Same workout is easy sometimes and hard other times - why??

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Doc0862
Doc0862 Posts: 43 Member
in Getting Started
I just started my life change Jan 1, 2016 because if i didn't I was going to die. So after I made up my mind I wanted to live more than I loved food I started. At first I knew nothing except I was eating healthy foods mostly but way too much. I started adding the calories and normally I would starve myself all day and eat one huge meal (because I was so hungry I estimate 5000+ calories on average). I do not have any problem with sweets I can do without easily. I loved food way too much.
I decided to follow my healthy fathers advise to never eat more than a handfull of anything and to eat small amounts spaced out all day long, every hour or two. OK that worked like magic I have already lost 25 pounds to date. I started noticing three things. I had a headache ( i never have headaches normally) I was irritable and I started feeling a little dizzy not bad just the swimmy feeling. So I knew I was doing something wrong. I was counting calories and only eating 800 to 1000 a day or less. I also was not hungry ever... seemed odd to me to not be hungry. The hunger left after the first few days.
So I did some research on balanced diet and healthy eating and found out that what I was doing with the calories was bad even potentially dangerous. This eventually led me to this site.
My first few workouts were an embarrassment but after 2 weeks I was doing 5 min on elliptical and 5 min on rowing machine. after 3 weeks i went to 10 min on the rowing machine and started doing the same 15 min at night also.
Sometimes it is so hard in the morning i can barely do it, another day it is easy. Same at night one day it is easy another day it is very hard. sometimes in the same day morning hard evening easy. I was wondering what causes this?

Replies

  • carisham001
    carisham001 Posts: 2 Member
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    Hello Doc, well done in taking this life saving change in life style. It's no small task, and as you say 800-1000 calories is far too low, unless it's what your doctor ordered.
    As for exercise: every session is different. This depends on variables like the last time you worked out, and did you give your body enough time to recover between sessions. Amount of sleep, stress from other things in your life, and getting the right nutrition. Perhaps twice a day is a bit too much to start with. Maybe cut it down to once a day for now.
    Good luck!
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
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    I hear you. Sometimes I can do my bike cardio and it feels like the time flies - other times it really drags and I want a break in the middle. I think it may have to do with what I've eaten the previous day. If I've overeaten slightly or eaten right up to my goal the previous day, usually I'm great on the bike. One evening I overate on cereal (munching several bowls while watching telly instead of crisps) and the following morning I could have exercised for double the usual time ^^

    Perhaps start to keep track of the hard days and see if there is a pattern you can identify. At this stage you are starting to learn more about yourself and how your body reacts to exercise and different food regimes. I'd recommend using the notes section on our diaries perhaps, or keeping a short journal.
  • Doc0862
    Doc0862 Posts: 43 Member
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    oolou wrote: »

    Perhaps start to keep track of the hard days and see if there is a pattern you can identify. At this stage you are starting to learn more about yourself and how your body reacts to exercise and different food regimes. I'd recommend using the notes section on our diaries perhaps, or keeping a short journal.

    This is good advise... only been on this site 2 days and am still learning all the great resources that are here to help me. Thank you both for the valuable input.
  • beatyfamily1
    beatyfamily1 Posts: 257 Member
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    It could be a number of things. I don't know how many calories you are eating, but could be you are not eating enough on those days when you feel like the workout is hard. If you are staying within your daily calories you can rule out that possibility. Another one could be you aren't giving yourself rest from the new workout routine. Eventually it will become easier, but rest is just as important as exercise. Sometimes even 5 minutes can feel difficult if you are not use to using those muscle groups a lot. You may require a day of rest in between workouts or 1-2 days per week. There could be more possibilities, but that's what I can think of.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I will add that getting "fit" cardiovascularly takes a while. I am talking months. It took baby steps before I mastered breathing and being able to perform the activity I was doing..

    The above advice are great things to do.. Especially note taking, how you feel, how well you hydrated, how well you are nutritionally for day and day before exercise.

    It does not matter how small you are, even a small person may not be able to put a heavy load on their heart and lung without gasping or getting really fatiqued. It gets better every day you do this and the key is to keep it up.

