What would cause someone to suddenly have a lot of energy?

March 16, 2023 7:49 PM

I'm a long-time cyclist and am in pretty good shape. During my last two rides, I have just flown on the bike. It has been so easy. I have a ton of energy and am not a bit spent when I get done with my ride. What in the world might be the source of all this energy? My eating and sleeping habits have not changed. (I googled, and the only results I could find were ways to conquer low energy.)
posted by SageTrail to Health & Fitness (22 answers total)

Have you changed your diet so that you are getting
more iron?
more vitamin C?
more vitamin D?
more B vitamins?
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:00 PM on March 16, 2023

Seasonal change?
posted by wellifyouinsist at 8:06 PM on March 16, 2023

Ovulating?
posted by lizard music at 8:17 PM on March 16, 2023

Daylight Saving Time, if that just happened where you live?
posted by janell at 8:17 PM on March 16, 2023

Was your bike just worked on? New tires? Pumped up the tubes to their optimal pressure?

Also, some days are just like magic. Sometimes you know why. Sometimes you don’t.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 8:19 PM on March 16, 2023

Tail wind? I don't feel tail winds unless I check the surrounding vegetation, it just feels faster than usual.
posted by aniola at 8:30 PM on March 16, 2023

As a cyclist, +1 tail wind

Is it showing up in other areas of your life, or just on your bike?
posted by Questolicious at 8:37 PM on March 16, 2023

I live someplace where the weather just got nice, and that’s made me a feel a lot peppier on my bike. So that, or a tailwind.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:59 PM on March 16, 2023

Did you have an unexpected few days off from biking? I've found that a slightly longer than usual break makes me very energetic when I get back into anything physical, if it's not too long.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 11:15 PM on March 16, 2023

Did you get stronger? Resistance and power training makes suuuch a difference on the bike
posted by eastboundanddown at 1:40 AM on March 17, 2023

If you've started a physical job or hobby thet gains can sometimes surprise you!
posted by eastboundanddown at 1:41 AM on March 17, 2023

This happens to me occasionally. My bike racer partner used to say it was glycogen in my muscles. I don't think that can be all of it but I do think the foods you eat make energy available to you at times you don't expect it. I also get extra energy right before I get very hungry, or when stressed to varying degrees. (I don't really track my blood sugar, which is normal, but I got an elevated test one time and my doctor told me it was because I was stressed.)

I've been getting it lately while taking L-Theanine. I say "while" because it may be a conincidence.
posted by BibiRose at 4:35 AM on March 17, 2023

Did you have COVID last year? I had a maybe case very early on (the first March), symptoms definitely didn’t meet the testing criteria at the time. I felt out of shape all the following summer. At one point, came back to some exercise and had energy again.
posted by eviemath at 5:14 AM on March 17, 2023

Have you recently fallen in love?
posted by heatherlogan at 6:12 AM on March 17, 2023

"During my last two rides, I have just flown on the bike." Is this objective, i.e. did you measure speed / power output?

The reason I ask is I sometimes feel like I'm caning it on my bike but look down and the speedo is showing a slower speed than I had assumed, other times feel like a slog but the speedo says I'm actually going at a fair clip.

How long did the ride last?
posted by Kiwi at 6:17 AM on March 17, 2023

My rides yesterday were about 10% faster than anything else in 2023 and I'm attributing it to warmer temperatures.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:21 AM on March 17, 2023

Maybe some factor that was holding you down a bit has lifted? Like, for (unlikely) example, carbon monoxide leak now fixed? Life stress lifted? Sun has come out? Cleaner air?
posted by bluesky78987 at 7:10 AM on March 17, 2023

If you live where there's a big seasonal variation in daylight length, Daylight Savings Time probably means brighter sun during your rise. And it's stronger because of impending Spring, anyway. The other thing that can really affect my energy is B12; if I have been a bit low, then eat more meat, I feel it.

It was quite warm and sunny yesterday in Maine; the sun was perceptibly stronger and warmer, def. gave me a boost.
posted by theora55 at 7:58 AM on March 17, 2023

Lots of good possibilities above. One possibility I didn't see mentioned was caffeine. There have been times where I forgot to specify "decaf" or accidentally got somebody else's order at a coffeeshop and BOY HOWDY did that make a difference.
posted by adekllny at 8:28 AM on March 17, 2023

Are you a person that menstruates? Hormonal shifts can impact energy levels/ability to workout.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:43 AM on March 17, 2023

Tailwinds!
posted by sixswitch at 5:55 PM on March 17, 2023

For me it was a hyperthyroid problem. Lost a bunch of weight and had a great time, until I got worried about the increased heartrate.
posted by turkeybrain at 8:15 PM on March 18, 2023