Intense morning spinning workout is making me snoozy in the afternoon

RadishEater
RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Lately, I have been really killing it at my morning (7 am) spinning workouts which I do twice a week. I look forward to them and if they didn't make my legs so tired I would love to add in a third day. However, around 2-3pm my brain starts getting foggy and I find it hard to concentrate at work and the rest of the work day becomes sort of a mental challenge to get through.

I eat yogurt before my spinning work out and have water and tea, drink somewhere between 40-60oz of water during my 30-40 min workout, then have a bigger breakfast usually oatmeal& peanut butter and some granola afterwards and some more caffeinated tea.

I know if I had a cup of caffeinated tea right now it would zap me out of this brain tiredness, but I have found from experience I will not fall asleep till many hours after my normal bedtime if I drink caffeinated tea in the afternoon.

Right now I am trying a mix of seltzer water, gum, and walks to keep me alert without much success.

All suggestions of something else to try (other than cutting down on the actual workout) are welcome.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Are you getting enough sleep?
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    what else are you eating during the day - based on what you wrote, that seems to be maybe 5-600cal....are you eating back workout calories?
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
    well it is summer, and no A/C so on nights when the apartment doesn't below 84-82 when I go to bed, I sleep on/next to an ice pack. So I would say half of my week, I sleep so-so but I have to wait till fall to fix that problem
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
    I definitely don't burn 5-600 calories, I am not the best at doing spinning although I like it quite a bit. Whenver I take a class I usually quite a bit lower than whatever number the instructor shouts out. I usually end up in the range 300 ish and the 30-40 mins is including warmup and cool down. So far subtracting 50 off the number the exercise bike says I burned has worked for the past year or so.

    For food, lunch has been usually a big yogurt bowl with nuts or seeds, which is my high protein meal of the day with ~53g of protein and then some strawberries too. Afternoon snack is usually some type of veggies and rice.

    I eat back nearly all my workout calories now that I am in maintenance.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Keep at it and it will get easier!

    If possible: find a spot for a cat nap after lunch. (This should be encouraged in the workplace, IMHO!)
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
    I've found that a b-vitamin complex helps perk me up when I'm feeling sluggish, and a little walk away from my desk.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    I have always had that mid-afternoon slump whether I worked out or not. It's just a low point in the day for me, even when I was much younger. Everyone's circadian rhythm is a little different and the spin class may have nudged yours into a slightly different direction.

    Is there any chance you can take a break and a quick nap at that time? I know that might not work out for everyone, but I find that taking a 15-20 minute rest with my eyes closed makes all the difference in my energy level for the rest of the day.

    In my last job I had a parking spot in the basement of the building. I'd just go sit in my car with the seat reclined and set my phone alarm for 15 mins. I worked in a large building and also discovered there were a lot of people who'd go to the "sick room" for a nap nearly every afternoon, so I wasn't the only one taking a snooze break. There was even one guy who'd post a "on break" sign outside his cubicle and lie down under his desk in the afternoon. :smiley:
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I re-read your post and I don't think you mentioned your caffeine consumption throughout the morning? I find that if I drink a ton of coffee throughout the morning (I used to literally just drink coffee nonstop all morning) I go through an afternoon slump around 2pm.
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
    I drink two cups of caffeinated tea in the morning which is as much I can handle without keeping myself awake at night. On days I don't do spinning in the morning, I don't have an afternoon slump, so I know it is related to the intense exercise in the morning.

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