I'm scared to exercise

treehopper1987
treehopper1987 Posts: 505 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I worked out on Saturday, burning about 350 calories in an hour. I had consumed about half my calories for the day with a good mixture of proteins, carbs, and fats. About an hour after I had worked out, I thought I was going to pass out. I drank some orange juice thinking my sugar may be low after working out, and felt fine after that. I have never felt this way, and now I'm scared to work out. Luckily my hubby was there to take care of me then, but what happens when I'm alone. Has anyone else had this experience before? What should I do?

Replies

  • treehopper1987
    treehopper1987 Posts: 505 Member
    Really? Nobody has had this experience?
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    Have you had your blood pressure checked? Could be low blood pressure. Have you had your blood sugar checked? Be prepared to eat something or drink an after workout recovery drink. Dont restrict your salt intake lower than the tarrget goal. I had really fast recovery today with s erving of progresso lentil soup, it was all the carbs, protein and salt, electrolytes, i needed right after my workout. Think about eating some of those calories you will burn before the workout too.
  • bdamaster60
    bdamaster60 Posts: 595 Member
    hydration, salt, sugar, magnesium a whole number of things. Don't self diagnose or seek advise on the internet for health issues, see your doctor.
  • treehopper1987
    treehopper1987 Posts: 505 Member
    I've had blood sugar taken before, and my levels are always normal. My blood pressure tends to be on the lower side. Does working out lower your blood pressure more?
  • treehopper1987
    treehopper1987 Posts: 505 Member
    hydration, salt, sugar, magnesium a whole number of things. Don't self diagnose or seek advise on the internet for health issues, see your doctor.

    I'm just trying to get an idea of what it could be. I plan on talking to my doctor about it, though.
  • Heitor70
    Heitor70 Posts: 56 Member
    We are all different of course. But, this happened to me at a time I had not slept well and had not given my muscles any rest. Try to go back in time to see if you deprived yourself from something prior to the work out.
  • happychic
    happychic Posts: 43 Member
    I'm a little scared to exercise too. I have a heart condition. When my heart rate is to high, I get lightheaded, dizzy and feel faint. Once I rest for a few minutes, I am fine. Did you check your heart rate?
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    I always eat after a workout. I've never had that issue, but next time, just eat afterwards. And probably do your next workout when hubby is home, just to be safe.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Don't try working out for an hour on day 1 would be my first piece of advice.

    There are a number of possible explanations, some medically significant, some not. I am not going to speculate. However, the best way to avoid these types of reactions is too ramp up more gradually and give your body more time to adapt. Just doing that can prevent many if not most issues. I don't know what you did in this workout but pick something easy like walking or an exercise bike and just do 15 minutes at an intensity that raises HR by 20-30 bpm. Work up from there.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    I'm a little scared to exercise too. I have a heart condition. When my heart rate is to high, I get lightheaded, dizzy and feel faint. Once I rest for a few minutes, I am fine. Did you check your heart rate?

    See my other comment. Assuming you are medically cleared to exercise, find a level of exercise that you can tolerate for even as little as 10 min, at an effort that is just slightly higher than your normal walking around. Do that for 5-10 min. Recover for a couple of min. If you feel OK, try another 5-10 min. Then stop. Build from that base.

    The biggest reason why people experience these negative effects is from trying to do too much too soon. The chosen workout is just too much for your body to handle at the moment. It's a temporary mismatch, however if you manage your activity properly should prevent you from following a problem or even working up to a vigorous workout program.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    The last time something like this happened to me, turned out I was coming down with a cold (or the flu - can't remember exactly).
  • AliceAsya
    AliceAsya Posts: 21 Member
    I get super woozy if I don't cool down properly.
  • moustache_flavored_lube
    moustache_flavored_lube Posts: 849 Member
    A) its pretty common and likely benign

    B) Get checked out by the doc to make sure you don't have a serious condition, then get your workout on!!
  • VitVit18
    VitVit18 Posts: 103 Member
    I've always had low blood pressure and I've noticed that's started to affect me, especially during intense cardio sessions or heavy lifting (80lb squats most recently). When I started working out it was worse - it would affect me even with bodyweight squats. I've just started taking cues from my own body to sit down for a minute, drink some water, and recompose myself. What I would do is to increase slowly - the time, the intensity, etc. What works for me, might not work for you though, if it's every time you try to exercise, definitely see a doctor.
  • dhakiyya
    dhakiyya Posts: 481 Member
    eat a post-workout meal containing protein and healthy carbs after you workout. if that doesn't stop this from happening, then see your doctor.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    That sounds serious--ask a doctor, not the internet.

    In general, if you are not very fit, you should probably start with walking as your exercise, not a self-flagellation session at the gym. Don't imitate what you see on the TV.
  • JezzD1
    JezzD1 Posts: 431
    I would talk to a doctor about this. My mom felt lightheaded after workouts and weak. One day she did pass out. Went to the doctor and they found an issue with her heart. Listen to your body and get checked.
  • freddykid
    freddykid Posts: 265 Member
    I get spells like this just before I get sick (cold or flu) or when I am dehydrated. There are so many things this could be so make sure you talk to your doctor if you are worried.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    You may be missing something that you cannot tell just by looking at your diet. Have your doctor run a panel include all vitamins and minerals in that panel.

    Low Blood Pressue, Anemia, Low Blood Sugar and even just your body not being used to it can have an effect. Before you start any new routine from here on you should check with a doctor first to be sure you are good to go. If s/he ok's you for all physical activity that would be a great time to slowly step it up day to day :)

    Good luck figuring it out and I hope it's nothing big.
  • nicolamoonbrains
    nicolamoonbrains Posts: 72 Member
    I have low blood pressure and get a fuzzy head from time to time and have to stop. Years ago though I didn't know this and developed a bit of a phobia of exercising. I would try to exercise and get light headed and have a panic attack about it. It took a lot of tests and convincing from my doctor before I got over this fear though. I was convinced I had something seriously wrong with me and even thought exercise might kill me or something. My doc gave me the all clear but I also had to have some counseling for my anxiety.

    The fact is they're are lot's of reasons why you might of felt faint from your exercise. For some people its medical for others its more psychological. People with anxiety, panic disorder and stress problems might feel this way whilst exercising even when they don't have any medical problems.

    I would recommend that you don't try and diagnose via the internet though. You could end up giving yourself unnecessary worry that might make things feel a lot worse when in fact the real explanation is a lot more simple and harmless!
  • hannahcall2
    hannahcall2 Posts: 175 Member
    Make sure you are eating protein about 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after you workout. This will help rebuild all the muscle tissues that were broken down during your workout. Make sure you hydrate PLENTY. This helps keep the fluids in your body evenly distributed, that way you don't get light headed. Also, don't push yourself to hard to fast. Consistent up and down or vigorous motions while your new to exercise can be hard for your head. Similar to motion sickness, you balance signals don't match up with what your seeing and you'll get knots in your stomach. This can happen for a bit after you workout. So build up to more intense exercises, eat lots of protein around your workout time, and drink loads of water.
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
    Are you brand new to exercise, or a seasoned vet that thought the workout would be easy and got this unexpected suprise?

    If the latter go to the doctor. If the former, do less and build up length and intensity gradually. A few minutes more here, a few percent faster there.
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
    Are you brand new to exercise, or a seasoned vet that thought the workout would be easy and got this unexpected suprise?

    If the latter go to the doctor. If the former, do less and build up length and intensity gradually. A few minutes more here, a few percent faster there.
    Start slow. Work your way up.

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