So I used to be super into fitness in my early 20s. I was in awesome shape and then my life got chaotic and a couple moves later I’m in terrible shape. Okay, maybe not terrible, but not where I want to be. I started going back to my old workout routine when my husband started having health issues that the doctor recommended diet and exercise for, and I felt totally fine until about a week later when I hit a wall.
Despite having adequate sleep of good quality (according to my Fitbit), I am EXHAUSTED and even feeling feverish. My temp is normal though. Is it normal to feel super lethargic when you start working out again after a long (5-year) hiatus from serious training and a 1.5-year hiatus from the gym? In addition, I’m restricting my calories and eating more proteins and good fats and have been 700-800 calories under almost every day for the past week.
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09-09-2019, 01:34 AM #1
Started working out again... feeling extremely exhausted and almost feverish
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09-09-2019, 04:43 AM #2
It's normal for it to be a bit exhausting, but it sounds like you may be overdoing both your workout and diet - although more details on each would be needed for specific advice.
In general - if you're in "terrible shape", but you jumped immediately back into your old workout routine from 5 yrs ago when you were in "awesome shape", you likely need to scale back a little. You now are more of a beginner again and should train accordingly, at least initially.
Although it's not clear how you are calculating your 700-800 cal deficit, you likely need to eat a little more to fuel both your workouts and recovery (and maybe eat a little ahead of and after your workouts, but you can play w/ that based on how you feel once you start eating more). You should also make sure you're drinking enough water in general and during your workouts - since some of it sounds like dehydration.
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09-09-2019, 05:23 AM #3
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You don't need to batter yourself from the word go. When you haven't trained in earnest for a while, your body is very responsive to training, you can achieve a lot without busting a gut.
The smart thing to do is to keep increases in workload back in reserve - for later on when you need them to keep progress moving.
This is why we recommend 3x a week routines for novices that have only a handful of exercises and a total of about 6-9 hard sets for each bodypart in total over the course of a week.
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09-09-2019, 03:01 PM #4
When getting back into things, starting out with a minimum of 3-4 days a week is a good way to start. If you have been out of the routine for 5 years, its best to start out light and gradually work your way back into things. At first, it will be hard to get back to the kind of activity you did when you were doing previously when you were really active.
It's like someone that is starting out running for the first time. Starting out with a mile is always smart. Then gradually increase the amount of miles you do as your body starts to become more accustomed with the routine.
Having the proper amount of food is important so you know your body has enough fuel for the workouts. Drinking lots of water is super important as well. Going too hard and too fast in the beginning can become discouraging. Best of luck with everything!
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09-10-2019, 02:49 PM #5
Sounds like it could have been too much too soon. Maybe try scaling back to like 50% of your old routine at first... Then gradually building up.
On the other hand maybe there were just some germs at the gym, that you weren't used to? That plus the increased stress lowering your immune system.
Either way, scaling back to 50% until you feel better will probably help. Eventually you will feel healthier.
Also, careful not to overly restrict your calories... That could cause issues, too.My workout journal
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