Today I did my 30 minute run on the treadmill at 5.6
mph. And then my face was all red and I
felt exhausted. And I mean: exhausted. Like I could barely walk around and lift my
arms to fix my lunch. I thought that
exercise is supposed to help a person feel more “energized” after working
out. Instead, I feel physically
exhausted, and then I feel mentally bad about feeling so exhausted. I mean, I’m glad I “put in” my time (for
exercise), but if I keep feeling this way, I think I probably will want to give
up on working out!
So, what could my problem be? I figure it’s one of these following problems (or a combination). And I’m going to list my intended “solutions”
right after each, so I can hopefully get to the bottom of this…
1. Improper pre-
and re-fueling before and after my work out session. Yes, I need to do research on what the proper
workout “fueling” food/amount/timing is.
I don’t like to do a long (30 minute) run first thing in the morning,
when I’m still fasting before breakfast, so that’s probably already a good
approach. Instead, I usually run in the
mid-morning or afternoon. But I also
don’t usually eat right after my run (I need a shower!). I bet I could improve on this, and feel better—I
need to do some research.
2. Too intense /
improper exercise. Hmm, maybe; I’ll
start wearing my heart rate monitor again.
Historically, when I’m over 140-150 beats per minute for duration, I
would feel like crap and get a red face.
Maybe I’m exercising with too much intensity or for too long of a
duration at my current level of fitness.
3. Not enough
recovery time. Nah, I don’t think
so. I usually have at least a day of
rest between runs. If not, my second day
is an “easier” run: shorter or slower.
4. Not sleeping
enough. Yup, I definitely need to
get more zzz’s, and put a higher focus/importance on sleep. I wake up to an alarm every morning, and I
rarely feel rested enough. I know this
is bad, and yet I continue to stay up too late.
It’s easier to stay up than to put myself to bed. It’s widely accepted that you would be doing
harm to a child’s overall health if you kept them up late night after night—and
that’s frowned on by society too, I think.
And yet it’s prevalent in our society that many adults brag about their
sleep deprivation like it’s a badge of honor.
I believe that mentality is very harmful, both to our society and to the
individual! Perhaps it’s silly, but I
need to act like I’m putting a little kid to bed (the little kid in me!), and
put myself to bed earlier. Of course,
now I need to get my spouse on board too, and yet NOT treat him like a little
kid (wish me luck!).
5. Lacking energy
from environment (dreary, cold days, and lack of sunshine). Sure, this could definitely be affecting me. I’ll double check that I’m taking enough of D
vitamin, and get out in the sun when I can.
I’ll drink a cup of green tea when I feel like it, but not more than a
cup a day, and probably not past 3PM (so the caffeine doesn't interfere with my sleep)!
6. Seasonal depression. Who knows, maybe this is affecting
me! I definitely could add in more time
for myself: meditations and visualizations, positive self-talk, and making sure
not to focus on negative things or self-talk.
7. Low self-esteem. Yes, I do actually struggle with low
self-esteem currently. In addition to
doing the items above for seasonal depression, I also need to work more
directly on my career goals. I need to
more clearly define my goals, write steps to achieve them so that I can make
positive steps forward, and not feel down on myself or depressed about where I
am at in life right now.
8. Improper fuel
(food/drink) for my body. Sure, to
some degree this could be a contributor, since I do still eat some sugar and “bad”
carbs, after all! But I am improving and
working to eat healthier and healthier: lots of good veggies and fruits and
fewer carbs. Even though I’m craving sugar/carbs
like a bear getting ready for hibernation, I have to continue to try to limit
them, since I know they bring me down in the long run.
I hope this was interesting.
Any ideas, please share!
Forward Flavor!
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