Long story guy needs some advice

Hi Scottr35! I am sure humidity and heat has a lot to do with how you feel. It is so draining! Hopefully, your endurance will pay off when it cools down, and then you'll feel great out there!

I know you eat good protein.. Just wanted to see if you heard of quinoa? (pronounced keen-wah). I just found out about this protein rich grain (when cooked becomes fluffy). You can use like rice as a side or mix it with other food. I found that eating a little of this (1/2 cup to 1 cup cooked) in morning helps me a lot when I feel need for energy. I often eat it as a snack especially before demanding activity, like heavy yard work. It's packed with protein so it keeps me from feeling hungry as quickly.

Are you eating after? It is important to have a meal with a balance of protein and carbohydrates after a workout to replenish your energy.... I know my husband gets cranky if he doesn't eat enough sO I would make sure you have at leaset a protein bar or some snack after your walk

^^^^This!

And
ARE YOU KRAZY?

And;
Drink a lot more water!

Working out releases happy endorphins, having the opposite affect is truly troubling and shouldn't happen. Can you try scheduling your work out at a different time when the weather isn't so brutal?

And..

High Five!

I think it is normal, I get moody when I'm hot and tired too. But it's really not a good idea to be out for long in extreme heat because you could suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Taking a cool shower as soon as you get home (someone else mentioned this) is a good idea. There are a few other things you could try as well;

Take 2 shorter walks rather than one longer one. You'll still get in the workout but maybe be a little less exhausted afterwards. Or else take a 10 minute break half way through and sit in a shady area. Better yet, do your walking on a path in the woods or something where there's trees on both sides so you can stay out of the direct sunlight.

Be sure to take a bottle of cold water along both for drinking and for splashing on your head, face or neck when you feel overheated. Get one of those gel filled things that you soak in cold water and tie around your neck. And soak your shirt in cold water before you start your walk.
Perhaps you should think about swimming instead of walking if there's a pool nearby that you could use, you can do water aerobics without breaking a sweat but still getting a good workout.

Good luck, you're doing great so far!

Someone noted about checking your blood glucose on the forum. I have been type one diabetic for 26 years and when my blood sugar falls, I'm a super *****.....After your walk, eat a piece of fruit or some crackers to see if that improves your mood. I would carry a juice box or something when I walked.....

All the tips you've received on eating, blood sugar, hydration, etc. are great. If it's at all possible to do some of these walks in an air-conditioned space, that might be better too--a gym, a mall, etc.

It can be very emotional to work out, especially if you've not been active in a very long time. So many of us have spent years or decades loathing our bodies and trying to ignore them as much as we possibly could that the sudden intimacy of working out just opens up floodgates of emotion. If we're exercising, we are much more aware of our body, its capabilities, and its limits, how we've punished it through neglect, and are astounded by the fact that the darned thing is still willing to try to work for us when we ask it to do so. It's impossible to ignore our bodies when exercising, and that's much more intimate than many of have been with them in quite some time.

It could also be that the time you set aside to exercise is distraction-free, so you may be more aware of any painful emotions that you have avoided. From what little I know of you, you have a high-powered, high-pressure career and a busy family. You've spent most of your life working to achieve all you have from an inauspicious start in life. As far as I can tell, you've been going 100 miles an hour for as long as you can remember. So yes, hitting the pause button for a half hour to work out could unearth a lot of things! Most people who are that driven and busy are working as hard to run away from something as they are toward something better. Perhaps some of what you were running from became visible in the rear-view mirror during the relative quiet of your walks?

Hang in there, Scott. You can do this!
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