway, the elliptical experiment was an OK one. I’ll try again, but will watch for the knee issues.

One down, eleven to go. At least eleven.