Feeling worn out instead of Fit

R

RhiannonW

Cathlete
Cathe and Educated Crowd,

I've been working out intensely for 15 years - doing step for 10. By intensely, I mean 6-7 days a week for 50-60 minutes per workout and not taking time off from exercising. For the last year I've cut down to 5 days a week. A couple of months ago I started doing 4 days cardio and 2 days wt training. I thought cutting back cardio a little might be the change I needed. However, I still feel worn out instead of fit. I want to feel energized and lively. Instead, I feel physically exhausted all the time. I just took a 4 day break thinking that might help too, but it didn't.
Is my body just worn out from not taking breaks over these past 15 years? Is there any help for me? I'm 36, have 2 kids - 3 yrs and 1 1/2. I take a prenatal vitamin with iron(though I'm not pregnant). I eat fairly healthy, though consume more sweets than I should. I don't need to lose weight, I just want to maintain all I have invested over these past 15 years.

Thank you for any input/advice.
 
Hi, Rhiannon!

From what you've described, it could very well be that you are experiencing the effects of long-term overtraining. And, it might also be that you are also experiencing a long-term, ongoing adjustment to the never-ending demands of child-raising, which are mental/emotional as well as material/physical.

That said, maybe if you posted what you are doing these days for cardio and strength, in terms of mode, intensity, duration and frequency, we might be able to offer some more practical suggestions on your fitness program. In addition, you may want to speak with a personal trainer who can do fitness assessments AND a registered dietician who could give you good personalized recommendations.

Annette
 
Thank you for responding. I'm desperate for input on this.

Currently here's my workout regimen;

Mon - Cathe's Strong Legs, Back and Triceps
Tue - off
Wed - PowerMax
Thu - High intense step 50-60 min, plus wts Legs,Back,Tri;abs
Fri - off
Sat - MIC
Sun - IMAX

I get about 7 - 7 1/2 hours sleep at night, though interrupted 1 - 3 times usually.
 
Hi, Rhiannon!

I second Jeanne's emotion about getting a thorough check-up; it could very well be that your feeling of being worn out has causes above and beyond your workout scheme right now. It's especially notable that you're still feeling worn out in spite of getting an average of 7-7.5 hours of sleep a night. It could be that you need more sleep during a 24-hour period. It could also be that you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency or some other issue that needs to be addressed.

With regard to your current program, what you may want to consider is diversifying your program to bring in briefer hi/lo segments and kickbox, and consider performing a cardio and strengthening component in each workout bout, rather than splitting up between cardio and strength training. CTX would be good for that, obviously, especially for time-challenged moms!

From what I can see, with the exception of MIC, your cardio program is exclusively step, and part of your sense of being worn out is the body-brain boredom of doing one mode of cardio to the exclusion of others.

Finally, in focusing exclusively on the PS Legs, Back and Tris, you are omitting pectoral and shoulder (deltoid) strengthening, and this is a mistake; you need to maintain even strength among all of the various muscle pairs (pecs/upper back, abs/lower back, bis/tris, hamstrings/quads, glutes/hip flexors). I think it would be well advised to develop a total body program where all of the majors are banged at least once a week, and vary the workout with MIS or Slow and Heavy.

All of that to say: check with your doctor first, and give some thought also to a personal trainer and a registered dietician as well as fine-tuning your program.

Let us know how you get on!

Annette
 
Could you allow yourself to take at least a week off from exercise, and maybe two? Then see how you feel, and get yourself checked if you still feel worn out.

You'd be amazed about what a week off will do for you. You won't get fat, either, in that short a period of time if you're worried about that!
 
Could be:

1) the fact that you never get an uninterrupted night's sleep and therefore you are short changed. This will definitely affect your energy levels more than anything else, in my experience also with two kids and working outside the home while trying to maintian fitness. Can you leave kids with loving grandparents once in a while in order to go get some real shut eye without an alarm clock? As the kids get older, this will get better, promise.

2) iron deficiency, anaemia. Get doctor to run haemoglobin tests.

3) thyroid deficiency. Again, get doctor's chech up.

4) Any possible hormonal fluctuations going on do you think?

5) Doing Powermax, MIC and IMAx every week is punishing. These are some of those most challenging you could pick and it never gives your body a break. Try mixing up your cardio to vary the intensity. Try Rythmic Step so that you try a dancier pace for change and maybe have more fun. Try power walking to get yourself outside and smell the roses while you exercise (I do this once every two weeks or so when I am yawning with boredom from step routines and it really energizes. It will not at all sacrifice your fitness level. I promise.) Go for w hike with the baby in a back pack carrier, no reason why the kids should hold you back, etc....

6) You need someone generally to help you pick up the slack and give you a break from mothering. Some time to yourself, a walk, trip to the mall on your own, see a movie, go to a yoga class, hang out with girlfriends. No-one can mother 100 % of the time and not feel tired. It may just be that it's not your fitness routine that's dragging you down but the constant need to be alert, be on mother duty, etc.

Hope some of this works for you

Clare
 
My sincere 'thanks' to all of you who have responded. You're wonderful people to care about other's worries and issues.
Thanks again for sharing info/advice.
 
I am a physician (pediatrician I admit!) but I think the most important thing you need to do at this point is go to a physician for a thorough evaluation. Although could be exercise burn-out or just general fatigue from the exhausting job of taking care of small children, etc. ...those are diagnoses of exclusion for someone who sounds as healthy and well adjusted as you are!. Good luck and I hope things get better.
 
Once you do rule out illness, here's another workout rotation suggestion. Try all-cardio weeks (must have variety) alternating with all-strength weeks. Each cardio week can have one light total-body strength day. Each strength week can have a light cardio day (not Interval Max). Be creative.

One day each week (besides rest day) must be light intensity. Be sure to check off an ab day 2-3 times a week. By that I mean do about ten minutes of ab work whether planks, ball work, traditional crunches, or whatever it may be. Like one Cathe ab routine.

Maybe this framework will make it easier to put your month in perspective. A whole week gives your maturing body more time to get into the groove of, and focus on a particular aspect of fitness.

Anyway good luck. Remember, visualize yourself fit at fifty and pace yourself.

-Connie
 
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