Is it normal to be so tired from walking?

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netitheyeti
netitheyeti Posts: 539 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a 30yo woman, 5'3 (or a hair under) and in the high 110s/low 120s depending on the day.
Because of the lockdown all public transport has been shut down for close to a month now so I've been walking about to/from work... this means on average about 2h of walking per day... I log the activity (or part of it anyway), I'm set to "maintaining", and when I get home I try and work out another 30-90 minutes 4-5 days a week...

I am *dying*
I got home yesterday, I was in bed and asleep by 9pm
Is it normal to be THIS tired?
I work 8am to 4pm, I'm usually up at 5:30, I leave at 6:30am to get to work on time.. I'm usually home just after 5pm.
Also my right knee has been aching (I have hypermobility issues).
I don't feel like this is *excessively* active? So why am I so tired?
(my job is sedentary)
I'm averaging about 13-14k steps per day
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Replies

  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    edited December 2020
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    netitheyeti wrote: »
    I'm a 30yo woman, 5'3 (or a hair under) and in the high 110s/low 120s depending on the day.
    Because of the lockdown all public transport has been shut down for close to a month now so I've been walking about to/from work... this means on average about 2h of walking per day... I log the activity (or part of it anyway), I'm set to "maintaining", and when I get home I try and work out another 30-90 minutes 4-5 days a week...

    I am *dying*
    I got home yesterday, I was in bed and asleep by 9pm
    Is it normal to be THIS tired?
    I work 8am to 4pm, I'm usually up at 5:30, I leave at 6:30am to get to work on time.. I'm usually home just after 5pm.
    Also my right knee has been aching (I have hypermobility issues).
    I don't feel like this is *excessively* active? So why am I so tired?
    (my job is sedentary)
    I'm averaging about 13-14k steps per day

    When I first started walking for exercise it killed me and when I got in it took a good 30 minutes to recover. Having been steadily increasing my walking since the spring, now doing 5 miles up and down hills every evening, I come in and just get on with my day. Sure I know I have done it, but I used to be totally exhausted.

    So perhaps it is just about your level of fitness? Given you have only been doing this amount of walking for 4 weeks.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
    edited December 2020
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    2 hr is a lot of walking. Have you been doing this since March or did you start recently? If you just started, then would be a huge amount of walking for anyone conditioned to it. If you’ve been doing this since March and only recently became fatigued, I’d check with the doctor.
    Your knee pain makes me wonder if you are wearing appropriate shoes for walking, that have been professionally fitted to you, and have been recently replaced.
    I also wonder what you might be carrying while you walk.
    All these things can contribute to discomfort or fatigue.

    Just recently. See also:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10816590/public-transport-is-shut-down-daily-walk-to-work-is-causing-pain/p1
  • netitheyeti
    netitheyeti Posts: 539 Member
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    just to clarify - yes, I am eating enough so I'm not losing more weight - if I was massively undereating I'd notice that after a few weeks.. now some days I eat more and some days I eat less (depends on how hungry) but looking at the past week for example I'm averaging about 2000-2100kcal, my sedentary maintenance would be just around 1500

    When I walk I carry a light backpack with my wallet, disinfectant, some tissues, my phone charger and some spare masks (obligatory to wear one at all times, even on the streets, so I go through a few single use ones per day).. I'll sometimes grab groceries on the way back, but I'm only carrying those for the last 1/3 of the walk

    I tend to do either gentler stuff (stretching) or workouts with weights in the evenings because I don't want to lose the strength I've been working for months to get :/ also, walking doesn't quite feel as satisfying sometimes?

    I seriously think it's partially my shoes but I still have no way to buy new (water/snowproof) ones, all shoe shops have been closed since october
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
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    netitheyeti wrote: »
    just to clarify - yes, I am eating enough so I'm not losing more weight - if I was massively undereating I'd notice that after a few weeks.. now some days I eat more and some days I eat less (depends on how hungry) but looking at the past week for example I'm averaging about 2000-2100kcal, my sedentary maintenance would be just around 1500

    When I walk I carry a light backpack with my wallet, disinfectant, some tissues, my phone charger and some spare masks (obligatory to wear one at all times, even on the streets, so I go through a few single use ones per day).. I'll sometimes grab groceries on the way back, but I'm only carrying those for the last 1/3 of the walk

    I tend to do either gentler stuff (stretching) or workouts with weights in the evenings because I don't want to lose the strength I've been working for months to get :/ also, walking doesn't quite feel as satisfying sometimes?

