Exercise makes me tired?!?!

Try upping your calories. Calories are a unit of energy. If your body isn't getting the fuel it needs, it's not going to hold up well under the strain of a workout.

Very difficult to say without seeing your food diary, but I would guess you are not eating enough, that is, your calorie goal is too low or you are not eating the calories you burn exercising back. For some that will not be an issue, but for many they will feel sleepy, run down or the like.

Don't forget to stay hydrated.

Personally my body is really sensitive to the nutrients I am getting as well. I grab a multi vitamin in the afternoon if I am feeling sleepy and it seems to help. (I am borderline anemic, and sensitive to my iron levels).

I also feel off if I don't get enough produce for a few days. I am exhausted and unmotivated.

Sorry to dig up an old thread - but...

A common complaint of people with chronic fatigue is getting exhausted after exercising. They have to increase their exercise level very carefully over a long period of time.

I don't have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, whatever that turns out to be - I guess it is still a mystery. But I can get exhausted easily from too much exercise. I am fine while exercising - it is only later that I pay for it.

I wonder if there is a continuum with this symptom - that many people might experience this to some degree. I don't get wiped out for weeks like some with CFS say they do. But it can take a day or two of cutting back on exercise.

This may not necessarily address your being tired after exercise, but I felt compelled to register as a user and share some opinions and information with you.

The old, tired mantras of "eat less, exercise more" "3,500 calories equals one pound," and the like drive me berserk. If the answer were this simple, would we be knee-deep in an obesity epidemic? I mean, really. Step-back and apply some common sense to that question.

How can one REALLY regulate their calorie consumption or combustion, any more than their number of breaths or blinking of the eyes? First, we would have to know, for CERTAIN, how much we're ingesting or expending. We don't reliably know FOR SURE. Yes, we have reasonable hypotheses, but not a 100% GUARANTEE.

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Think about those absurd calorie counters on the treadmill or exercise bike. You enter your age and weight and the device magically deduces how many calories you're burning? What if a person is 6' 0", weighs 195 lbs, and is 10% body fat. Then, on the next treadmill, there is another person that's 6' 0", weighs 195 lbs, and is 25% body fat Are those people going to expend the SAME calories, assuming equal speed, incline, and duration? The treadmill would say 'Yes.'

Also, those instruments don't tell you how many MORE calories one will burn, due to the exercise. In other words, your metabolism will burn 'X' calories anyway, regardless of your activity -- even sitting on your sofa. The calorie counters do not account for this by subtracting your basal metabolic rate.
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Such overly-simplistic ideas of calories-in/calories-out treats our bodies as simple, closed, "black box" systems. However, as you may agree, our bodies are exceptionally complex. What about hormones? Neurotransmitters? While food quantity can be a factor, the discussion of QUALITY is often overlooked. What about SLEEP?

All these things (and more) are interdependent. Conventional "logic" ignores the complexity, however. Really, I can understand why. Many people want a short answer and a quick fix. Sadly, some people will commit hours, days, or even weeks to research a new television or automobile, but never consider devoting as much time to their our own bodies.

So, in closing, I encourage people to become their own expert, as much as that is possible. Don't necessarily agree with someone (anyone, even me) just because they are a self-professed "guru" or have a string of letters after their name. Doing more of the same things will get you more of the same results.

Again, use logic: If this were so simple and the Food Pyramid / My Pyramid / My Plate worked, then why would over half of the population be overweight? Why would PRE-TEENS have DIABETES?!? When has this ever happened in such large (and, increasing) numbers? This wasn't always so. One need only go back 50 years or so. Don't abdicate your health to others.

Information to Consider
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* Barry Groves: Why You Can't Count Calories
http://youtu.be/ahq9gSfDJFc

* Robb Wolf: The Pale Diet
http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet

* Mark Sisson: The Primal Blueprint
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101

I'm not suggesting these are "THE" answer, as I believe in self-experimentation. Rather, they are potentially alternatives sources to review, consider, and either apply or ignore.

Whichever you choose, I wish you (and everyone reading) much health and happiness.

Sincerely,
e1646134

p.s. You may also consider consulting with a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN) specialist. Rather than guessing at what may or may not be going-on, a FDN specialist can test for all manner of things: hormones, neurotransmitters, liver function, leaky gut, etc. I would say to check Google and search for someone in your area.

This happened to my sister and it ended up that she had diabetes and needed medication, and she was only 20 pounds over her ideal weight, so if it keeps happening, you might want to have a doctor check up. The good news is as soon as she got on the medication, she was able to lose weight and she felt better.