Is mental exhaustion after exercising just part of the game?
September 23, 2010 6:31 PM   Subscribe

Is mental exhaustion after exercising just part of the game?

I have experienced great mental exhaustion after exercising that lasts throughout the day . During this state, thinking with any intention feels futile. Thoughts feel like lousy, crippled bottle rockets, shooting off in some odd direction without report. This has deterred me from exercising regularly, or at all. I have found myself in a rather mentally demanding job which takes most my mental energy throughout the day, meaning that physical exercise is mental sabotage.

When I exercise, I don't do weights or go to the gym, but instead choose high pace aerobic exercise, mainly things that I learned from martial arts, with plenty of stretching before hand.

I want to exercise, I enjoy exercising and all of its benefits, and the physical exhaustion doesn't get to me much. Is the mental exhaustion just part of the game, does it go away with regular practice, or am I doing something wrong?
posted by Philipschall to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (13 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Take it easy for a month or two. Really easy - just like, walk for up to an hour. Get used to it. Then build intensity.

I've worked up to it, but I can ride balls-out for almost three hours, now, and when I get home, I spring up the basement stairs and feel like doing chores, or something. It's only invigorating, though, if it doesn't sap every last ounce osf strength you've got - so work up your reserve.
posted by notsnot at 6:40 PM on September 23, 2010


You're going too far. I'm pretty okay with runs up to eight miles and kind of a moron from eleven up, you have to figure out what your point is between 'good challenging exercise' and 'I have wiped out all of my circuits and am unable to participate in the world.'

It's different for everyone.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:57 PM on September 23, 2010


I am not a super athlete or anything but I've definitely found that what I eat contributes a great deal to how smart/stupid I feel after exercising and that sometimes I just get mood crashes because of low blood sugar or whatever. Make sure you're eating decently before you work out [not right before, but that you've eaten something] and then have an after-workout mix of something with protein and some sugars. I usually eat some yogurt w/ protein powder and maple syrup but just something so your body is not running on fumes. I find eating better helps me not feel dead in the brain after exercising.
posted by jessamyn at 7:19 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


For me it's not just what I eat, but when. I do better if it's not too soon after eating (at least 45 minutes after; as much as 3 hours, as long as I'm not starving).

It also depends on my sleep the night before - if it's been a struggle all day the bounce I get from the endorphins often isn't enough to stop the fog from settling in. But on a normal day I'm definitely clearer-headed after leaving the gym.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 7:47 PM on September 23, 2010


The mental exhaustion from your mentally demanding job (on the previous day) could just be carrying over to your exercise (today).

Since you are exercising in the morning, eating right is extremely important too. You might be working out on an empty stomach.

Is it possible for you to do something mentally relaxing before you exercise? Something that will get your mind off from work related issues?

If you are exercising soon after waking up, it would be a good idea to eat something (a toast, say) and start your exercises after at least 30 minutes or so.
posted by vidur at 7:50 PM on September 23, 2010


This is almost surely a diet issue.

First, you need to make sure you aren't carb crashing or just in general in too much of a calorie deficit. So check your daily average intake vs. your exercise expenditure.

Also, next time, try a pre-workout meal 1 hour to 30 minutes prior to whatever you do in the gym. A half of cup of oats and a banana would be a good example.

AS SOON as you finish your workout you'll want a carb that is more like a simple sugar to restore your glycogen stores quickly. A small handful of M&Ms or Skittles will be more than enough. You could also have an apple.
Some whey mixed in water would be a good idea as well.

If none of that works you may want to try taking a BCAA, L-Leucine, and Beta-alanine supplement with the pre-workout meal.

Other possibilities:
-You aren't getting enough sleep.
-You're very good at pushing your body beyond it's natural recovery limit which will put a lot of extra stress on your central nervous system. This will make you feel mentally drained and disabled.
-You're over trained (this seems unlikely since you said you have taken a lot of time off between workouts)

Also, Is there a reason you avoid weights? Cardio is OK but eventually you get to a point where you are in a fine cardiovascular shape and you're just burning calories. Even if you're training for some type of endurance event I'd recommend looking into lifting at least once a week.
posted by zephyr_words at 8:00 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I realize I should've added some more detail. I'm not, nor have I ever been, overweight. I'm in my early 20's, vegan (I've been at it a few years, and I'm finally getting it right), 6'6" and 165. My goal has never been to gain strength, but to use all this physical energy that my youthful self has. I get around by bike (I ride about 11 hrs a week), I get enough sleep, and I have a naturally high anxiety level.
posted by Philipschall at 9:10 PM on September 23, 2010


You might want to get your Vitamin D levels checked. Apparently it's quite easy to be deficient in D, even if you spend a good amount of time in the sun, and deficiency can make you feel awful and make it difficult to recover from your workouts.

I speak from experience. I'd imagined I'd be well stocked on this particular vitamin, seeing as I just spent several months in an equatorial country. But...no! I went to the doc because I was feeling really groggy in the mornings and really draggy after working out, and a blood test showed I was really low for Vit D. I'm only a couple of weeks into taking the prescription supplement and it's making a huge difference in my mood and energy level.

So, maybe try taking some D3, or getting your doc to check if all's well in the vitamin department more generally.
posted by artemisia at 9:32 PM on September 23, 2010


It could be many things. One very common problem that many people have is just going to hard for too long. Do you have this problem after lower intensity exercise (i.e. exercise during which you are still able to have a conversation)? Have you tried breaking up your high intensity exercise, i.e. doing interval training (5 min high intensity, 5 min low intensity recovery or any similar scheme). If you are going out every day or most days and doing a lot of high intensity exercise all at once, you may be over training.
posted by ssg at 9:56 PM on September 23, 2010


And since you are vegan, you'd probably do well to have your iron level checked. Low iron is a common hazard for vegans who exercise a lot.
posted by ssg at 9:59 PM on September 23, 2010


If you are vegan check your protein intake is appropriate. Otherwise exercise will literally starve you.
posted by knz at 10:16 PM on September 23, 2010 [1 favorite]


So, maybe try taking some D3, or getting your doc to check if all's well in the vitamin department more generally.

D3 supplements are not vegan. You will have to go with D2.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 4:53 AM on September 24, 2010


Nthing diet. For a while I was doing a regular 5K on a Saturday morning, and one week I didn't bother to eat my usual snack right afterwards (three parts carbs - which can include sugars - to one part protein) and that was me wiped out for the day, my brain was just totally blank and my body limp. It was really noticeable because I'd been doing exactly the same run each week and the lack of food was the only difference.
posted by penguin pie at 6:14 AM on October 6, 2010


« Older Touchpad on laptop problem   |   Need some kanji translated Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.