As title really.

Why is it after doing exercise I feel crap with headache and generally run down ?

Take tonight for instance… I’ve run 5km on the treadmill(second run in about 8 weeks) and then 5 Mile ride home. This was at 17:40. I had my tea and sorted kids out for bed and I’m now sat on the sofa aching and have a big headache and generally feel shit?

Why ??

Dehydration? How much water do you drink in a day?

generally run down

kids

headache

generally feel shit

probably the **** in bolds fault, mine will be the ruin of me,

Drinking enough water?

Serious question. I used to feel like that after exercise (admittedly a bit more than what you’ve done today, but still felt like that). I did THAT diet which tells you to drink a lot of water.

6-8 glasses of water a day instead of tea made me feel soooo much better, but no headache after exercise and more awake all the time.

I’d second dehydration……and kids!
Eliminate one of the causes and repeat, see what happens 😆

Getting enough protein?
Shakes worked for me

APF

Not sure it is dehydration as I drink loads of water through the day.

When I got home from the gym/work I had 2 pints of water to. One before dinner and one with.

Oh and chicken breast salad for lunch so that covers protein.

Weather has changed recently if you hadn’t found out already.
I swear the cloudy weather brings heavy heady aching heads and pronounced glands in neck.

I usually find to battle on through it and do more exercise helps.

Or get a bike fit 😛

Or low blood sugar? Can sometimes get a headache with any lows I get……are you in the risk group for type 2 ( is it in the family, poor lifestyle, lack of sleep, shift working, irregular meals?) just a suggestion particularly I’df you’re drinking gallons of water and peeling for England.
My other suggestion is have you had your eyes checked recently……I developed terrible headaches in the evening/night until I ended up with glasses for distance….didn’t realise my distance vision had deteriorated (at the time tiny amount but the difference at night with glasses was unbelievable).

I’d suggest low blood sugar too, but beware I am not a Doctor nor offer a cure.

I’ve been tested for diabetes and its all come back negative.

I reckon I drink about 8 – 10 pints of water a day.

Glasses were done 4 months ago.

I’ve only just started back at the gym this week (Mon,weds,fri) and also riding to work all week.

I’ve also just started to cut bread out of my diet in a bid to lose some weight. Sandwiches replaced by salad at lunch ?

not enough carbs

ctfu

I’ve only just started back at the gym this week (Mon,weds,fri) and also riding to work all week.

What were you doing before this?

Edit : As in exercise regime

I used to be the same, got put onto so SiS products, an electrolyte drink for during training and a recovery shake for after. Sorts me right out and feel pretty fresh afterwards and the following days.

I reckon I drink about 8 – 10 pints of water a day.

That’s… a lot. Are you drinking out of thirst or habit?

The recommendation, IIRC, is 2L of water a day; but that includes water inherent in food. If I were you I’d be re-testing for diabetes and drinking something other than just water when exercising.

Overhydration

Id say low blood sugar too. I get this if I don’t remember to eat to compensate for the exertion. Or try a pint of milk afterwards.

SiS product

palatable but full of chemicals

Are you unfit ? Are you overweight ? If a bit of both then exercise hurts and you tend to feel a bit crap. I find its only when I’m actually fit, the right weight, and exercising most days that I actually feel properly good post exercise 🙂

8-10 pints is probably too much … could be something going on with blood sugar maybe?? Or just too much water

palatable but full of chemicals

To be honest I find them quite good, don’t make me feel like crap and I get them at 50% retail. After recovering from serious injury and surgery, they’ve certainly aided me to get back to full fitness. And are approved by my employer, so no drug test failure!

I feel crap just thinking about excercise, crap during it but not so bad afterwards. What’s that all about?!

I’ve only just started back at the gym this week (Mon,weds,fri) and also riding to work all week.

By that do you mean you’ve suddenly become active after a break from general exercise?, might need to get used to it again and start with less activities?.

I drink that much water out of habit to be honest. Lots of time in Afghanistan got me into said habit.

When I say returning to exercise I mean that I’ve just started back in the gym doing cardio after a break. I’ve still be riding to work everyday and also cycling off road a bit too.

I am unfit (very tbh) and also overweight @113kgs.

I want to drop at least 15kg.

renton – Member
I drink that much water out of habit to be honest. Lots of time in Afghanistan got me into said habit.

I hear ya!

I am unfit (very tbh) and also overweight @113kgs.

I think you have just answered your own question, however it will get better 😀

Maybe it is over hydration. I always feel bloated too

It’s not so much the total volume as the big hit of 2 pints after exercise – you’re going from moderately dehydrated (due to exercise) to considerably over hydrated from taking about 25% of your daily water in what, about 10-15 minutes?

