I'm hoping someone here can give me an answer to my question.

Why am I completely exhausted after exercise?

I did a very intense workout in the pool this morning for an hour and just barely made it up the two flights of stairs I had to climb to get out of the building. When I got home I was still too exhausted to even shower. Had to sit for about 45 minutes and wait for some degree of energy to return.

Is there anything I can do to avoid this feeling after a workout?

Maybe you over did it. If you are just starting to exercise again then I would take it easy at first and build up to a good pace.

Dave

Dave...Thanks for the reply. I definately did not over do it. I've been doing some kind of exercise for the last four years. This was a little intense, but I don't think more than I should have done.

It's happened before though not as bad as this morning. Also, I should mention that it was done on an empty stomach.

I'm hardly an exercise expert, but one thing comes to mind, since it's happened to me before. Did you drink lots of water while you exercised?? Sometimes we forget that just because we're in a pool surrounded by water, we still need to keep the INSIDE of our bodies well-hydrated. You definitely do sweat, and if your heart was pumping and you were breathing hard, you were also losing moisture in your breath. So maybe your symptoms were due to dehydration?

Just a thought. Hope you feel better next time, your workout sounds great

Doreen.

Doreen;'s right, Marlaine. Water, especially when working out in water is essentail. The pressure of the water on your body actually increases the dehydration. This was brought home to me after my first aqua fit class. Drinking while you're working out and immediately after is required. Sips not gulps to avoid cramping. Also, you might not be eating enough and this could be part of the problem. It's also a good idea to get some protein in w/in 45 minutes of a workout (a protein shake or a HB egg are good suggestions)

HTH,
Nat

Doreen - I forgot to take my water bottle to the pool, but I WILL remember next time. I did however have it in the locker room and was sipping and getting changed for 15 minutes. I was really moving at a snail's pace, too tired to move quicker. Thanks for the tip.

Nat - I'll give the bit of protein a try next class. I think I'm getting plenty to eat - around 2000 cal/day. I'm starting to feel like I'm living in an alien body, there are so many changes with this WOE. Thanks for responding.

I MAYBE WRONG BUT I WAS LIKE THAT WHEN I DONE A WORKOUT ONCE I WASNT ON ATKINS BUT I WAS KEEPING TO LOW CARB ON MY OWN AND AT THE END OF THE WOKOUT I THOUGHT I WAS GOIN TO FAINT I WAS SHAKING WHEN I GOT HOME IT REALLY SCARED ME I THOUGHT I WAS GOIN TO VOMIT MY HUSBAND SAID MY BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS WERE TO LOW I HAD TO EAT A CHOCOLATE BAR TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER.

Reading this takes me back to when I started getting serious about exercise - it was just too exhausting at first. I started with a goal of 5 minutes (which I thought was slow at the time) but found I just could not do it and had to cut it down to 3 mins and build up from there.

I know what you mean Damsel - it is easy to get carried away on that "high" and push too far too fast. But each push does take you further - it sure felt great when I could keep up dancing for two hours 'cos I was enjoying myself so much!!

I think I had to take responsibility for myself and know my limits and balance exercise with going over the top.

The effort is well worth it though.
Take care.

Hey everyone....

Thanks for the interest and all of the comments. I think I've got this problem in hand now. Seems like dehydration was the problem and since that day I've made a point to always carry a bottle of water and haven't had the problem again. The workouts are pretty exhaustive, but I'm feeling GREAT about them!! and I really think that they are contributing to my ongoing weight loss.

Marlaine