How do I deal with the after effects of a work out?

Dewdrop_Rose
Dewdrop_Rose Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello Everyone,

I'm currently trying to lose some weight but I would also like to get fitter.

I'm not lazy but I'm demotivated to do exercise because of how awful I feel afterwards. I'm hoping you can give me some advice on how I can deal with this slump.

All my life whenever I've done any sort of strenuous exercise I feel OK while I'm doing it but afterwards I feel exhausted and feeble and by this I mean lie on the floor and can't get up feeble.

I'm fine with more gentle forms of exercise such as walking.

I'm restricted to the type of exercise I can do because I'm a housewife with a toddler. We go out for walks but these don't count because we have to walk so slowly (to match his pace). I also can't get to the gym.

So the other day I tried doing steps. I went up and down the bottom step for ten minutes. I listened to music and I quiet enjoyed it. I drank water.

Then when I stopped I was exhausted. I had a lie down and felt so drained that if someone had left me 500 quid on the doorstep I would not have got up to get it. I also felt weak, for example I didn't feel like I could pick up a basket of dry washing.

The problem is this effectively disables me for the rest of the day - which obviously I can't afford.

What can I do to help me get over this slump? Should I eat something in particular or what?

Thank you for reading.

Replies

  • RivasBodilyHarm
    RivasBodilyHarm Posts: 9 Member
    Just keep doing it. It gets easier.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Do you have a medical condition? You may want to consider ruling that out. It does not sound normal.

    What is your calorie intake?

    What is your goal? Walking is perfectly fine exercise unless you have more specific goals.
  • karlospiklington
    karlospiklington Posts: 143 Member
    If you're coming from a pretty low fitness level then you will probably feel this way after workouts for a few weeks until your body gets used to it. (As long as you're not suffering from any medical condition which might be exacerbated by strenuous workouts, like anemia for example.)

    I started out on MFP after resting up for 6 months with a foot injury and had an almost non-existent level of fitness, My personal experience was that doing level 1 of Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred workout for just 25 minutes exhausted me when I first started working out. My legs and arms felt like jelly, getting out of a chair or walking downstairs hurt and the next 2 or 3 days I had bad muscle soreness. I did that workout two or three times a week depending on how my muscles felt and pretty much every workout was just suffering and pain. But after about a month a funny thing happened; it began to hurt less. The workouts hurt less and the muscle soreness afterwards became much less severe. My body began adapting and yours will too if you workout consistently. On the inbetween days I walked for about an hour which actually helped ease the tiredness and muscle soreness.

    Making sure you eat something about an hour before a workout and possibly something afterwards too can help your energy levels so you don't feel so drained. What you choose to eat is up to you. I generally eat some carbs and fruit pre-workout and then something high in protein afterwards if I feel I really need it.
  • 1971MLJ
    1971MLJ Posts: 137 Member
    I'm no expert but assuming you don't have an underlying medical condition it certainly doesn't sound normal to be so drained after the amount of exertion you describe. Maybe you're underestimating your calorie needs and eating too little in general.
    How many calories do you consume and when do you have them in relation to the time you exercise? I would say it sounds like you're not getting enough nutrition to fuel your workouts adequately but it's hard to say as your diary isn't viewable.
    I would suggest doing only 5 minutes and see how you feel, if that's okay add a minute the next time and build up gradually.

    Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like some support, I log in every day. Good luck.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Since you have a toddler, I am assuming you are relatively young. 10 minutes of walking up and down the steps should not have you feeling like this for the rest of the day. I second ruling out medical problems.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    I second the advice to see your GP. That's not a normal reaction to moderate exercise, and it would be good to rule out (or find) any medical conditions that might be responsible.
  • TutuMom41
    TutuMom41 Posts: 278 Member
    walking is great! exercise should not make you feel bad. Talking a walk every day is wonderful and healthy. If you want to get more cardio just slowly pick up the pace :)
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Sounds like you could be anemic (low iron) or hypoglycemic (low blood sugar). I would also recommend seeing your doctor. It isn't normal to be wiped out for the rest of the day after walking up stairs for 10 minutes.
  • 280tofit2014
    280tofit2014 Posts: 52
    I started working out at 290lbs and as out of shape as a person can be. Physically, it felt like hell before during and after but mentally it felt great. If exercise isn't something you use to do then it'll feel like that for awhile. It does get easier. I would listen to some of the others tho and to be on the absolute safe side see a physician and if he clears you then have at it! It takes time.
  • BrittanyMG3
    BrittanyMG3 Posts: 163 Member
    I have a 7 year old, 3 year old and 4-1/2 month old and I am a stay at home mom. I am doing p90x3. I understand how hard it can be and how tired you can get, but I think for me, some of it is mental..if I think about how exhausted or sore I am after my workout, it makes it worse and I don't want to do it again..BUT if I try to be happy afterwards, relax a little, listen to my favorite songs or maybe even do some stretching or yoga, I feel 100% better.

    you could look into something like yoga or zumba, it's something fun that your little one might want to join in on.
    my 3 year old loves doing those with me :smile:
    It's hard but hang in there, it will get easier..but only if you keep at it and try to stay positive.
    good luck!
  • Dewdrop_Rose
    Dewdrop_Rose Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you very much everyone for your help and for taking the time to respond. I'll try to answer everyones questions as simply as possible, please let me know if I've missed anything I was asked.

    I think I will take your advice and speak to my doctor. The only medical condition I have (that should make an impact on this sort of thing) is low blood pressure which I have from time to time. Even though I was overweight when I was pregnant my blood pressure was perfect. I'll go and see what they say.

