Remind me why its worth it?

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I was a late starter to exercise. I was the kid who no-one wanted on their team because was slow and had no coordination! I joined a gym in my late 20s and quite enjoyed some of it, and it helped me stay overweight rather than obese, for quite a long time, then i stopped. It wasnt til I was nearly 40 that I decided to lose weight and started exercising again, and discovered I actually liked it. For the last few years it has become my stress reliever, and I work out to earn more calories. I've never found balance easy. I have 2 kids and i feel that exercise time is limited so I have work as hard as i can in the time I have. I am 47and now in menopause and I am struggling. I don't feel I can work anywhere near as hard as I used to.if I try and push through I end up feeling sick and shaky, and can then feel rubbish for the rest of the day. Last week I did a 23 mile charity ride, I pushed hard as i wanted a decent time but not rediculously fast. At the end I felt really sick, and I was shaky and got very cold. This last a good 30 minutes - everyone around me was in t-shirts - I had 4 layers on! Went to crossfit a few days later, it was a hard circuit but I got really bad shakes, and again felt really sick. I went home, hydrated and refuelled but still felt rubbish for the rest of the day. I'm not good at balance and this is getting silly. Please just remind why I do this! By the way I have 2 demanding kids, don't sleep well and I'm a picky veggie!

Replies

  • smimi8
    smimi8 Posts: 3 Member
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    Are you fueling your workouts? What is your daily intake of calories?
  • gems74
    gems74 Posts: 107 Member
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    It's worth it because YOU are worth it. I'm sure your kids would 100% agree.

    As a side note, it may be worthwhile to speak to a physician or a nutritionist regarding your symptoms post workout.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    There's quite a gap between exercising 30 minutes a day and running 23 miles. If the latter is making you sick... no, probably not worth it.
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
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    It sounds like you're not getting enough fuel in some fashion. For long runs like that, you need higher carbs than you may be getting normally. What is your calorie goal? What are your macros set to?

    If you're feeling sick, something is not right and no, that's not worth it. You may want to do less intense workouts for a while until you figure out what's going on.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Something's way off here. Since this is a new symptom for you, I'd definitely make an appointment with a doctor. Did you carry water with you on your ride? How about an energy bar? Do you eat something to fuel your workouts about an hour beforehand? It's likely an issue of timing and the right combination of carbs and proteins. If your whole day is ruined by your need for exercise recovery, and this hasn't been an issue for you before, it's time for a consultation with a professional.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Not every workout has to be a sufferfest or high intensity...most of my weekday rides are 8-10 miles at a conversational pace, as they should be...any good cyclist or runner will tell you that most of your work should actually be at that pace. I do one high intensity workout per week...either hill repeats or sprint intervals...these are of a relatively short duration of 20-30 minutes.

    Were you conditioned to do a 23 mile ride? I ride quite a bit and do a 20-25 mile ride about once per week...I could go ride a 1/2 century and finish, but I would feel like crap afterwards because I'm not conditioned for that distance at the moment.

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Maybe you are sick with a bug?
  • samthepanda
    samthepanda Posts: 569 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Not every workout has to be a sufferfest or high intensity...most of my weekday rides are 8-10 miles at a conversational pace, as they should be...any good cyclist or runner will tell you that most of your work should actually be at that pace. I do one high intensity workout per week...either hill repeats or sprint intervals...these are of a relatively short duration of 20-30 minutes.

    Were you conditioned to do a 23 mile ride? I ride quite a bit and do a 20-25 mile ride about once per week...I could go ride a 1/2 century and finish, but I would feel like crap afterwards because I'm not conditioned for that distance at the moment.


    I ride regularly but to be fair most of the last year it has been less than 10, more work commute / jobs etc rather than a planned ride. I did a 60 miler last year and found that really tough but it was on Irish hills and appalling conditions! I didn't train enough, but honestly 2 hours after this ride, I felt worse than 2 hours after the 60! 2 years ago I did a 30 miler in the time it took to do last weeks 23, chatting to hubby all the way. I always breakfast on weetabix.

    I don't run fast, or ride particularly fast. I have some anxiety issues. I did a 10k race a few weeks ago and felt very sick most of the day, but anxiety was at its peak that day so don't know if it was physical or mental. I try and eat reasonable well, but I don't eat clean and as I said I am a picky vegetarian and I don't get enough protein.
    I drink loads compared to what I used to when I was younger, but probably do need to hydrate more before I start, problem is if anxiety bad I already feel nauseous and worry about needing the loo ( there were no toilet stops on the ride)! Just tired, and tired of feeling tired and rubbish, and really don't want to be fat, and tired and feeling rubbish like I used be!
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Not every workout has to be a sufferfest or high intensity...most of my weekday rides are 8-10 miles at a conversational pace, as they should be...any good cyclist or runner will tell you that most of your work should actually be at that pace. I do one high intensity workout per week...either hill repeats or sprint intervals...these are of a relatively short duration of 20-30 minutes.

    Were you conditioned to do a 23 mile ride? I ride quite a bit and do a 20-25 mile ride about once per week...I could go ride a 1/2 century and finish, but I would feel like crap afterwards because I'm not conditioned for that distance at the moment.


    I ride regularly but to be fair most of the last year it has been less than 10, more work commute / jobs etc rather than a planned ride. I did a 60 miler last year and found that really tough but it was on Irish hills and appalling conditions! I didn't train enough, but honestly 2 hours after this ride, I felt worse than 2 hours after the 60! 2 years ago I did a 30 miler in the time it took to do last weeks 23, chatting to hubby all the way. I always breakfast on weetabix.

    I don't run fast, or ride particularly fast. I have some anxiety issues. I did a 10k race a few weeks ago and felt very sick most of the day, but anxiety was at its peak that day so don't know if it was physical or mental. I try and eat reasonable well, but I don't eat clean and as I said I am a picky vegetarian and I don't get enough protein.
    I drink loads compared to what I used to when I was younger, but probably do need to hydrate more before I start, problem is if anxiety bad I already feel nauseous and worry about needing the loo ( there were no toilet stops on the ride)! Just tired, and tired of feeling tired and rubbish, and really don't want to be fat, and tired and feeling rubbish like I used be!

    Have you had your thyroid checked recently? Honestly, this sounds like I felt before I went on thyroid meds.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    Exercising should not make you feel bad like that. See a doctor.
  • hydechildcare
    hydechildcare Posts: 145 Member
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    Go to the doctor and get checked out. the two months before I start mfp I felt that way. I went for my yearly told the doctor what was going on with me and it turned out I had a low grade virus for two months. All my blood levels were off. I have learned my lesson if I feel yucky for a week I am going to visit the doctor. I lost my whole summer to a virus that made me feel crummy.