Lack of energy from anything endurance strength related.

yirara
yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm trying to figure out something. What bodily prerequisites are required for running? One needs to have a heart that is able to keep up, lungs that pull in enough oxygen.. strength endurance?

background: I've been trying to figure out why I'm so easily out of energy. With out of energy I mean that my legs feel too heavy to lift up, I get slightly dizzy, and I get superhungry just an hour after any activity that requires repeated things, like running, walking, cleaning the flat. Doesn't matter if I've just had a slice of bread or a full English.

Note: I'm not dieting at the moment and am at a healthy weight. I'm also very fit and could theoretically run a half marathon now if I had my energy issue under control. All glucose related blood tests and challenges came back normal. I'm not hypoglycaemic either when I feel so hungry. Not iron, vitamin, etc related either. I'm not good at doing normal pushups, but pushups against a wall always kill me as just holding up my arms is so exhausting. My GP is at a complete loss and I'm fed up. I don't think it's ever been really different but only got somewhat worse over the years.

So yesterday I forced myself to run 8km at my usual slow pace. Same problem as ever: low energy, shuffling gait. Back home I drank some more water, rested for 5 minutes and did a YAYOG legs bodyweight session really really slowly so that it really hit my muscles. No problem doing that, no feeling that my muscles were tired while I could not lift up my feet properly anymore after 4km of running. It just doesn't make any sense to me.

Basically looking for people with similar issues.

Replies

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    define slow pace?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    Well, that run was 8min/km. I could run even slower, but it doesn't change anything. I mean, I can walk for an hour right after breakfast and the same thing happens. Things do improve a bit the later in the day it gets. That's why I run in the evening: more energy.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    are you eating before you run? what are you taking in for daily calories? (maybe they are too low)

    have you tried run/walk intervals?
    have you going to see someone who can analyze run gait - maybe its something physical (there are some physical therapists who can do this)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    edited July 2017
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    are you eating before you run? what are you taking in for daily calories? (maybe they are too low)

    have you tried run/walk intervals?
    have you going to see someone who can analyze run gait - maybe its something physical (there are some physical therapists who can do this)

    I've been gaining weight over the past few months because I was eating too much. And like I said this has always been like it. Eating some easily digestable carbs before any activity has no influence on it at all. I could have two slices of bread, or a full English tomorrow morning and go on an hour long walk. The result would be exactly the same. Which doesn't make sense as excess energy gets stored as fat, otherwise I'd not be gaining.

    And yes, it's not running only. it's a slow walk through a park, doing groceries, cleaning my flat. Everything that requires a repeated movement. I can do a heavy bodyweight session aimed at increasing strength on an empty stomach. I cannot walk 1km on a empty stomach.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    My mother had similar episodes of exhaustion when her kidneys were failing. Have your creatinine levels been tested lately? I only mention this outlier because you have already tested for all the obvious causes. Or thyroid function. You could check that too.

    I found my endurance improved in this order; heart/lung (cardiovascular) function, muscle strength, and finally the tendons. My cardio improved within days. Running every other day was enough to allow my cardio to catch up, and my muscles followed up over the weeks that followed.

    What is your blood pressure like? Have you done a cardio fitness test?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    My mother had similar episodes of exhaustion when her kidneys were failing. Have your creatinine levels been tested lately? I only mention this outlier because you have already tested for all the obvious causes. Or thyroid function. You could check that too.

    I found my endurance improved in this order; heart/lung (cardiovascular) function, muscle strength, and finally the tendons. My cardio improved within days. Running every other day was enough to allow my cardio to catch up, and my muscles followed up over the weeks that followed.

    What is your blood pressure like? Have you done a cardio fitness test?

    Thanks for this! My gp is actually looking at kidney and liver issues as I'm also low on albumin. But so far all tests were fine. Not 'just within reference range'-fine but absolutely fine. Thyroid: yes, I have hashi but that is also well under control. I had a very thorough thyroid test when I was 14 including antibodies and sonography as my mom had hashi. All fine. But the low energy was present then as well, if not as bad as now.

    Blood pressure normal. Cardio test: no idea. I had an ECG on a bike that was normal.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Since you are fit and like to be active, try slowing down the cardio activity and taking it to a walk as soon as you get that heavy/dizzy feeling. Then a minute later try running again for a minute. Treat cardio like a rep routine and see if you can go for progressively longer periods. If you are slowing down instead of speeding up, your gut feeling that something is "off" is absolutely right. I hope you get this figured out.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    you need Dr House! ;) (sorry)

    what about a cardio test on a treadmill? rather than the bike?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    you need Dr House! ;) (sorry)

    what about a cardio test on a treadmill? rather than the bike?

