Feeling sick at gym... normal?

SpaceTime

I'm just wondering if this is normal or not.

I kicked off a big get fit regime and I'm really not finding it easy.

When I workout, especially spinning and treadmill stuff I start to feel sick (stomach sort of).

Then I feel kind woozy and need to sit down. My HR goes up to maybe 191 or so.

Also finding I've the most awful headaches after working out no matter how much water I drink.

I lose a LOT of water when I'm running though.

I'm not overweight and I'm not very unfit. This was a plan to get up to the next level and also to reduce my BP which is kinda high.

Am I just being over ambitious or what's going on ?

Doug Cartel

SpaceTime wrote: »

Am I just being over ambitious or what's going on ?

Yeah, that is the most likely thing. You've probably ramped up your training too quickly.

SpaceTime

Doug Cartel wrote: »

Yeah, that is the most likely thing. You've probably ramped up your training too quickly.

I was thinking of maybe shorter busts of less intense training but trying to go maybe 5 days a week or even everyday? Would that be overkill?

My main motivation is I want to reduce BP as my GP is kinda pushing the idea of BP meds. Tried them and I has reactions to 4 different types so, I'm very keen to just get very aerobically fit.

I've also modified the diet quite a bit towards healthy eating although not like crazy stuff either. Just vastly more fruit, veg, fish and cut coffee, bread and most processed foods entirely.

Doug Cartel

In my not so expert opinion, maybe you could try scaling things back to the point where your workout is a challenging, but not something that has you almost passing out or getting sick. Do that for a while and then after you get to the stage where that work-out is no longer a challenge, up the intensity a bit more. Rinse and repeat.

Has your GP given you any advice about taking the exercise route to lower BP?

SpaceTime

Nothing specific but basically said to just try more exercise and reducing stress.

SpaceTime

Actually, if anyone has advice on how to build up from relatively normal to properly fit let me know.

Zillah

Have you had your blood pressure checked recently?

SpaceTime

Zillah wrote: »

Have you had your blood pressure checked recently?

Yeah, extensively - did 24H blood pressure monitor and all that. Also doing quite regular home checks to just monitor if I'm getting any progress. I was advised to check 3 times in the morning and evening once a week to see how things are going.

You average out the 3 readings to get a sense of what's going on and always take them in a similar situation.

Ddad

Im in a similar boat having had recent knee surgery. I was initially going at it as if I was as fit as I was pre op. Bad move.

I had to bail a few days on the routine. Too much too soon.

A few things I've done that have helped. I exercise in the morning if Im planning on going hard. I have better physical and mental reserves then. Thats me though. You may very well be different. I plan my workouts and I take note of previous weights, times, distances so I'm increasing my levels incrementally and not overdoing it.

Diet. I eat at least one hour before I go to the gym. I make sure theres some carbs in there and I make sure to hydrate before I go. Im tracking my macros on my fitness pal as a guide. I also find it useful for staying away from eating crap. When I see how much effort it takes to burn 100 kcals in the gym I stay away from the biscuit tin. I eat regularly but its all the good stuff. I dont let myself get hungry because Im far more likely to make bad decisions about food. I make sure I have something decent to eat as soon as Im showered and home. A chicken salad or a tune sandwich on wholemeal with some fruit and some milk. If your exercising you need to replenish nutrients as well as water. You'll get the shakes and headaches if your blood sugar crashes after exercising and your body isnt used to it. Hence I eat before and after I exercise.

Tracking. As I said I track weight, reps times etc. I also track my pulse rate when doing more intense exercise and cardio so I pace myself enough to finish what I've planned. The one or two times Ive neglected these steps in the past few months its gone against me in the gym and that gives a bit of a beating mentally and physically.

Rest. I rotate the areas of my body that I exercise so they have time to recover. I take two days off per week. I do some form of exercise everyday even if thats just a brisk walk with the dog. Make sure you have a good sleep schedule.

Goals. Ive set myself the goal of running 5k and cycling 20k by october, not one after the other :-). Ive hit my initial weight and flexibilty goals and Im revising them upwards. That felt good. I didnt set them too high and it gave me an initial goal to go for that was realistic but still challenging.

I also make a point of warming up and warming down properly. i listen to my body (somedays the knee isnt up to it) and Ive avoided injury and a lot of the problems ive had post op, hip pain, mobility, joint stiffness have greatly reduced.

Mentally I feel way better. The couple of months I was limited physically were difficult. The exercise has helped me to get more balanced. If I cheat here and there I dont punish myself too much for it but I make sure I do another bit of work to balance it.

Im no greek god nor will I ever be but I think the balanced approach with exercise works better if its something you need to sustain longterm.

Best of luck.

BelleOfTheBall

Same happened me just take it gradual.i had c section 3yrs previuos and take ur time build up over time ur body will thank u for it. Use run keeper found that pushed me in the months.best of luck