Jittery after exercise

WrenLynn
WrenLynn Posts: 213
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello. I have been eating right and exercising now for a little over a month. I exercise at different times of the day depending on what my schedule is. The days that I exercise in the morning I do so before I eat breakfast as I have heard that it is better not to exercise right after eating and I wouldn't have the time to wait after eating and still be able to get my exercise in. I have noticed a couple different times now (doesn't happen all the time) that I feel quite jittery and a little light headed after exercising. I went right to the breakfast table even before I showered and it took a few minutes for me to feel ok enough to get up and move on with my day. Anyone know what is happening and whether I should change how I am doing things?

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    try having something small before your workout, just don't have a full meal.
  • GingerKid
    GingerKid Posts: 86
    Sounds like low blood sugar/you worked out without any fuel in you. I got like that before. I wasn't a breakfast eater...still really not...but now, I make sure to eat *something* before workouts. Today, I didn't have a lot of time, so I had 5 PB crackers on my drive from the doctor's to my trainer's. Too big of a breakfast, and I'll get sick feeling. Too little and I get dizzy/jittery...
  • ScarletTarah
    ScarletTarah Posts: 117 Member
    Is it on the days where you are not eating before your workout, you might have a drop in blood sugar.
  • youngs
    youngs Posts: 250 Member
    Sounds like your sugar levels are dropping this happens to my hubby..and dr said best thing to bring you out of it is to eat something high in protein..a good thing to keep around for that is peanut butter, beef stick..they say not to use orange juice or anything with alot of sugar as this will just increase the sugar level to fast and then you will have a chance of it dropping again fast..I would suggest that you get a sugar meter and take your level when you feel like that and see what it is running before you eat anything..hope this helps ya..(you can get a meter at walmart and if you look close enough some of them come with the sticks and lancets included for around 20.00)
  • WrenLynn
    WrenLynn Posts: 213
    Thank you for replying. I thought we were suppose to work out on an empty stomach so we are burning fat and not just what we ate?
  • Capucine7
    Capucine7 Posts: 40
    Are you doing a cool down? For how long? You need to slow your pace before stopping completely.
  • MissingMinnesota
    MissingMinnesota Posts: 7,486 Member
    Try something small like half a grapefruit, half a banana, or a small apple before going in the morning. It brings your sugar level up and it puts good carbs into your system to be able to keep you going.
  • nurseandi
    nurseandi Posts: 80
    YES!! people always forget about this including myself. few times i'de get off the treadmill after running at a 5.0 mph pace and i'de faint or feel as if i was going to within 2 minutes. Initially thought to be the blood sugar thing but it was impossible becaise i'de aten plenty on all of the occasions. make sure you're warming down!(along with the eating pre-work out).
  • WrenLynn
    WrenLynn Posts: 213
    I am doing the Power 90 sweat and sculpt videos-interchanging every couple days. They have warm up and cool down periods. I will try eating a little something before I work out. Hopefully that will take care of the problem.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    Thank you for replying. I thought we were suppose to work out on an empty stomach so we are burning fat and not just what we ate?

    If you don't give your body any fuel then you will tire out quicker.

    THE MYTH: Running on empty is a smart way to burn extra fat

    THE TRUTH: In theory, because your blood sugar and muscle carbohydrate levels are low after an overnight fast, running before breakfast forces your body to use fat as its main fuel. "But exercising on an empty stomach is like trying to run your car without gas," says Stoler. "You need carbs in your system to start your engine and to keep it going strong to burn more total calories." Not only do muscles prefer to run on carbs, but so does your brain. "Exercising with brain fog reduces intensity and increases injury risk," says Stoler. She suggests fueling up with 100 to 200 calories (of easily digestible carbs like fruit juice, yogurt, or dried fruit) about 30 minutes before a morning workout. "This also cuts down on postexercise hunger and curbs overeating," she adds.


    This is from a magazine article I posted about yesterday from runners world. It goes over 14 Myths regarding exercise and food. I suck at links so if you want to read more you can go to runnersworld.com and in the search box type in myths and it will be the first article listed. YOu may want to print it and read it, it is long but worth it!
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
    What you're doing is called "starved cardio", and as nichole said - ""THE TRUTH: In theory, because your blood sugar and muscle carbohydrate levels are low after an overnight fast, running before breakfast forces your body to use fat as its main fuel. ""

    Read that again: ""...forces your body to use fat as its main fuel. ""

    If you exercise first thing in the morning, you got no gas in the tank, your blood sugar is bottomed out, and you're gonna run on glycogen for a bit and then all bodyfat. It can work if you do it right. I lost a lot of weight that way when I had plenty to lose.

    Later when I got leaner I had to do some other stuff, experiment and see what works best for you. If you're running out on the street and feeling jittery and foggy and wierd then that's unsafe,,,
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Thank you for replying. I thought we were suppose to work out on an empty stomach so we are burning fat and not just what we ate?

    No, that is a bad exercise habit based on false premises.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    What you're doing is called "starved cardio", and as nichole said - ""THE TRUTH: In theory, because your blood sugar and muscle carbohydrate levels are low after an overnight fast, running before breakfast forces your body to use fat as its main fuel. ""

    Read that again: ""...forces your body to use fat as its main fuel. ""

    If you exercise first thing in the morning, you got no gas in the tank, your blood sugar is bottomed out, and you're gonna run on glycogen for a bit and then all bodyfat. It can work if you do it right. I lost a lot of weight that way when I had plenty to lose.

    Later when I got leaner I had to do some other stuff, experiment and see what works best for you. If you're running out on the street and feeling jittery and foggy and wierd then that's unsafe,,,

    You cannot "force" your body to burn a certain type of fuel. The body chooses the substrate(s) it needs based on the intensity and duration of the workout. The metabolic needs of the activity control what "fuel" is used--you don't really have a say in the matter. And it's all a moot point anyhow, since the fuel you use during exercise has little or nothing to do with permanent loss of body fat. When it comes to stored fate, the body doesn't operate in discrete intervals. What little fat you do burn during exercise (the 1-2 ounces) is not permanently lost--unless it is accompanied by a long-term calorie deficit.
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