No energy.. dragging myself through workouts

LastingChanges

Hey, lately for some reason I am really lacking energy. I feel like I am dragging myself through my gym classes. Would like to put more effort into them but my energy is holding me back.
I am eating sufficient amount of calories. All my vitamins, blood tests are fine and I don't drink caffeine.

Anyone experience something similar, how do you all get your energies up, especially before the gym?

tcunbeliever

Maybe you need an extra hour or two of sleep?

LastingChanges

nope not a sleep issue either.. getting at least 7 hrs, sometimes 8

tlw9903

Are you eating enough carbohydrate?

Kullerva

It could be SAD. Days are getting shorter and I struggle with energy, too. I take extra vitamin D and take a long walk in the sun whenever the weather permits, and this helps. Take it easy on yourself--pushing yourself too hard will only get you hurt. Keep doing what you can, but don't feel the need to push harder if you're really struggling. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Sleep, too, is an excellent suggestion, tcunbeliever! (I love the username--nice to see a fellow Donaldson fan out and about.)

DaddieCat

A few things I'd think of here.

First, we can't see your diet so we can't make possible suggestions there. You might consider opening your diary.

Secondly, what does your workout schedule look like? What are you doing? How often are you doing it?

LastingChanges

tlw9903 wrote: »

Are you eating enough carbohydrate?

I don't eat gluten because I don't tolerate it well. But I replace it with other carbs, gluten free oatmeal, sweet potato, rice, etc. What % for carbs do you think is good to have set as goal?

mbaker566

i might ask if you are eating enough?

LastingChanges

Had vitamin D recently checked and it was fine but I take pills for it which I occasionally take breaks from. Just restarted them today, so maybe it will help.

I try to work out daily, but I have yet to become consistent with it. I do a cardio class at the gym followed by treadmill, some days only treadmill. I am eating 1600 calories, I add about 300 on days I exercise a lot and feel hungry. (I am 5'5, 150lbs)

LastingChanges

What % do you all find works best for the macros?

Sam_I_Am77

LastingChanges wrote: »

Had vitamin D recently checked and it was fine but I take pills for it which I occasionally take breaks from. Just restarted them today, so maybe it will help.

I try to work out daily, but I have yet to become consistent with it. I do a cardio class at the gym followed by treadmill, some days only treadmill. I am eating 1600 calories, I add about 300 on days I exercise a lot and feel hungry. (I am 5'5, 150lbs)

1,600 calories at your height and weight doesn't sound unreasonable but the symptoms you're mentioning indicate to me there could be something not right in your recovery. What has your exercise typically looked like for the last 3-months.

How many days on average? You mentioned daily workout but not entirely consistent, so what would be average?
What does your typical exercise day look like? What is the class and how much long do you average on the treadmill?
How physical is your job? Stress??
Alcohol consumption?
Current stressors in your personal life that are beyond typical?
Did your Dr run a Thyroid panel when you had your Vitamin D checked?

Tedebearduff

LastingChanges wrote: »

Hey, lately for some reason I am really lacking energy. I feel like I am dragging myself through my gym classes. Would like to put more effort into them but my energy is holding me back.
I am eating sufficient amount of calories. All my vitamins, blood tests are fine and I don't drink caffeine.

Anyone experience something similar, how do you all get your energies up, especially before the gym?

I get this once a year, can last for over a month... just tired and you want to workout but your body doesn't seem to want to you to workout!!

What helps best for me
-more sleep
-black coffee before working out
-week off of the gym (I just did this for the first time in 3 years and it did wonders!)
-change your routine at the gym you could be bored!, I'd add a day off

That's all the unprofessional advice I have for you !

BrianSharpe

How much are you working out? Are you taking recovery days?

SideSteel

You may want to set your food diary to public/open.

bclarke1990

I'm 5'6 145 lbs and when I eat 1600 cals I feel weak and tired quite often. When I bump it up to 1900-2000, or even 2200+ I feel a lot better.

Fursian

If all else has been taken into consideration, could it be a motivation issue? Sometimes, for me, it really can come down to mind over matter. I'll be having to work harder some days to catch my brain out in the middle of excuses, and remind myself of where I came from/certainly don't want to re-visit.

tulips_and_tea

I think your answers to @Sam_I_Am77's questions could be keys to your sluggishness. If not, then maybe a short gym / workout break and a new program may be in order.

Not sure where you live but we just did the time change here and that always takes a bit to adjust to. I feel a bit more tired than usual, but this happens for a brief time every year, so I just wait it out.

LastingChanges

Thank you all for your input. I don't really want to open up my diary because it could be a little confusing, I quick add a lot of calories because I have so many things memorized by now (need to stop doing this though). I never go below 1600 and sometimes can go up to 2000 calories, but I mostly try to keep it at 1600-1700. I follow this whether exercising or not. I also weigh all my food, so I don't think it's a calorie or accuracy problem. I mostly eat oatmeal, fruits, nuts, salad with chicken, and something homemade for dinner. (And some left over halloween candy here and there, although havent had any past few days)

I don't think my exercising has been intense enough to earn a break. There are already some weeks that I am exercising only 3 times a week. I know in the past I've had decreased energy due to soreness or feel a little tired because body needs to recover.. but this feels like I am literally dragging myself even when I am not sore. Besides exercising I am very sedentary due to a desk job. Examples of my gym classes are: kickboxing, cross training, strength training etc. Treadmill I jog or walk on it 40 mins, nothing crazy.

It is not a health problem because I've had a thorough check up just recently. No extraordinary stresses, no alcohol. I exercise 3-5 days a week. There are some weeks here and there that I don't exercise at all or just 1 day. Maybe it is something I just need to wait out or put a little caffeine back in my life

If anyone has anything they found to up their energy in times like this, I am open to suggestions.

LastingChanges

Also in the past I always felt like exercising actually increased my energy in general.

gmallan

It doesn't sound like you're doing too much per se but maybe try cutting back or taking a break for a week or two. Just the gym classes perhaps. You could try upping your calories either a little or to maintenance for a while to see if that increases your energy.

I know you didn't ask for advice on this but what are you exercising for? What are your goals? Have you considered strength training? You're doing an awful lot of cardio

LastingChanges

gmallan wrote: »

It doesn't sound like you're doing too much per se but maybe try cutting back or taking a break for a week or two. Just the gym classes perhaps. You could try upping your calories either a little or to maintenance for a while to see if that increases your energy.

I know you didn't ask for advice on this but what are you exercising for? What are your goals? Have you considered strength training? You're doing an awful lot of cardio

Strength training is one of the classes offered at my gym, so I do take it once in a while. My goal is to lose 30 pounds. I could probably use a little bit more strength training.