Are you unfit ? Are you overweight ? If a bit of both then exercise hurts and you tend to feel a bit crap. I find its only when I’m actually fit, the right weight, and exercising most days that I actually feel properly good post exercise

I’m unfit and overweight. Just had a big ride, which hurt like hell at the end.
Now I feel oarsum.

So many things it could be but from what you have written Renton here’s a few things to think about:

8-10 litres your going to be flushing out electrolytes, then sweating them out when you train.
I also agree 2 pints after exercise is unlikely to help.
If your chicken salad doesn’t contain enough carbs and by extension your diet you may be running and exhausting your glycogen stores and burning muscle for energy.
What kind of carbs are you taking in? White rice, choc ect are through your system with the half hour or so and cause your blood sugars to peak and then fall right of (the low blood sugar that has been suggested) so your not fueled effectively for exercise. Try to include complex carbs as far as possible, simple carbs for during in or within 30mins of finishing exercise.
I also find a recovery protein shake helps, something with protein, simple carbs and a bit of creatine for a bit of ooomph. I use my protein recovery xs to great effect.

Sounds like lack of water and/or pastie.

I started getting what my GP reckons are Migranes after starting at the Gym.

Like as been said, I was drinking enough but not too much so I put it down to simply just doing too much. I was doing 3 x Cardio sessions per week, couple of 8-10 mile bike rides a week and a longer ride at weekend.

Knocking back the Gym to 2 sessions per week has sorted it out at the moment so will have to see how I get on.

Vitamin C? Essential for energy release. I take half a 500mg fizzy tablet about half an hour before I start. Helps me feel more lively after my sessions, without it I always feel drained about an hour or two post exercise.

I drink a similar amount of water to the OP, maybe more. The recommended daily intake of 3 litres is an average, probably based on someone sitting at a desk all day. I feel like crap if I don’t drink enough water. Also, too much sugar, particularly from fizzy drinks etc will make me feel pretty wretched these days.

As for feeling bloated op, watch what you’re eating and weigh yourself every morning. I notice that if I eat soft white bread or crisps my weight the next day jumps waaay up. It’s all just water weight, but it can easily be 3-4 pounds difference for just a few slices of bread. Seems to act like a sponge and my system hordes the water instead of pissing it out.

After a couple of hours I felt fine last night.

Do you think I need a protein recovery drink after a 5km run ?

JIMJAM that’s why I’m trying to cut bread and crisps out of my diet. It’s not right waking up feeling bloated is it ?

There is some evidence that your fat cells can act as a store for pollutants, which it seems get released back into your system if you burn fat.
http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v35/n5/full/ijo2010188a.html
https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?es_sm=93&um=1&ie=UTF-8&lr&q=related:mviEDvqAXlm7LM:scholar.google.com/

This might not be your issue, but it is a possible explanation as to why exercise makes you feel crap. I frequently get mild flu symptom’s after hard exercise which I haven’t got to the bottom of.

renton

JIMJAM that’s why I’m trying to cut bread and crisps out of my diet. It’s not right waking up feeling bloated is it ?

No, I wouldn’t say so. I can see/feel quite a difference if I’ve been eating too much bread or it’s the weekend and I’ve been gorging on kettle chips or something. Calorie intake might be pretty similar, maybe even lower but difference in weight in the morning can be profound, and yeah, I can feel a bit crappy.

Just cut out bread completely, you’ll feel much better for it. Substitute nuts or beef jerky for crisps, you’ll struggle to snack with the same regularity.

I used to go running regularly, and for a while (months), whenever I ran more than about 6 miles, I had a headache and upset stomach afterwards. This eventually wore off, and I assumed it was because my body was getting used to the running.

I’m no doctor, but the key (for me) is to listen to your body, and not to overdo anything. Build up to it.

Lots of things could be happening here.

Could be over training, you’ve only recently started back, ease into it…it’ll come in its own time, if I’ve had a lay off I’ll only run a mile or so when starting over again.

Depleted/low sugars post exercise…don’t go overboard but follow exercise with a small shake or meal consisting of carbs, protein and fat….then about an hour later do the same again, small though!

Bring your water back down to 3 litres a day, see how you feel.

Mix things up, are you doing any weights?…people get obsessed with cardio when trying to lose weight and hammer themselves into painful joints, fatigue etc….go easy and fit some weights in there too.

May also be getting the headaches from the carb reduction in the same way people who cut out coffee get headaches, think withdrawal but not as dramatic as drugs obviously!

It looks like you’ve put in place loads of good lifestyle changes but done them all at once and potentially to an extreme for you.
Try some of the above and see how you get on.