Exercise make anyone feel lightheaded and heart race?

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JMCade
JMCade Posts: 389 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I eat frequently throughout the day and I eat before exercise too. I usually end up over my calorie limit even. The problem is during and after doing zumba for an hour, I feel lightheaded and weak and my heart feels like it's gonna jump out of my chest. I'm not heavy and I have been doing this class since January. I'm in my mid to late 30's. Doctors tell me I'm healthy as a horse. What is the deal? Just wondered if anyone else had something similar?

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  • jennmoore3
    jennmoore3 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    Try better breathing. Are you holding your breath? You will get sick from doing that.

    That's all I can think of now, sorry.

    Jenn
  • Meganne1982
    Meganne1982 Posts: 451
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    Are you drinking plenty of water? Could be dehydration??
  • Davali
    Davali Posts: 225 Member
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    I've had this once. In my case, I don't think I'd eaten properly in advance.
  • jimswife1
    jimswife1 Posts: 42 Member
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    Dehydration could be the culprit, make sure you are drinking during Zumba, you might also want to consider eating protein prior to that type of workout because it will drop your blood sugar, therefore making you dizzy and lightheaded, the protein will stay with you longer, just a thought.
  • JMCade
    JMCade Posts: 389 Member
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    I drink anywhere from 6-10 glasses of water a day. I drink 3 glasses during the workout. Maybe I need more?
  • Meganne1982
    Meganne1982 Posts: 451
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    Oooh! Can't believe I didn't mention this before- do you keep your sodium intake really low? I used to have frequent fainting spells and dizziness, and I was drinking a good amount of water, but when I went to the doctor he asked about sodium, and I told him I always ate really low sodium believing it was good for me, and would help me lose weight. He told me I was wrong, that sodium really isn't a problem for most people, and I was actually deficient, and so my body wasn't retaining the water I drank. He told me to salt in on up, and since I did, no more fainting spells and pesky dizziness :)
  • cassandra827
    cassandra827 Posts: 5 Member
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    You might also want to try drinking "Smart Water" brand water when working out as it has electrolytes in it which helps when you are working out. It replenished some of the nutrients you loose when you sweat that regular tap water doesn't contain.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Are you getting enough potassium? When my potassium is low I get a reaction like that.
  • JMCade
    JMCade Posts: 389 Member
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    Man I just added sodium to my settings in food and I'm in the red on that too. So I guess I'm getting enough. Maybe I'll try the electrolyte water.
  • JMCade
    JMCade Posts: 389 Member
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    Whoa, just added potassium to settings instead and I am waaaaay under there. So what besides bananas has potassium in it??
  • Levedi
    Levedi Posts: 290 Member
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    It's your heart rate, honey. You're raising your blood pressure too high during exercise and risking passing out. I know because that's exactly what I used to do. I've got a very healthy heart and great blood pressure normally but when I started working out again I would get the same symptoms you described. My HR would go up to 180 almost immediately. My doctor told me to slow down, keep my HR in the cardio zone and just work out longer. She said I was risking heart damage for short term gain and she turned out to be right. Because I watched my HR at first, now I can do the work out I wanted to without getting dangerously light headed. Just give it a few weeks and you'll work up to the intensity you want without hurting your heart.

    But do pay attention to breathing and sodium too, especially the breathing part. It's all about increasing your oxygen use for more efficient calorie burn.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Whoa, just added potassium to settings instead and I am waaaaay under there. So what besides bananas has potassium in it??

    Almost everything has some potassium in it. But if you're looking for high potassium, you could look at milk, yogurt, V8 (regular or low-sodium, but the other varieties don't have as much), fresh fruits, and potatoes prepared with the skin on.
  • megz4987
    megz4987 Posts: 1,008 Member
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    I get headaches if I'm doing cardio. I just blame it on slight dehydration because of the heat and I don't drink water while I'm working out. I don't know if that's actually what it is, ha.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    Exercise that makes you light headed and heart race,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, sex?
  • cherubcrnp
    cherubcrnp Posts: 730 Member
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    I would suspect that it is the rapid elevation of your heart rate and blood pressure. If your heart rate goes out of your cardio zone, you will get lightheaded and can pass out from a lack of sufficent blood supply to your head. Slow down during the zumba, drink electrolyte waters...gatorade type waters, and get a heart rate monitor. Keep your heart rate in your cardio zone

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