    I feel the same :p and my GP said the same actually :*
    A test on a threadmill would mean I'd need to get a special referral from my GP. I don't think the NHS offers this though.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Since you are fit and like to be active, try slowing down the cardio activity and taking it to a walk as soon as you get that heavy/dizzy feeling. Then a minute later try running again for a minute. Treat cardio like a rep routine and see if you can go for progressively longer periods. If you are slowing down instead of speeding up, your gut feeling that something is "off" is absolutely right. I hope you get this figured out.

    I'll try this and alternate between running and walking. Wonder if it makes a difference, though I feel it might not as walking sometimes is too tiresome even. But worth a try :smile:
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    You could absolutely rest between running reps, using one of these. My mom could have used one of these.
    999999-822383246123.jpg?odnBound=460
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    You could absolutely rest between running reps, using one of these. My mom could have used one of these.
    999999-822383246123.jpg?odnBound=460

    Oi! I'm a young, healthy, fairly strong woman with an excellent set of muscles! *cough* (two things are correct here!). And how do I carry this around on running? Though I could deposit one in the bushes every 3km along my favourite route :D
  • lucasriggs14
    lucasriggs14 Posts: 1 Member
    Mitochondrial disease?
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    you need Dr House! ;) (sorry)

    what about a cardio test on a treadmill? rather than the bike?

    I feel the same :p and my GP said the same actually :*
    A test on a threadmill would mean I'd need to get a special referral from my GP. I don't think the NHS offers this though.

    honestly, if your GP isn't helping you/can't diagnose you - then you probably need a referral anyways

    you said thyroid had been tested, what about parathyroid (control calcium in the body)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    you need Dr House! ;) (sorry)

    what about a cardio test on a treadmill? rather than the bike?

    I feel the same :p and my GP said the same actually :*
    A test on a threadmill would mean I'd need to get a special referral from my GP. I don't think the NHS offers this though.

    honestly, if your GP isn't helping you/can't diagnose you - then you probably need a referral anyways

    you said thyroid had been tested, what about parathyroid (control calcium in the body)

    Well, she says her NHS trust doesn't let her transfer me to all sorts of specialists. She needs to decide where to first, which means getting an idea which specialist might be the right one. We're just not getting anywhere as indeed I seem to need a Doctor House :p .

    I've put parathyroid on my list now. Seems to be related to regulating albumin as well. Worth a shot. Thanks.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    lucasriggs14 wrote: »
    Mitochondrial disease?

    Ugh, that would be bad! no idea :s
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    parathyroid - would be endocrinologist, but you probably want one that specializes in thyroid/parathyroid vs. someone that specializes say in diabetes - if she can do that kind of request - while all endocrinologists have training in everything, finding one with more specialization in thyroid would help
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    parathyroid - would be endocrinologist, but you probably want one that specializes in thyroid/parathyroid vs. someone that specializes say in diabetes - if she can do that kind of request - while all endocrinologists have training in everything, finding one with more specialization in thyroid would help

    Yea. There is no thyroid specialist in all of Scotland though based on what I gather from thyroid forums. Urgh. Most seem to be interested in diabetes, get referrals for thyroid patients and end up telling them the same their GP tells them. Useless.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    what about someone in England willing to do a virtual consult - would NHS do something like that? (US is so different on this kind of stuff)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    what about someone in England willing to do a virtual consult - would NHS do something like that? (US is so different on this kind of stuff)

    I suppose not as it's a different NHS trust. But anyway, had another bloodtest today and will wait for the results. Then back to my GP. I also had a look at what a parathyroid test would cost privately but I'm fairly short of money and it's a really expensive one. Hmpf.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    have you done a complete blood panel and metabolic panel (CBC and CMP)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    have you done a complete blood panel and metabolic panel (CBC and CMP)

    Yep, all fine apart from the albumin.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    Ok, I'm looking into a selftest for parathyroid hormone. Seems to be expensive at around £100, but maybe worth it.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    Has your doctor looked into exercise induced hypotension?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    girlinahat wrote: »
    Has your doctor looked into exercise induced hypotension?

    Nope. She only did a bloodpressure test laying, then standing up, of which the latter came back lower. I never heard of this before. But would that make sense if my legs cannot run but do squats right afterwards, cannot walk up a mountain properly but are fine the moment I'm at the top, that I can do pushups on the floor but not against a wall? Maybe, but it's just... odd...
  • Heather4448
    Heather4448 Posts: 908 Member
    Have you tried a teaching hospital? They often find more "zebras." There are so many differences in the US healthcare system this may not be helpful at all, but it's all I've got!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,684 Member
    Heather4448 wrote: »
    Have you tried a teaching hospital? They often find more "zebras." There are so many differences in the US healthcare system this may not be helpful at all, but it's all I've got!

    I can't. I always need a referral from my GP, and as long as she thinks she has no case for a referral yet I won't get one.
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