Workout burnout or...?

kthompson601

Hi guys, I am looking for a little advice. I've noticed the last few weeks that I am just slogging around with little energy and really dreading working out. I don't know if I just need a few days of a break, or if I should toughen up and keep pushing myself physically. It's hard for me to tell when I genuinely need rest or when my mind is just playing tricks on me so I have an excuse to be lazy.

So, is it normal to need a break after a few months of strict, regular exercise? I just feel like I've hit a wall, and I don't know if I should suck it up and keep at it, or if my body is saying "Dude, take a few days off and sleep." I've been particularly worried because on Saturday I almost passed out after finishing my bike ride; I think I didn't cool down properly and was able to recover by lying on the floor and propping my legs up against a wall, changing the direction of blood flow back to my torso.

My stats:
Female, 29 years old, CW 196, SW 290, GW 135, height 5', duration of weight loss 17 months. I wear a heart rate monitor to calculate my calories burned and eat back about half the calories. Lately I've gotten into this idea that on the weekends I need to burn at least 800 calories in exercise each day.

My routine:

Sunday: 2 hours minimum treadmill, brisk walk, incline 3%; 1.25 hours yoga
Monday: 1 hour stationary bike, varying intensity
Tuesday: 1 hour intermittent jogging (I'm short with a very short stride, so for me 4 mph is a slow jog)
Wednesday: 30 mins stationary bike, 1.25 hours yoga
Thursday: 1 hour brisk walk, incline 6%
Friday: Rest day (though until the last few weeks I had been going for 3-mile walks outside; now it's too cold for me)
Saturday: 2 hours minimum stationary bike, varying intensity; 30 mins treadmill

I've also recently (maybe last two months) decided to go vegetarian. I had previously been eating fish, shrimp, and the occasional burger, so I'm wondering if a lack of iron could be an issue as well?

UnicornInTheMaking17

I can understand for sure! I haven't been at it as long as you, I've been on my journey now for about 7 months, but just recently I seemed to hit a plateau and it felt like I had to force myself to do my workouts every day. I was doing P90X for the last 7 months, which I absolutely love, but I was getting pretty tired of doing the same videos all the time, plus they didn't seem to be as effective or as hard as they had been in the beginning. I've recently decided that maybe I just needed a change for a while. I switched to my elliptical trainer about a week ago and plan to subscribe to beachbody on demand today and start a new program. Sometimes it's helpful to switch your routine up. I've also taken a break for a few days to get some rest when I was feeling beat down. You work out a lot, theres nothing wrong with taking a break for a few days to find some new motivation! And adding a multi vitamin with iron couldn't hurt! Do what feels right to you

hill8570

Can't see your diary, so I can't really comment on your nutrition. It's possible you're just not getting enough calories. Or your macros are really skewed. Are you getting enough sleep?

If I had to guess, I'd say you need a couple of *real* rest days to give your body time to do some rebuild work. Yeah, real rest -- like "zonk for 12 hours and spend the rest of the day reading a book" sort of rest. But without more info, it's pretty much just a guess.

BrianSharpe

Can you run or ride outside? Personally I'd rather chew on broken glass than run exclusively on a treadmill (it's a bad weather backup for me - I run outside all year 'round) and I ride indoors as a winter fitness activity (but spend nowhere near as much time as I do during race season).

Try changing things up a little and consider getting over the "too cold" mentality....I'll bet you played outside all year 'round as a kid. It's all a matter of dressing appropriately for the activity.....



Maybe find some winter activities that you enjoy........x-country skiing, skating, snowshoeing.......winter can be a lot of fun!

J72FIT

I would swap out some of the cardio for resistance training. Bring in some balance and reduce potential boredom of your routing...

middlehaitch

Review your calorie intake.
Are you feeding your burn adequately?
If you are a new vegetarian, are you hitting your macros and micros?
Are you getting enough protein as a vegetarian?

You are doing 7-9 hrs cardio 2.5 hrs yoga every week with little in the way of recovery time.

Try cutting the cardio to 30-60 min a session for a while. It sounds as though you are a little burnt out. This may be due to the change in your diet, give your body a chance to adjust.

Once you are back on form, maybe think of adding some strength training instead of increasing your cardio again. It will help you with your bone density, and in retaining muscle as you lose.

Cheers, h.

mommarnurse

kthompson601 wrote: »

Hi guys, I am looking for a little advice. I've noticed the last few weeks that I am just slogging around with little energy and really dreading working out. I don't know if I just need a few days of a break, or if I should toughen up and keep pushing myself physically. It's hard for me to tell when I genuinely need rest or when my mind is just playing tricks on me so I have an excuse to be lazy.

So, is it normal to need a break after a few months of strict, regular exercise? I just feel like I've hit a wall, and I don't know if I should suck it up and keep at it, or if my body is saying "Dude, take a few days off and sleep." I've been particularly worried because on Saturday I almost passed out after finishing my bike ride; I think I didn't cool down properly and was able to recover by lying on the floor and propping my legs up against a wall, changing the direction of blood flow back to my torso.

My stats:
Female, 29 years old, CW 196, SW 290, GW 135, height 5', duration of weight loss 17 months. I wear a heart rate monitor to calculate my calories burned and eat back about half the calories. Lately I've gotten into this idea that on the weekends I need to burn at least 800 calories in exercise each day.

My routine:

Sunday: 2 hours minimum treadmill, brisk walk, incline 3%; 1.25 hours yoga
Monday: 1 hour stationary bike, varying intensity
Tuesday: 1 hour intermittent jogging (I'm short with a very short stride, so for me 4 mph is a slow jog)
Wednesday: 30 mins stationary bike, 1.25 hours yoga
Thursday: 1 hour brisk walk, incline 6%
Friday: Rest day (though until the last few weeks I had been going for 3-mile walks outside; now it's too cold for me)
Saturday: 2 hours minimum stationary bike, varying intensity; 30 mins treadmill

I've also recently (maybe last two months) decided to go vegetarian. I had previously been eating fish, shrimp, and the occasional burger, so I'm wondering if a lack of iron could be an issue as well?

You're doing a lot of exercise. I'd be burned out, too. Lack of protein in your diet could be adding to your problem.

lbaxandall

I agree with everything posted! I also think that sometimes, you just get bored of your current routine. I've had that happen a couple times, where I took a few days/a week off, then got back into it in a different routine and felt re energized!

UnicornInTheMaking17

lbaxandall wrote: »

I agree with everything posted! I also think that sometimes, you just get bored of your current routine. I've had that happen a couple times, where I took a few days/a week off, then got back into it in a different routine and felt re energized!

I agree with you! I have to switch it up every couple of months or I get bored and burned out. Switching my routine gives me all new motivation