I Accidentally Overdid It, and My RLS Hated Me for It

As spring gets closer, the weather has been improving. This means I can start going for walks again and work on strengthening my legs. There was a point 2 weeks ago (back in the beginning of March when I wrote this) when it was a nice sunny day, so my husband and I decided to go for a small walk in a local provincial park.

I have fallen in love with mountains

It was so nice to get out in the fresh air and have the warm sun hitting us. We picked the first little trail we saw because it was a small loop with no incline. There were some rocks close by that led to a ledge overlooking the park. It was so enticing, with the warm weather and the nice view.

I have lived surrounded by mountains for almost all my life, 27 wonderful years to be exact. I was turning 8 when we left the parries for the mountains. I have fallen massively in love with mountains and I am blessed that the ones near me are all covered in trees.

The view at the top was breathtaking

I decided I wanted to go look, so we headed up the rock towards the view. It wasn’t too far away and looked really easy to navigate. There were a couple of big steps that I needed to take. I’m 5'6" with short legs, so it was quite the step for me. It was like skipping 2 stairs on a staircase.

My husband was right behind me helping me get up the steps and to the top. The view was breathtakingly beautiful and one that I haven’t seen despite living here as long as I have.

My RLS started acting up immediately after the walk

I have done walks similar to this and some that are more physically demanding/challenging. However, as this was the first walk after winter and not being able to be that active, I totally ended up overdoing it.

My RLS started acting up 3 minutes after getting into the car, and within 10 minutes, the pain was really bad. Unfortunately, we were not headed home right away; we had to stop in at my mother-in-law's to pick up some flowers she had gotten my husband and me for our 4th wedding anniversary.

I ended up being stuck in the car for half an hour with my RLS getting exponentially worse as the minutes ticked by. I was bouncing my feet like crazy and massaging my thighs because the RLS had slithered its way up my legs that high, making it feel like they were being painfully squeezed on top of the normal RLS pains I experience.

Dealing with worsened symptoms for days afterward

I was so happy when I got home and was able to jump in the shower to get some hot water on my legs. I was able to experience some relief for about an hour and a half before the RLS kicked back in. I was awake and dealing with horrible pains for 3 more hours before I finally was able to go to sleep.

The next day my legs were so sore and my RLS kicked off and on throughout the day. That evening my RLS kicked in 2 hours early.

Thankfully, by day 3, there was just the soreness still and my RLS was back to my normal.

Do you experience worsened RLS symptoms after periods of strenuous exercise? Share with us in the comments below!