Sedentary Sunday

I've got a referral to a cardiologist which I have to follow up on. Maybe tomorrow. I've been having some mild chest discomfort, and during my long amble yesterday, it was at times worse than usual. Today I read about angina on the web, and I think that's what I've got -- a mild case of "stable" angina. The consensus is that it will benefit from aerobics.

Right now the challenge is to get enough muscle tone in my legs to allow me to get the aerobics I need. The temptation is to exercise them more, but I've got to give them enough recovery time to grow stronger. I think I may have been pushing the limits, pitiful as it may seem. I woke up during the night last night with them feeling so stiff and tired I took two ibuprofens. (I still count last night's sleep as unusually good!) Today I did a lot of stretching and massage machine.

One of the symptoms of angina is fatigue. That rings true.

MY LEGS FEEL STRONGER, even though the muscles are tight and stiff and feel tired. Of course all these adjectives are imprecise and subjective. Still, I feel it makes sense to make note of them. The muscles are stronger in that they protect my knees better, and get me up and down stairs more easily. But to use them tires me out, as if they're drawing on adrenalin for their strength, rather than some more deep-seated and sustainable source of fuel.

Perhaps this is the way muscles heal. First, a rather quick gain in strength, followed by a slower subsiding of inflammation and soreness. My experience suggests that exerting myself while I'm still sore -- even if I'm strong enough -- brings on disproportionate fatigue, and probably further delays the reduction of tightness and soreness. It probably amounts to re-injury. And I suspect it takes a toll on overall vitality.