Building stamina

March 20, 2006 2:56 PM

Slow stamina increase while exercising. When will it get better?

I'm 25, and female. I started working out every day (exercise ball, aerobics video, walks, etc.) about three weeks ago after a lifetime of being sedentary, and I'm not noticing an increase in stamina, at all. Like, after 15 minutes of aerobics, I feel like puking or sleeping, and I can only walk a mile before I have to rest on the side of the road. I don't feel like I'm pushing myself too hard because, as I mentioned, I can only go about 15-20 minutes before I feel like life has left the building. Along with this, I started school this January, and have classes on high floors. I take the stairs each time, but now, even three months later, after climbing the stairs every day, I still have to take a breather every other flight.

I've Googled this, and received wildly different answers, ranging from one week to months before noticing a stamina increase. I'm not overweight, eat great, get enough sleep and drink enough water to hydrate a nation. I'm not a couch potato by any means, but I'm not the most day-to-active person on the planet, either. I have an appointment for a physical later in the week, but I wanted to check around to see if what I'm experiencing is normal, or if it might be a sign of an underlying health condition. Am I doing too much? Too little? Too impatient? Is there anything specific, beyond what I've mentioned, that I need to bring up with my doctor? Thanks for any advice.

posted by Zosia Blue to health & fitness (20 comments total)

I had this problem after I ran a marathon. I took three weeks off and then started trying to run again. I just couldn't build any stamina back up, at all, and even four months after the race I could barely run two miles. I finally went to the doctor and got a blood test. The culprit was a dangerously low iron level (I think it was 10, supposed to be at least above 50 to lead an active lifestyle).
If this goes on for much longer, you might want to think about getting a blood test and checking iron and B-vitamin levels. I bet you can just get one at your physical. If you suspect that you aren't getting enough minerals anyway (common for vegetarians and menstruating women) then you could try taking a good iron supplement and see if that helps.
I noticed a significant stamina increase after I taking the supplement for about two weeks, but I was taking a prescription supplement. I don't know different that would be from taking an over the counter vitamin supplement.
posted by ohio at 3:04 PM on March 20, 2006

Make sure you are also eating enough, particularly protein, as this is needed to build muscle. (Although this shouldn't be a problem unless you are severely restricting your food intake at the same time for weight loss purposes.) I'll ditto ohio on the iron thing though.

As for how long it should take, I noticed results in less than a week when I started shovelgloving. Walking up hills gets significantly easier for me within a few days after I start, too.
posted by kindall at 3:07 PM on March 20, 2006

Thanks, ohio. I've been a vegetarian for 5-6 years, and eat a fairly well-balanced diet, but I stopped taking supplements a while back. Might be the culprit. I'll be sure to ask about iron and B-vitamins. I've been tested before for low iron and came out fine, but it's been a while.
posted by Zosia Blue at 3:09 PM on March 20, 2006

Do you like to chew ice?

Anemia is extremely common in women your age, and the main sympton is a general lack of energy and aerobic endurance (and ice chewing). Someone who is not overweight and age 25, even a couch potato, should have more stamina than you are describing.

I would recommend taking an iron supplement (which won't hurt, even if you're not anemic) and seeing your doctor for a simple blood test to check for anemia.
posted by jellicle at 3:10 PM on March 20, 2006

Ha, the shovelglove resurfaces. It's on my list. I'm definitely not going for weight less, so I feel like I'm eating enough, but, since I tend to graze throughout the day, as opposed to bigger meals, I might be short-changing myself.
posted by Zosia Blue at 3:10 PM on March 20, 2006

I should mention, too, that I've always had low energy/stamina, even as a kid. I've been tested a million times for various things, and nothing seems to come up. I'm just beginning to notice it now with the new exercise program.

I never knew ice chewing was a symptom of anemia. That's fascinating. It's been a while since I've had anything with ice in it, so I'm not sure. Thanks.
posted by Zosia Blue at 3:15 PM on March 20, 2006

When you go to the doctor, definitely ask them to run a thyroid panel. Underactive thyroid can cause a lack of energy/stamina.
posted by Emera Gratia at 3:23 PM on March 20, 2006

Oh, and there apparently are different tests for anemia and simple low iron levels. I first had whatever they use to test for anemia and it came out fine; when the iron level test was done my doctor was baffled about how I could have such low iron levels but no symptoms of actual anemia.
Just a heads up. Medically, I have no idea if any of that made sense, but it is how I remember it happening.
posted by ohio at 3:36 PM on March 20, 2006

Successful results from exercise depend on three factors:

- frequency (at least three times a week)
- intensity (around 70% of your max aerobic threshold, determined this way)
- duration (at least 20 minutes)

You may be exercising too often. Every day is a recipe for injury, especially if you go all out every day.

Your muscles need a recovery period. Every time you exercise, your muscles tear ever so slightly (on a microscopic level). They need some time to repair that damage and build new muscle.

So I would suggest backing off to every other day for a week or two, and see if you notice any improvement.

