Just started to exercise and feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

chrismisterx
chrismisterx Posts: 37
edited September 24 in Fitness and Exercise
Well trying to lead a more balanced life and started to count cals and do some light exercise.

First week was fine, just did 20 mins of very light workout and felt great.

This week I started the 30 day shred, level 1.

I feel crappy, I was expecting the burn and soreness, which I have tons of, but I was not expecting the sickness, lightheadedness and dizzyness, I also feel my legs are cramping and have very sore shins.

Is this normal, I wasnt active for around 20 years, pretty much sitting on my butt all day and I really want to change, is there anything I can do to push through this?

Need some advice I really dont want to give up, but I also dont want to feel this bad either!

Replies

  • mmelaniewalters
    mmelaniewalters Posts: 94
    are u making sure u have eaten pre exercise ???

    and its so important to stretch properly before /afterwards to avoid or minimise the painful bits

    sore shins - do u have a decent pair of trainers ? or cheapies ? coz it also makes a massive diff if u wear the right footwear
  • PokenStick
    PokenStick Posts: 204
    If you're getting dizzy it could mean you're getting a sudden loss of blood pressure, you're dehydrated, or the most common culprit is low blood sugar.

    Try eating something small before working out, such as a banana.

    Shin splints can be caused from poor shoes, poor form, or just weak shin muscles. Make sure you have a decent pair of cross trainers if you're doing 30 day shred and pay attention to how they tell you to do each move. Your shins will get better over time...but if you feel pain, take it easy.

    Two stretches that can help you:

    http://walking.about.com/od/exercises/a/shintoeraise.htm

    http://walking.about.com/od/stretching/a/shinstretch.htm
  • o0sunny0o
    o0sunny0o Posts: 12
    I feel dizzy and sick if I'm exercising on a completely empty stomach, so that might be one issue.

    Stretching, decent footwear and making sure you have proper form are all good ways to assure you that you don't get abnormal cramps or anything. If you can afford it, I'd suggest a session or two with a personal trainer to assure you that you are doing things the correct way.

    But remember, that for most people, exercise is not comfortable at first. A lot of the times it doesn't even feel like a "good" burn/ache in your muscles until you've been doing it a week or two and get used to the feeling.

    Don't give up!
  • Falstaff
    Falstaff Posts: 3
    Hi chrismisterx,

    I'm not a fitness professional, but this sounds pretty normal to me. I went on one of those week long fitness boot camp things in Wales, and I have never hurt so much in my life (short of real injuries)... however, 2-3 days after the first shock to the system, my body was already feeling better and stronger. And EVERYONE was hurting, even the really fit guys.

    The hard truth is that if you don't use your body, then start doing a bunch of exercise, that it's going to hurt. But, the key is to do some stuff to minimize the chance of real injury, and just suck up the relatively minor aches and pains. Stretching before and after appropriately, drinking LOTS AND LOTS of water (4 liters a day, but not all at one time, obviously), and eating good food before and after workouts. At the boot camp they made us immerse ourselves fully in ice cold water, which supposedly helps with the lactic acid buildup in your muscles... but I wouldn't recommend it. :)

    Also, if you can afford it, I'd HIGHLY recommend working with a good personal trainer for 2-3 months. A month isn't long enough to get into the habit. I chose to work with a trainer who was also a proper boxing instructor, so that I could focus on learning a new discipline, rather than just "losing weight" (which often feels like quite an empty and directionless goal to me).

    So, summary: if your car was broken, you'd hire a mechanic to fix it. Go hire a personal trainer to help fix your body, and learn as you work with that person what works for you. There will be pain, but after a little while you start to appreciate and almost enjoy the feeling of tired muscles - it feels like you're getting somewhere.

    As an aside, I feel lightheaded and dizzy almost every time I have a really serious workout (1000+ calorie boxing training). It passes within minutes, and the fitter you get the more you can do before you get to that point. and the more quickly you recover.

    Hope that helps.
  • EJWoolcock
    EJWoolcock Posts: 60
    Make sure to hydrate - drink plenty of water every day, especially if it's hot. Eat before your workout (I eat half a museli bar or a banana), also make sure to eat properly the day before a workout (remember - food is fuel, you need to put the right fuel to make the machine work):happy: . Stretch properly before you start and make sure your shoes provide proper support. If you get dizzy while working out, eat a few jelly beans (my personal trainer has them on hand all the time). The sugar rush will help you recover and finish your workout.

    Good luck! keep up the good work
  • schpanks
    schpanks Posts: 468 Member
    At the risk of being labeled the whiny minority, you may be attempting too much too fast. If you haven't exercised at all, maybe a week of "very light exercise" isn't enough preparation for the shred. I'd been working out regularly for like 3 months before I started it, and I still can't do it daily. (I do shred it with weights, though. I've never actually seen the shred.) If you absolutely HATE it and it makes you feel awful, you won't stick with it. Consider doing something slightly less strenous for a few more weeks. After my first experience with shred it with weights, I skipped it for 2 weeks to do some hardcore Pilates to build up my quads. Now I do it 3 times a week and have just moved to level 2. Don't give up on it. But for me coming from ZERO exercise to Jillian is expecting a lot from your body. Good luck! :wink:
  • AdreaC
    AdreaC Posts: 34 Member
    Another culprit could be hyperventilation. If you get you CO2 level too low you can easily get dizzy and lightheaded. Often you also get nauseated and can have some numbness or tingling in your hands or feet.
    This is usually hard to do when you are exercising since your body is requiring more o2 and your cells are doing more work so they are producing CO2, but something to consider... Control your breathing when exercising!
  • LG61820
    LG61820 Posts: 372 Member
    Walking might be a better starting point for you than the Shred. Taking a walk every day gradually building up your speed and distance will do wonders for your endurance and overall fitness. Walking outdoors is a super good-mood inducer. Don't give up!
  • chrismisterx
    chrismisterx Posts: 37
    Thanks for the replies all.

    I am drinking around 4 bottles of 500ml's of water a day, also I have cups of tea to break it up, not the biggest fan of plain water.


    I choose to do the shred after watching the biggest loser for the first time, I saw how hard they pushed them and thought, surely I can do 20 mins!

    I am going to stick at it and take on board your advice and see if that helps any.

    Also could it be that my body is lacking vitamins? Should I take extra in the form of a pill or is that a waste of money?

    With regards getting a trainer to help me, I really dont have the income to pay for that, cant even afford going to the gym, so if anyone has any great tips for improving my workout at home with a next to zero budget that would be great help!

    Saving up for some hand weights, as using bottles of water doesnt quite cut it hehe.

    Thanks again for all the support, really picked me up reading your replies, was feeling quite low!
  • mmelaniewalters
    mmelaniewalters Posts: 94
    dont be too hard on yourself .. its a masive shock to the system if u havnt been active at all up till now ..... and remember no matter how hard it is .. its only gonna get easier the more you do ..its a win win situation :) good luck
  • schpanks
    schpanks Posts: 468 Member
    Some people swear by vitamins. Some people insist that the amount of good that is actually absorbed from them is negligible. I used to use...what the hell was that called...VEMA, I think, that was supposed to be better. But expensive so I dropped it. I take a multivitamin every day, mostly so my grandmother won't nag me about it. I figure it can't hurt. And about thinking those biggest loser people could handle the shred to you could, too...that's just funny. They're on TV. Jillian Michaels is completely insane. You have to build up to that kind of torture. :laugh:
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