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Do you ever feel more fatigued after exercise ?
For the last three weeks I have been incorporating more exercise into my daily life. I’ve been doing light exercise like walking, strength training, yoga, and pilates that incorporates light cardio and a total body workout. One of the biggest challenges I’m faced with is the amount of fatigue I feel after exercise.
In high school and throughout my first 18 years of life I was an athlete. Not only did I love sports for the competition, but I loved the adrenaline rush from exercise and the feeling of extra endorphins that kept me energized almost all day!
Fast forward to age 20 and up, and after further conditions with my heart, lungs, and PH, and I just don’t have the same feeling from exercise. It is frustrating to me that post exercise I feel completely wiped out 15 minutes later. I don’t feel the “high” from a workout and even though it’s just light exercise, I feel like I’m dragging myself through the day!
Do you ever deal with this increased fatigue post exercise? Have you discussed this with a doctor and received any suggestions? How do you stick with an exercise plan if you’re feeling exhausted? I am stuck with feeling like I’m doing something good for my body but at the same time, feeling so run down !
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10 Replies
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I definitely experienced increased fatigue with exercise. I would go for a slow hike and nap the rest of the day. As you build muscle, the exercise will put less strain on your heart and your tolerance should increase. I would stay at it, as long as you aren’t doing activities that make you feel lightheaded. Definitely discuss with your doctor and find out what warning signs you should look out for (mine highlighted the lightheadedness as the point I needed to stop). There’s more and more research suggesting that exercise benefits PH patients, but your CHD may complicate things.
Setting goals keeps me going. It would be really interesting if you logged how much you are able to do each day and see how it changes over time. Keep working toward your personal best, rather than comparing to your peers or to yourself before diagnosis.
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Thanks for the advice Kathleen. I’m sure my strength will build up over time ! Luckily I was exercising a bit before until I was hospitalized in February and stopped for a few months. It’s amazing that the body definitely has some type of muscle memory because I can already feel my muscles building back up pretty quickly. Keeping track of exercise would be a great idea. That way I could see improvements that would help motivate me and also can see any patterns in when my symptoms increase more with exercise. Great tips! Thank you 🙂
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I’ve never had the “endorphin high” from exercise – it’s always left me tired. I never understood when friends would say how energized they felt after exercise. One reason I think I’ve probably had PH all or most of my life. I’ve been known to go to the gym, then have to take a nap in my car before I had enough energy to drive home. I’ve gotten better at judging my fatigue levels over the years, and now usually quit before I get too tired to drive home, but I’ll still need a nap at home.
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Hi Debra,
I’m sorry that you have experienced that level of fatigue after going to the gym. I am really glad that you still stuck with it despite feeling that way and that you are able to read your body well and tell when you are getting too tired to continue ! It’s important to listen to what our bodies tell us. Do you get any other warning signs that tell you to slow down?
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Does anybody get extreme fatigue for a “couple of days” after vigorous exercise or activity?
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Hi Terry,
sometimes I get like that and just feel more run down. These are the days where if I am going to do any exercise at all, I stick to light yoga and just stretch and try to give my body rest. Do you continue with exercise or do you do something else on these days?
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On the days that the fatigue hits me, I have little energy to do anything but rest. My energy returns after a couple of days and I feel ready to exercise again. Does this sound like PH to you or something else?
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Hi Terry.
I can relate to your feelings. After my body having to work harder, it takes a toll. I am able to recover after a day or two though if I’m extremely exhausted after exercise. I guess it depends on how symptomatic I am. I would bring this up to your doctor if you haven’t and they would be able to tell you if it’s PH related for you! For me, it is !-
I feel fatigued before. So I don’t want to excersise. I’m exhausted.im not on any meds yet I was just diagnosed. Waiting to see a pulmonary dr.
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Kathy,
I hope that the doctors that you see will be able to give you some advice as to what medications would be best for you. Hopefully after that you will have a little bit more energy to begin with. I’m sure getting into any kind of exercise will be tough. Make sure to ask your doctor about any limitations you would have and exercises that they would suggest staying away from. You don’t want any more difficulty on top of managing this condition! Keep us posted.
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