Also, 3 weeks isn't really all that long in the grand scheme of things, when compared to 25 years of not exercising.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 3:40 PM on March 20, 2006

You're definitely going too hard/often. Try this workout regime. It'll get you running 3 miles, 3 times a week in 2 months.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 4:06 PM on March 20, 2006

For myself, I found that when I started to exercise regularly after a long period of inactivity that my improvement was very, very small for the first several weeks. When I would try jogging I would inevitably give up after a few weeks because I didn't seem to be getting any better at it after a few weeks of trying

Then I discovered treadmills. I had never used one assuming that as much as I hated to run I would hate to run stationary and indoors even more. But on a lark one day I gave it a try and found it wasn't too bad. Then I started doing it about twice a week. What I noticed was that my improvement was miniscule. Like .1 more miles before I had to stop jogging and start walking, or .15 miles before the 20 minute timer was over, or a few seconds less to finish a certain distance. But it was improvement. And it was so small that I would have never noticed it if I were jogging on the street or on a track. The positive feedback from the treadmill was great and it helped me keep with jogging far longer than I ever had before.

So I am not necessarily recommending a treadmill, but I am suggesting that if you are looking for positive feedback from noticeable improvement when you begin exercising that it might be necessary to measure yourself fairly closely. At least, it worked out that way for me.
posted by Tallguy at 4:29 PM on March 20, 2006

I'd bet on anemia, mostly because of the nausea. Get that physical.

With respect to stamina, I noticed significant stamina increase after 2 weeks of exercise (6 days a week). By 8 weeks I had quadrupled the amount of time I could spend exercising at my THR, from 15 minutes to 60 minutes of sustained cardio. I also do strength training 3 days a week and dabble in yoga and pilates when I'm in the mood. I'm 30, female, and an ex-smoker. Like you, I've never seriously exercised in my life until this year.
posted by xyzzy at 4:30 PM on March 20, 2006

Everybody is different. Go get a physical anyway. But remember, three weeks is not long. Expecting results that quick is a mistake despite the propaganda and claims by some. Relax. Make this scientific AND enjoyable.

So. Are you crossing your aerobic threshold each work out? Six day week? Ok. STOP. Stop doing what your doing immediately and evaluate your work out. A tired axiom is true: Less is often more.

Get a heart rate monitor - they come with a zone table for age and weight. It's worth the $80-$100 bucks or so. Do your Cardio work-outs two or three days per week - every other day - 20-25 minutes each using the monitor. But no more.

In each of those sessions monitor your heart rate. Do not rely on the auto monitors on most machines they don't work. Try to stay in lowest part of your zone for at least 20 minutes. It shouldn't feel too strenuous.

Then. Spike to your anaerobic threshold - that means get your HR up to 80-85% maximum - at least three times in that twenty minutes for about 30 seconds each. One great way to do this is get off the machine and skip rope, or do squat jumps, push ups any thing that is like a sprint. And that's it.

Don't go for 45 minutes or an hour. Wait for that. At least three months.

On your days between do your walks. Lift some weights or do yoga or something. But don't do ANY cardio where you get in into your zone.

Eat many small meal a day - up to six or eight. Avoid sugars. Especially at night. Including juice.

Do this for three weeks. If you still feel lethargic then you likely have a metabolism issue or maybe anemia - probably nothing to worry about. What you describe is really common.

Go slow. Stay with it.
posted by tkchrist at 5:57 PM on March 20, 2006

If you're puking after 15 minutes, you're pushing too hard. Back off a little. This is sound practice whether you're anaemic or not.

You may well be low on iron, and it's certainly a good idea to get that checked out; but whatever shape you're in, you'll do yourself no favours by pushing yourself to puking point every day.
posted by flabdablet at 7:02 PM on March 20, 2006

I'm obviously not sure about the anemia, but what it sounds like to me (and this is an echo of some other answers) is that you are just working out too hard. Since you've been sedentary so long, it's probable that the point at which your body would quickly exhaust itself (known as the lactic threshold or anaerobic threshold) is closer to your resting heart rate than a fit persons. What seems like it should not be much effort actually is, and you are simply working out too hard for as long as your body can take it. Building stamina (or endurance) is precisely working first on the ability to exercise at low intensity for a long period of time and then gradually increasing that intensity over time. Start out walking and then gradually add more strenuous exercise.
posted by OmieWise at 7:21 PM on March 20, 2006

I think OmieWise and the others suggesting overtraining are most likely right. Every day is too much for most people. Even elite athletes allow themselves regular time off.

Take the rest of the week off, and then restart, working out on alternate days or three days per week.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 9:06 PM on March 20, 2006

I just wanted to second BuddhaInABucket's recommendation for the Couch to 5K plan-- it did wonders for me. When I started I could barely last a minute, and now I'm putting in six kilometres three times a week and building on that.
posted by synecdoche at 9:21 PM on March 20, 2006

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but out of curiousity, does the couch to 5K plan work on treadmills or is it easier on a track/outside?
posted by echo0720 at 8:54 AM on March 21, 2006

Just a note in case anybody ever checks back here. I was dealing with a sudden and drastic reduciton in stamina when Zosia Blue asked this question. I've had anemia issues in the past but for some reason I didn't connect my fatigue with the possibility that I was anemic again. As soon as I read the answers it clicked. I started taking iron and Vitamin B supplements the next day and now, two weeks later, I feel far healthier and am building my workout stamina up again. Many thanks to all who've answered here!
posted by rhiannon at 12:32 AM on April 10, 2006

And for anyone who checks back - I went to the doctor, and it ends up I have asthma. Who knew? I only take in about 70% of the air I should be getting, so it makes sense why I'd get so winded with exercise.
posted by Zosia Blue at 9:31 PM on May 11, 2006