Why is it getting harder

mgonyer123

30 day shred was going great. My stamina was increasing and I was starting to feel energized after. Now the past week it's getting harder and harder to complete. It's not making sense and starting to frustrate me.

Any insight?

diannethegeek

Are you taking your rest days?
Are you staying hydrated throughout the day?
Have your sleeping habits changes?
Are you eating enough to fuel your activity level?

mgonyer123

I rest every 6 days. I do 30 day shred but some days I hike for a mile or 2 instead on a rugged trail.

I drink water basically all day.

I've been staying up later than I typically do but I wake up and feel rested.

Aside from the 30 day shred or hiking I'm not that active outside of normal motherly type stuff. I was told I might not be eating enough so I increased my calories recently.

mgonyer123

You know even hiking is getting harder. 15 mins in my body is feeling exhausted.

demoiselle2014

How many days have you been doing it?

I am doing 30DS, and Day 3 was harder in terms of strength to complete because my muscles were sore. I had to go down in my hand weights for some exercises in order keep good form, though my stamina for the cardio was somewhat improved. Although I don't think 30DS requires as many rest days as lifting would, it may be that your muscles are just fatigued.

You might also be a bit bored with the routine, which would make completing it feel harder. Have you considered (if you know the workouts now) muting Jillian and putting on music you enjoy?

demoiselle2014

mgonyer123 wrote: »

You know even hiking is getting harder. 15 mins in my body is feeling exhausted.

Have you recently increased your overall activity level by a significant amount?

mgonyer123

I've been doing it for 3 weeks roughly. I do it with music or while watching TV. About dayb6 or 7 it started getting easier and when I was done I felt energized and happy.

Now I am exhausted.

I tried to move to level 2 but due to a recent wrist injury I've had to not that off.

KarenJanine

Sounds like you're not getting enough rest and/or not eating enough. How many calories are you eating?

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

Are you eating low carb?

sofaking6

Are you low carb by any chance?

scottb81

You are most likely underrecovered each day. If that's the case then the only solution is rest or low intensity exercise (like walking) for a few days until you are feeling strong again.

If you chronically underrecover you get weaker instead of stronger. If you catch it early though it's easy to fix.

tulips_and_tea

All good ideas so far. Have you cut back on caffeine recently? If you were drinking a lot and then cut back, that could have a short-term effect on your energy level.

cwolfman13

scottb81 wrote: »

You are most likely underrecovered each day. If that's the case then the only solution is rest or low intensity exercise (like walking) for a few days until you are feeling strong again.

If you chronically underrecover you get weaker instead of stronger. If you catch it early though it's easy to fix.

and i'd add that this is one issue I have with these kind of DVD programs...you're just always at the same intensity level. I have no idea how intense 30Ds is, but some of these programs are pretty intense and working at that intensity level for weeks on end and then rinsing and repeating seems like not a good thing.

demoiselle2014

So you've done the same level about 15-18 times? I'd have a hard time getting through it again, too. That's a lot of repetition.

But it sounds like you might need more rest. When I change up my exercise, the quality of my sleep suffers a bit due to low level soreness that interrupts my sleep. Taking a little ibuprofin before bed helps with this. I also wake up earlier, feeling rested . . . but I find I get fatigued mid-afternoon. I don't know what your work situation is like, but if you can get in power nap, that might help.

kathyk519

I would suggest that you look at your sleep habits, eating habits, like everyone else has suggested. Other factors could contribute - is it your time of the month (or near it)?; could you be pregnant?; eating differently, ie more salt or something? Just thoughts...

jaga13

Sounds like simply not enough rest days, as others said. I've never done this program, but I know how tired I am after a tough run. I can't imagine doing that 6 days straight before a rest day. I would take a day or two "off" but stay active with some lighter activity (like walking) and see if that helps.

mgonyer123

Thanks for all the advice. It's a pretty intense work out and I was more than ready to move to level 2. That's how great it was going.

I went from basically zero exercise one day to hiking and 30 day shred the next. Probably a little crazy right?

I'm doing a lower carb diet but I don't think it'd be considered actually low carb. I was a carb a holic so it's more restricted to what is considered healthy Nirmal now.

I think I might take a few days and not do hiking or 30DS and just try to stay active through out my daily activities.

Would increasing my protein help?

demoiselle2014

jaga13 wrote: »

Sounds like simply not enough rest days, as others said. I've never done this program, but I know how tired I am after a tough run. I can't imagine doing that 6 days straight before a rest day. I would take a day or two "off" but stay active with some lighter activity (like walking) and see if that helps.

Although it is a short workout, it is reasonably challenging. I'd say it must be very difficult for anyone who is just beginning to work out regularly. I don't quite understand why people seem to do it daily, rather than alternating with something else.

