My New Toy - The Stamina Compact Strider
I bought this exerciser from Walmart for $97. It is basically a mini stepper. It came up when I googled for a mini elliptical, but the strides are so short it is almost like peddling. I haven't been active so this is my baby step back in. Weighing in around 205, my knees quickly felt the burn. I wasn't able to do it long enough to feel it in my hamstrings at all. My knee have always been weak so this isn't a shock. I can remember having to do exercises for loose kneecaps as a teen. Thirty steps of lifting my body and my knees were on fire. It took a couple of tries to get the movement going, but the knee burn prevented me from doing it long. After the first couple of tries, I was ready to take it back.
I made it to sixty steps. That was it, sixty right steps and then I grab the chair beside it to balance myself. My knees are on fire, I breath a minute and let the fire subside. That is my goal now. Sometimes it is hard to make it, but I keep trying. I did it several times last night and a few times today. Those tiny little muscles that hold the knee cap in place will tighten and strengthen quickly. This is just the start of my journey.