    I would personally take one time during the day (if you are morning person, do it in the morning) when you have most energy (before or after breakfast depends on you personally). Do not look at the time on the machine, but start with a really low pace and workup to something comfortable, you should be able to talk or sing during this time. Do this for many days and then slowly increase any time or effort and build up you cardiovascular system. After you are done with the day exercising, rest and fuel with good food (this is the really good part...lol)

    Just remember that this is not a sprint and be 100% safe in your efforts and take breaks when needed. Make sure that you hydrate the day before your exercise, during and after.. Hydration is also very key to keeping things in balance such as muscle weakness or cramping during exercising...

    Best of luck!

  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
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    I blog my workouts on MFP everyday. I am able to look back on them and see what has or hasn't changed. It sounds like you're off to a great start but may need to up those calories (headaches). Also check what you are eating before each workout. Are you eating heavier or more carbs before the easier workout? It might be easier because you've given your body more fuel to work with. For instance, i can have a scrambled egg, turkey sauauge and toast -300 calories in the morning then go workout feel like crap, then in the evening 2oz sirloin half a baked potato and brocolli- about the same 300 calories then go workout and feel great. Could be the other way around too. Oatmeal, a banana and OJ, workout feel sluggish then eat baked chicken and asparagus grain and feel great during. I'd try to find the link
  • sandi4711
    sandi4711 Posts: 14 Member
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    Just one other thing to consider is how much you are drinking (water - NOT soda or beverages with caffeine). It was mentioned above, that you need to hydrate, but here's a good way to determine how much: weight/2 = ounces. In other words, if you weigh 200 lbs, you should drink 100 oz per day. Even slight dehydration can contribute to dizziness or being fatigued.
  • kevin_bvbfan
    kevin_bvbfan Posts: 37 Member
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    I would say drop your average calorie intake by 250-500 calories per month. Anything faster than that it's bad. Make sure you stay hydrated, and get adequate rest between exercise sessions. If on some days you don't have the energy for an intense workout, at least get some walking in. Something is better than nothing
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Some variation in perceived effort (how hard you feel something is to do) is completely normal, although I'd bet that it will even out as your body gets used to the exercise. Everyone has days when it feels easier/more difficult than normal. Definitely start looking for patterns; lots of factors like sleep quality/time, what you ate the day before, how early/late you stopped eating the day before, whether or not you ate anything before you exercised that morning, etc., can impact how you feel during exercise. At the beginning, just getting into the habit of exercising is a huge win, so I would focus on the fact that you're doing something (instead of feeling bad if you can't go as long today as you could yesterday). On days when it does feel difficult, could you rest for a few minutes and then try again? There's nothing wrong with doing 5-minute intervals with small rest breaks in between.
  • joepratt503
    joepratt503 Posts: 191 Member
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    Brain....

    Assuming everything else is the same.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Congrats on your changed & new journey. I read once that 25% of your workouts are fabulous, 25% suck, and the rest are mediocre. I think I might do a bit better than that, but it's still s great perspective to remember. Don't stress about it. Just keep going.
  • Doc0862
    Doc0862 Posts: 43 Member
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    Thanks for all your inputs. I am feeling 1000 times better than I did when I started. I figured the reason for the variation was food related but it could be rest in my case. I have a crazy variable work schedule and cannot always get 8 hours sleep. It fits also because I had a late night yesterday and even over slept 30 minutes this morning. I also was feeling stressed that I was running later than normal. Since I am very closely regulating my foods, they changed very little. I am going to examine the sleep issue. I feel so good I just want to keep going on this path. Thanks again!
  • Annr
    Annr Posts: 2,765 Member
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    For me the balancing act is eating enough calories to keep my body moving smoothly, and enough so it doesn't "stall" in metabolism process. Working exercise into that mix you become part scientist and part nutritionist. It's sometimes a struggle. Most days I try to get in 80 oz of water. Some of my days workouts I am "humming" afterwards, feeling wonderful and energized. Other days I feel really sluggish. Personally I think our bodies are always influx, always changing. This journey just makes you pay attention to the changes, and celebrate them. Good luck on your journey Doc.
  • Doc0862
    Doc0862 Posts: 43 Member
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    Snow day today so I've been studying and think I have found something that helps. I read that you can wait for 30 minutes after you eat then do your exercise. So having much more time today I did that. I did first one early ate oatmeal and a banana water then waited for 30. Worked like a charm it was hard but not as much as before. Then I waited 3 hours ate lunch, waited 30 and again same result. I also learned that I am in a muscle building phase so I my not lose much weight this week. I am feeling better all the time and have more energy than I have had in over 10 years.
    Much love to you all. ... RockOn!

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