Feeling exhausted after workouts?

Define exhausted. 1. Are you primarily sleepy, like you feel this overwhelming need to go back to sleep after a sprint practice? Take this reliable test to see your sleepiness level: www.stanford.edu/.../epworth.html (brought to my attention by masters swimmer, Mayo internist, and all around great guy, Jaegermeister) Yes, that. My Epworth score is about a 21 out of 24. Seriously. I really want to sleep after a hard sprint workout. The only one of those events that doesn't have a high chance of dozing for me is sitting and talking to someone. (I've never fallen asleep while talking to someone!). My job, on the other hand, involves a lot of sitting and reading/writing. *snooze* 2. Are you primarily shakey, trembly, feeling almost faint, all of the above topped off with hunger pangs and fantasies of Snickers bars? Then you might well have hypoglycemia of exercise. My recommendation: a packet of Gu Chomps before practice, and a glass of chocolate milk afterwards. Shakey, trembly, faint... yes. Hungry... not noticeably. But those symptoms do all pass after I eat something. The chocolate milk does help. 3. Are you just physically worn out, almost like you have been weight lifting to the point of failure, your muscles just can't function anymore? Not really. I think I have more "muscles" than "air" (perhaps related to the fact that I have asthma). It sounds like you might have a bit of all three, which are distinct variations on "exhausted" though many people tend to describe them all with the same words, like "tired" "spent" or "worn out." My guess is it's predominantly #3, which should improve as your body adapts to sprinting stress. There are probably overtones of #2, especially given that you are sprinting after fasting since your previous meal the night before. You may also be getting up too early -- or not going to bed early enough -- and maybe even not sleeping great the nights before the sprint practice ordeal! Nope, I'd say it's predominantly #1 with a bit of #2. And that just makes it hard for me to get anything done the rest of the day, which is a problem. I should mention that I am eating breakfast between 7-8 am, working out at 11, and then having lunch. Exhausted the rest of the day. So, not working out on a totally empty stomach, just empty-ish. I've figured out that 3 hrs is the min. amount for me to eat a meal and be able to swim afterward, though as I noted above I'm experimenting with doing more sit-ups and eating a banana 1 hour before workout. I sleep about 7-8 hrs a night. Thanks for the clarifications, by the way. I hadn't thought about the different ways that one can be exhausted. So, what's to be done about #1?? I should mention that I am not generally inclined to nap like that... just after a hard sprint workout. So, I don't think it's a lack of sleep, at least not primarily.

Define exhausted. 1. Are you primarily sleepy, like you feel this overwhelming need to go back to sleep after a sprint practice? Take this reliable test to see your sleepiness level: www.stanford.edu/.../epworth.html (brought to my attention by masters swimmer, Mayo internist, and all around great guy, Jaegermeister) Yes, that. My Epworth score is about a 21 out of 24. Seriously. I really want to sleep after a hard sprint workout. The only one of those events that doesn't have a high chance of dozing for me is sitting and talking to someone. (I've never fallen asleep while talking to someone!). My job, on the other hand, involves a lot of sitting and reading/writing. *snooze* 2. Are you primarily shakey, trembly, feeling almost faint, all of the above topped off with hunger pangs and fantasies of Snickers bars? Then you might well have hypoglycemia of exercise. My recommendation: a packet of Gu Chomps before practice, and a glass of chocolate milk afterwards. Shakey, trembly, faint... yes. Hungry... not noticeably. But those symptoms do all pass after I eat something. The chocolate milk does help. 3. Are you just physically worn out, almost like you have been weight lifting to the point of failure, your muscles just can't function anymore? Not really. I think I have more "muscles" than "air" (perhaps related to the fact that I have asthma). It sounds like you might have a bit of all three, which are distinct variations on "exhausted" though many people tend to describe them all with the same words, like "tired" "spent" or "worn out." My guess is it's predominantly #3, which should improve as your body adapts to sprinting stress. There are probably overtones of #2, especially given that you are sprinting after fasting since your previous meal the night before. You may also be getting up too early -- or not going to bed early enough -- and maybe even not sleeping great the nights before the sprint practice ordeal! Nope, I'd say it's predominantly #1 with a bit of #2. And that just makes it hard for me to get anything done the rest of the day, which is a problem. I should mention that I am eating breakfast between 7-8 am, working out at 11, and then having lunch. Exhausted the rest of the day. So, not working out on a totally empty stomach, just empty-ish. I've figured out that 3 hrs is the min. amount for me to eat a meal and be able to swim afterward, though as I noted above I'm experimenting with doing more sit-ups and eating a banana 1 hour before workout. I sleep about 7-8 hrs a night. Thanks for the clarifications, by the way. I hadn't thought about the different ways that one can be exhausted. So, what's to be done about #1?? I should mention that I am not generally inclined to nap like that... just after a hard sprint workout. So, I don't think it's a lack of sleep, at least not primarily.