how hard is my body working when I...

Charlottejogs
Charlottejogs Posts: 351 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This is kind of strange perhaps...I do not yet have a HRM so I was wondering if our bodies are working harder when the same exercise feels harder- let me give the situation for clarity.

Today I was doing my Insanity workout and it was particularly difficult. Harder than most days- I felt like I had to rest more than usual. Is my body burning more as it feels sooo much harder or am I just tired or being a pansy and the burn is the same?

Just curious- thanks!

Replies

  • jarrettd
    jarrettd Posts: 872 Member
    anytime I have felt like this, it has been a function of either hydration or nutrition.

    If you are working out too long after your last meal, or if you last ate simple carbs, you could have low blood sugar. I used to eat a handful of cheerios, half a banana, or cheese and a whole-wheat cracker just prior to working out. Gave me a boost. I tried to work out early in the morning on empty and that was a total disaster and waste of time.

    The other thing is WATER! If you aren't getting enough fluids in the hours before your workout, it won't work to down water just before or during your workout. I don't know exactly how long it takes for your tissues to absorb what you drink, but I don't think it's instant. You need to be pre-hydrated, then re-hydrate!

    Try one or both of these and see if it improves. Beyond that, how long has it been since you've had a rest day? It's the healing that makes us stronger! Good luck!
  • ATLMel
    ATLMel Posts: 392 Member
    anytime I have felt like this, it has been a function of either hydration or nutrition.

    Same. Or over-training.

    It might be a sign you need a rest day or to check your nutrition. If you feel that way consistently, I'd consider upping cals/modifying meal times.
  • jjs22
    jjs22 Posts: 156
    I've noticed that if I do a significant endurance activity (long vigorous hike/bike) it takes a couple of days to get my body re-charged. This period of being "out of gas" definitely lasts longer than it did when I was young (I'm now 50-ish).

    As long as its just a matter of being a little depleted of glycogen, then there's no problem just working through it. I just accept that I won't be setting any personal records and may not feel like charging up hills as hard or as often. It kind of helps psychologically to know that your body is literally low on energy, so you don't feel like its just you being a wuss.

    OTOH, if the tiredness is a result of a resistance type training, you definitely want to make sure you allow time to recover. All resistance training does is damage your body : it is the recovery period afterwards when your body rebuilds itself and becomes stronger and healthier. If you don't allow time for recovery, you're just inflicting damage on top of damage. Not a good thing in the long run.
  • Charlottejogs
    Charlottejogs Posts: 351 Member
    Thanks so much for the great feedback!!! I will have to put some thought into what I need to do differently...off the top of my head:

    I was less healthy than usual last night which could cause me to be dragging a little and then I didn't eat much this am ( a small serving of cottage cheese) but that isn't unusual. Tomorrow is an easier day in the workout so perhaps my body is just getting a little tired but I have been doing the same routine for about 3 weeks now so I would think it is used to it. I would say it is mostly cardio but it involves some resistance in pushup and jumping etc... I have not been doing any other exercise, in fact I have been studying for finals so I have been pretty much sitting at a desk allllll day for about 2 weeks. I don't think that overall I am eating too little- while I am eating less than the program recommends I am eating when I am hungry.

    No huge red flags right? I will keep working at it- thanks again for the feedback!
  • Charlottejogs
    Charlottejogs Posts: 351 Member
    Oh and jjs- I do feel like a wuss on those days- thanks!

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