    I seriously think it's partially my shoes but I still have no way to buy new (water/snowproof) ones, all shoe shops have been closed since october

    Could you order some shoes online, if you think that's part of the problem? Lots of places allow free returns, so you could try them on and everything before committing.

    I can also highly recommend reusable, washable cloth masks: less waste for the environment but also, you don't need to carry so many. I bought a pack of 5 in Amazon, usually have 2 with me at all times and just wash them in rotation.

    I think you're right about the mental part too though. It can be hard in winter when it's dark all the time, even worse during this period of social isolation. If your mood is a bit low that may well be making you feel more tired.
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    edited December 2020
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    netitheyeti wrote: »
    I seriously think it's partially my shoes but I still have no way to buy new (water/snowproof) ones, all shoe shops have been closed since october

    Could you buy shoes online? I realise it's a risk, but you could choose somewhere that lets you send them back if they don't fit.

    netitheyeti wrote: »
    I feel like maybe some of this is mental... I've been thinking today and 2 things stand out to me:
    1) I haven't seen sunlight in over a month, I go to work and come home in darkness, I work in a basement with no windows
    2) I am stuck in a town with 0 friends and no way to get to my family (haven't seen anyone outside work, where I'm one of the "new"-ish people, in over a month)

    That sounds debilitating. I really sympathise: I was in lockdown on my own for three months (but in the spring, so in the light) and saw very few people. i found it exhausting and depressing. Can you use zoom to talk to your family and friends at least?
  • netitheyeti
    netitheyeti Posts: 539 Member
    Options
    charmmeth wrote: »
    netitheyeti wrote: »
    I seriously think it's partially my shoes but I still have no way to buy new (water/snowproof) ones, all shoe shops have been closed since october

    Could you buy shoes online? I realise it's a risk, but you could choose somewhere that lets you send them back if they don't fit.

    netitheyeti wrote: »
    I feel like maybe some of this is mental... I've been thinking today and 2 things stand out to me:
    1) I haven't seen sunlight in over a month, I go to work and come home in darkness, I work in a basement with no windows
    2) I am stuck in a town with 0 friends and no way to get to my family (haven't seen anyone outside work, where I'm one of the "new"-ish people, in over a month)

    That sounds debilitating. I really sympathise: I was in lockdown on my own for three months (but in the spring, so in the light) and saw very few people. i found it exhausting and depressing. Can you use zoom to talk to your family and friends at least?

    my family don't know how to use tech/webcams so we stick to phonecalls, no cams (this is people in their 60s to late 80s)

    my normal places to buy shoes from don't do online, and I have very unusual feet so it's a challenge even when shopping in person :( I tend to be JUST able to fit into the smallest adult womens size, but then there's my high arches, wide feet and super long toes
  • netitheyeti
    netitheyeti Posts: 539 Member
    Options
    Redordeadhead wrote: »
    netitheyeti wrote: »
    just to clarify - yes, I am eating enough so I'm not losing more weight - if I was massively undereating I'd notice that after a few weeks.. now some days I eat more and some days I eat less (depends on how hungry) but looking at the past week for example I'm averaging about 2000-2100kcal, my sedentary maintenance would be just around 1500

    When I walk I carry a light backpack with my wallet, disinfectant, some tissues, my phone charger and some spare masks (obligatory to wear one at all times, even on the streets, so I go through a few single use ones per day).. I'll sometimes grab groceries on the way back, but I'm only carrying those for the last 1/3 of the walk

    I tend to do either gentler stuff (stretching) or workouts with weights in the evenings because I don't want to lose the strength I've been working for months to get :/ also, walking doesn't quite feel as satisfying sometimes?

    I seriously think it's partially my shoes but I still have no way to buy new (water/snowproof) ones, all shoe shops have been closed since october

    Could you order some shoes online, if you think that's part of the problem? Lots of places allow free returns, so you could try them on and everything before committing.

    I can also highly recommend reusable, washable cloth masks: less waste for the environment but also, you don't need to carry so many. I bought a pack of 5 in Amazon, usually have 2 with me at all times and just wash them in rotation.

    I think you're right about the mental part too though. It can be hard in winter when it's dark all the time, even worse during this period of social isolation. If your mood is a bit low that may well be making you feel more tired.

    I bought washable ones! After 30ish min of walking in high humidity I feel like I'm getting suffocated by wet cloth getting sucked into my mouth/nose

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