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Regular exercise leads the body to release endorphins.
This hormone causes the body to feel invigorated after a workout session.
Even then, quite a number of people tend to feel fatigued or generally feel worse when exercising.
This could be caused by many things such as adrenaline fatigue, gym anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, too much physical activity leading to muscle soreness or something else.
Such an experience kills the motivation to continue exercising and some people even find it hard to overcome it.
Thankfully, there is a remedy for those in a similar situation.
Here are some of the things you can do when exercising makes you feel worse.
Oxygen and Post-Exercise Lethargy
We depend on oxygen to stay alive; however, the challenges we encounter when trying to deal with it can result in a lull.
When you begin working out, your body tends to ask for much more oxygen than you can supply immediately.
As you continue to exercise, your lung capacity will grow and reach its equilibrium point.
This is the point at which the amount of oxygen you can take in and that which your body needs agree.
This explains why you tend to take deeper breaths as you exercise.
Similarly, when you workout, you may have noted that you continue to breathe heavily even after you are through with your exercise.
The reason is that, even after you take some rest, your body begins to repair cells and replenish its resources.
If you are consistently worn out or breathless after your workout, just scale down on the length of exercise so that you can utilize oxygen efficiently.
In addition, scaling down helps to lower deficit once you are through with your workout.
Reduce Your Workout Intensity
As you consider lowering the intensity of your workout, be sure to consider cardiovascular health as well.
If, during a workout, your heart rate does not increase, it is likely you are not doing enough exercise to achieve the desired results.
For best results, be mindful of the extent to which you are pushing yourself.
A useful tool to help you track your activity level is a quality fitness watch such as one of these popular models.
This tool measures exertion ratings and was developed to help you be mindful of your body’s activity.
It has a scale ranging between 0 and 20, and any number below 6 indicates that you are easy on your body.
Figures between 12 and 16 indicate a peak heart rate. However, this scale is subjective.
Nutrition to Help You Recover
Snacking responsibly after workouts helps your body recover effortlessly.
However, this stage is often missed by most people looking to keep fit but can’t because they feel worse after a workout.
One essential nutrient you should include in your diet is protein and carbohydrates.
They provide your body with the energy necessary to cope with a rigorous regime.
Once you have gone through a demanding exercise, your body needs to be replenished with glycogen (stored energy) found in your muscles.
To rejuvenate your muscles, consider a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein within 45 minutes of finishing your exercise.
Some other common snacks that are beneficial to your body include peanut butter, chocolate milk, fruit, and whole grains.
With these foods, your body will be able to raise its blood sugar, which will help you to stop feeling worse after each session.
Don’t Eat a Few Hours before Your Workout
In some cases, eating 2 to 3 hours to your workout causes indigestion because of undigested food in the stomach.
Also, you may find it difficult to lie down with your back on the ground.
Therefore, if you combine a contracting core muscle and breathing during and after exercising, you may experience a lot of pressure, which will push food back to the esophagus.
This can cause a heartburn or nausea.
Don’t Eat too Much or Food with a Lot of Fat
If you are experiencing nausea three hours after you had a meal, it could be because you had too much to eat.
However, it could also be that you ate food high in fat.
Both of these reasons can cause digestion to slow down and you will most likely feel worse after you exercise.
Eating a lot at once overloads your digestive system as well.
Therefore, ensure you plan your meals such that they do not come a few hours before you go for your workout.
In addition, if you can’t go out before you eat, take a moderate portion and stay away from food with a lot of fat.
Moderate Your Fluid Intake
Like food, too much fluid before your workout will strain your body.
Too much fluid in the body causes a lot of pressure on the abdomen since you breathe heavily, which leads your core muscle to contract.
This may cause water to move up into the esophagus.
To make it worse, stomach acid tends to float on water.
Stomach acid can also travel up the esophagus when you are workout causing a heartburn.
Also, a rigorous workout while you have a lot of water in the stomach can cause nausea.
To be on the safe side, consult a doctor, especially if nausea refuses to go away.
Also, if you experience nausea even when not exercising, it’s possible there is another possible problem.
Be Mindful of Symptoms and Risks of Over training
Once you adjust intensity and refueling approach and there is no change, you could be over training.
Exercising too much is one of the reasons you could be feeling worse after training.
Symptoms of over training include poor immune function, hypertension, dislike for training and injuries.
If you experience these symptoms after each training session, reduce your frequency and visit a health professional for assessment and treatment.
Final Word
Exercise is good for your health. Regular exercise keeps your body fit and boosts your immunity.
However, there are times when exercising causes you to feel worse. Reasons could be diet, excess fluids or food in the stomach.
Even if you feel bad after exercising, you should not stop working out. Instead, consult your doctor so that you can find a lasting solution.
