Fatigue after exercising is a problem that needs to be addressed. You could be extremely tired because you didn't eat or sleep properly, you're not in good physical condition, or you're exerting yourself too much in your workouts. You could also be extremely tired because you have a medical problem. Finding the reason for your fatigue before continuing your workouts is important.
Preparation
A thorough medical examination and a treadmill stress test is advisable before you begin exercising vigorously if you're at least 40 years old, you smoke or your blood pressure or cholesterol is high, according to exercise expert Dr. Kenneth Cooper. These tests could pinpoint why exercise makes you extremely tired. You should also consider these tests if you've been exercising but haven't been tested recently. Cooper recommends treadmill stress tests every year if the first test was abnormal and every three years if the first test was normal.
Warnings
Recurrent and excessive fatigue during or after exercise is one of seven warning signs that should spur you to see a doctor promptly, according to "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease." The others include dizziness, unusually heavy sweating, rapid or irregular heartbeats, unusual shortness of breath, an inability to resume normal activity shortly after exercise, and new or increased pain in your arm, back, chest or jaw that doesn't go away with rest.
Consideration
If you don't have a medical problem, you should examine whether you're eating properly. Calories are a measurement of energy, and eating inadequately can cause you to be extremely tired during or after exercise, according to "Swim, Bike, Run." Authors Glenn Town and Todd Kearney report that additional "caloric demands" are needed for vigorous exercises. For example, a 150-pound person needs 405 calories to bicycle 13 mph for an hour. In addition, 60 percent of your calories should come from carbohydrates.
Solutions
When you exercise too strenuously, you "will feel fatigued long after your usual recovery time," wrote Ornish. Your usual recovery time can be defined by your heart rate. Your heart rate after exercise should return to its resting heart rate within 30 minutes if you exercised for 30 minutes, within 60 minutes if you exercised for 60 minutes, etc. Cutting the length or intensity of your next workout might be a solution to your rapid post-exercise heartbeat and your fatigue problem.
Expert Advice
Warming up properly before you exercise reduces the chances that you will be extremely tired during and after your exercise, according to Ornish and Cooper, who wrote 18 books on exercise. Starting intense exercise too quickly forces you to use your body's anaerobic system, which is designed for short and intense activity and doesn't require oxygen, rather than the oxygen-rich aerobic system. Cooper wrote in "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way" that your warm-up should consist of five minutes of stretching exercises.
References
- "Controlling Cholesterol The Natural Way"; Dr. Kenneth Cooper and William Proctor; 1999
- "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease"; Dr. Dean Ornish; 1996
- "Swim, Bike, Run"; Glenn Town and Todd Kearney; 1994
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Exercising Safely
- The Merck Manual of Medical Information; 2003
Member Comments