DopeItUp

Sounds like you're not recovering enough and you're sorta in a downward spiral. Common causes:

1) Not enough carbs/overall calories for energy
2) Not enough protein for recovery
3) Not enough rest days/sleep for recovery

Start by adjusting some of those factors and seeing how you feel.

astrampe

You have not said how many calories you eat in a day....And 30 Day shred is not meant to do every day, you need to take more rest days (of hike on the days you don't do Shred)...especially since you have just started from nothing.
If you do not eat enough, you will not be able to work out, and you won't even gain any strength - your body needs fuel in order to function.

MamaBirdBoss

I'd recommend doing something that's less brutal and builds endurance. I'm doing 30-day shred, and it does burn calories, but it's kinda crap for building a foundation from being really out of shape. I think I jumped in too soon.

Try Leslie Sansone instead. You'll be able to go longer and get a better total burn, AND you will have a cardio foundation for later shorter, more intense things.

FabianRodriguez94

Something similar happened with me during the Insanity program. Weeks 1-3 were nothing but improvement and I could feel my stamina and strength increasing. Then week 4 came and I was barely making it through each day. Then when the rest week came and the next set of workouts started, my energy levels were back to normal and I was pushing through and felt stronger than ever. For me, I feel that the rest periods for the program may have not been enough, so if you feel you could use an extra day of rest then you should definitely take it. Not resting could eventually lead to injuries and weaker workouts. Good luck!

mgonyer123

Roughly 1100-1200 a day on average.

I could have sworn I read that you were supposed to do it for 5 days, have a rest day. Rinse and repeat. On days I hike I typically do not do 30 day shred.

Thanks so much for the insight!

diannethegeek

mgonyer123 wrote: »

Roughly 1100-1200 a day on average.

I could have sworn I read that you were supposed to do it for 5 days, have a rest day. Rinse and repeat. On days I hike I typically do not do 30 day shred.

Thanks so much for the insight!

Is this net calories or total calories? I did 30 Day Shred for a while, but I was eating back my exercise calories and still had off days. I cannot imagine trying to keep up it up on 1200 calories or fewer.

shrinkingletters

demoiselle2014 wrote: »

jaga13 wrote: »

Sounds like simply not enough rest days, as others said. I've never done this program, but I know how tired I am after a tough run. I can't imagine doing that 6 days straight before a rest day. I would take a day or two "off" but stay active with some lighter activity (like walking) and see if that helps.

Although it is a short workout, it is reasonably challenging. I'd say it must be very difficult for anyone who is just beginning to work out regularly. I don't quite understand why people seem to do it daily, rather than alternating with something else.

When I was starting off with Ripped in 30, I'd do it five days in a row, two day break, and wouldn't do anything more strenuous than walking a bit in the evenings. Six or more days in a row, hell to the naw.

jemhh

You are eating way too little.

Increase your activity level greatly while decreasing your energy input to the minimum and yes, you are going to have a dip in energy and find things hard to do.

Fuel your workouts. Be healthy.

mantium999

mgonyer123 wrote: »

Roughly 1100-1200 a day on average.
I could have sworn I read that you were supposed to do it for 5 days, have a rest day. Rinse and repeat. On days I hike I typically do not do 30 day shred.

Thanks so much for the insight!

What was your prior calorie consumption? How quickly did you drop to this range? And how long have you been at this range? My guess is this right here is your culprit. Your body needs fuel to do the activities you are describing. I think you ran your tank empty.

mgonyer123

I'd guess my average calorie consumption used to be about 2300 calories on average.

I've been eating this lower calorie for a little over 3 weeks and basically over night. I'm staying satisfied and rarely hungry so I thought I was doing ok. (I did A LOT of late night tv snacking)

I'm worried about eating back my exercise calories because I know that MFP grossly overestimates. I have plans on getting a fitbit in a couple weeks and planned on starting then.

Have I been doing this all wrong?

mgonyer123

So taking a few days break then increasing my calories and I should be good to go again?

Anyone have an opinion of how many days? 3? Less? More?

Once I start back how often should I have rest days?

sofaking6

No - you're right about the MFP calories, I cut them in half when I log and that seems safe to me. Sometimes less than half if I did 'modified' moves or took breaks. I think you're doing fine but probably not getting the fuel you need. Your body may adjust or you may keep feeling worn out - if so, either more food or more sleep, preferably a bit of both

shrinkingletters

mgonyer123 wrote: »

So taking a few days break then increasing my calories and I should be good to go again?

Anyone have an opinion of how many days? 3? Less? More?

Once I start back how often should I have rest days?

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

Calorie-wise, this has helped me.

As far as rest days, I take one full rest day a week, but that's just me. Maybe you need two. You'll have to pay attention to your energy levels.