If you are exhausted, does it mean you've burned more?

fivefootfitness
fivefootfitness Posts: 60
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm always incredibly exhausted after about two or three hours of rehearsal, much more so than I am after an hour or two of working out, even when I have rehearsal first thing in the morning after I've slept pretty well. Does this mean my body has been working significantly harder than usual? I mean it's a dance (and basketball)-filled, high energy children's show, but does the intensity/exhaustion I feel mean anything for calorie burn? today for example, I just napped for three hours after having a 9:30-1 rehearsal, and am still too low energy to do my real workout until later.

I also wonder the same thing when past shows would leave me completely drained, despite low impact movement over two hours (which I usually just chalk it up to adrenaline in that case).

Replies

  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    Well, I can't see your diary, but I'd bet a large sum of money that you are not eating anywhere near enough calories for an 18-year-old who is dancing for 3.5 hours a day AND working out in addition to that. That's why you feel exhausted. Feed yourself.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    Well, I can't see your diary, but I'd bet a large sum of money that you are not eating anywhere near enough calories for an 18-year-old who is dancing for 3.5 hours a day AND working out in addition to that. That's why you feel exhausted. Feed yourself.

    this..

    as an FYI, when i was younger i had 2 really good friends who were professional dancers and ridiculously skinny. they were eating the same amount of calories as I was to maintain their weight as i was to gain weight for rugby. i was 19 at the time and easily eating 4K calories
  • Mrsallypants
    Mrsallypants Posts: 887 Member
    Something psychologically stressing can also cause physical exhaustion, but I don't think there is a huge calorie burn there.

    Wear a heart rate monitor during rehearsal if possible.
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
    exhaustion afterwards means nothing.

    the intensity of the work you do determines calorie burn.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    Something psychologically stressing can also cause physical exhaustion, but I don't think there is a huge calorie burn there.

    Wear a heart rate monitor during rehearsal if possible.

    This.
    Stress can be extremely exhausting.
  • fivefootfitness
    fivefootfitness Posts: 60
    well, as far as calorie intake goes, i've actually been gaining weight lately, a combo of muscle and fat gain, so i don't think my calorie count itself is too low (i'm 5', about 111 lbs [up from my usual 103], and as i'm not trying to watch what i eat right now, i hit around 2000 cal a day). no other activity exhausts me like this, even when i'm working out hard all evening. oh i'm constantly very stressed, but it's just rehearsals that leave me practically dozing off on my way home (not literally though, ha).

    to compare, i feel perhaps just a little more exhausted than days where i burn about 600 or more extra calories through activities throughout the day, and wonder if this is any way to gauge how hard my body is working. also though, our rehearsal space is on the warm side, so maybe that plays a part in how worn i feel after?

    oh, and most of my additional workouts aren't aimed at calorie burn, just cardio endurance improvement. i do some interval/sprinting that is high intensity for me, but isn't very intense at all compared to a truly fit adult, so i honestly only burn about 200 calories in those brief workouts.
  • zentha1384
    zentha1384 Posts: 323 Member
    Buy a HRM and try it and see. That is about the only way to be sure.

    My guess is you are under a lot more mental stress which can make you feel more exhausted than physical.

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