    I will also take the suggestion to start slowly at first. I will do the same thing but only do 5 minutes this time and hopefully that would help. It's interesting to read other people's stories about how they feel too.

    I don't think food was the issue because I wasn't dieting at the time, so I should have had plenty of calories. I've only just started logging so you won't see any useful data there, not yet anyway. I'm currently in the stage of gearing up to my diet, I've been doing some meal plans and I'm adding some food to that section.
  • rileymama
    rileymama Posts: 196 Member
    Barring an underlying medical condition (thyroid?)....could you put your toddler in a stroller for your walk so you could go faster (and get the extra "workout" of pushing the stroller)? the stairs sounded like a good idea....there's videos like "walk off the pounds" that are gentle to start with...I'd say keep going, make sure you are eating enough (and good foods..i am exhausted after exercise when I eat total crap). Good luck! Also..I totally hear you about walking with toddlers! I have 6 kids 8 and under and even with the 2 yo in a stroller and the baby in the front pack....the other want to stop and look at things, get tired, etc! Just do what you can, and enjoty them being toddlers :)
  • anku08
    anku08 Posts: 82 Member
    I started with walk.. and i myself had the same issues. I'm anemic, obese, risk on getting hypothyroid, risk of pcos and I'm just 24. I feel since i was totally out of shape i had these issues like you. But after 2 months of constantly challenging my body i'm on C25k week 2 and even today my legs are sore, because i challenge my body everyday. Just start with walk. Dont rush. I did the same. And yes I'm toned up a bit now.
    My most criticizing friend just told me yesterday that I've surprised him. And this just makes me keep going.
    Just go for it.
  • Tlink34
    Tlink34 Posts: 29 Member
    First of all..don't sit down after your workout. Take a shower, keep moving. It takes time to recover. What you are experiencing sounds extreme and a dr visit might be in order. Or perhaps your perception of it is extreme?
  • awomaninsane
    awomaninsane Posts: 75 Member
    Just keep doing it. It gets easier.


    Totally agree.

    When i first started doing exercise a couple of years ago i went to a spinning class. I literally fell off the bike at the end of the 45 minutes and had such a banging headache for the rest of the day and night. I still felt dreadful the next day. I would say it took a good couple of weeks of 2 classes a week to get used to it, so keep going and do NOT give up!
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    Are you eating enough to support your workouts?
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Hi. Don't know if anyone else asked, but are you a smoker? - this can have an impact when starting out. I remember going for my first run, years ago, when I was around your age - a 15 min run took me half an hour on the couch to recover from :o

    Like someone else said, recovery gets better as you exercise more. It could also be what (or what your not eating) so you could maybe open your diary so we can have a nosy.

    Also occasional low blood pressure can sometimes be caused by low sodium levels. But a GP check is a good idea to rule out other stuff. Also, are you coping alright with the wee one, something like depression could leave you feeling tired all the time.

    Anyway, fingers crossed it's just that you're not used to it yet and you start feeling great afterwards :)
  • Snailman44
    Snailman44 Posts: 25
    It will get better trust me on this. My first month i was a mess. Ill never forget the first night i did T25. What a huge wake up call that was on how out of shape i was in. I must have paused that video 15 times in 25 minutes to catch my breath how sad is that. I was sore,always hungry,i felt bloated and just felt off for weeks. Your body fights back believe me mine sure did after years of beating it up. Now 30 lbs lighter i feel amazing now all the crap food and chemicals is out of my system. I'm annoying my wife now i cant stand still. Cant remember the last time i watch any TV to be honest. If you are doing all the right things just keep pressing through it things get better.
  • drummygurl
    drummygurl Posts: 19 Member
    Just keep doing it. It gets easier.

    It never gets easier. You just get stronger.
  • Dewdrop_Rose
    Dewdrop_Rose Posts: 9 Member
    Hello again,

    Thank you everyone for the further comments.

    In answer to the other questions . . .

    No I am not a smoker and have never smoked so thankfully that is not an issue. I have recently developed allergies so I'm a little stuffed up, but nothing else like that.

    I've always over eaten and I was not dieting at the time of the example I gave, so I was definitely eating enough in terms of calories. Whether I was eating the correct things is another question.

    Thank you everyone for the motivation.

    I think I will start with 5 minute exercise sessions and just build myself up from there.

    Thank you all once again.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    You shouldn't be so tired after short workouts. When you walk try having your child in a stroller so you can go faster. I'd start with just walking since you seem to have trouble with anything else. Could it be a mental thing? If your dr gives you the ok just go it he on and try to keep active and busy.
  • Madelinec117
    Madelinec117 Posts: 210 Member
    Since you have low blood pressure, you might need to walk at a moderate pace until you heart rate and blood pressure returns to normal to keep it from dropping lower than normal right after you finish exercising. Just 5 minutes of walking will return you heart rate and blood pressure closer to normal while hopefully avoiding big dip right after.
  • ajff
    ajff Posts: 986 Member
    When I started doing 30 Day Shred it about killed me. I began doing it in the evening when the kids were in bed. Then I recovered while I slept. (don't know if that was right or wrong, but it's when I had time!)

    I tried it one morning and I was so CRANKY all day because my body was tired!

    But now, suddenly, I can do a session in the morning and not feel tired and sore afterward.....

    So, maybe play around with your timing until you get stronger????
  • RekindledRose
    RekindledRose Posts: 523 Member
    Blood sugar.

    Try eating something small right away; a banana or half a sandwich, and then 1/2 an hour later eating more carbs and some protein. Also try hydrating more.

    Check your blood pressure too. Your BP could be too low!

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