How Tired Should You Be After A Workout?

How Do You Feel  After a Workout?

It’s a common misbelief that you should feel tired after a workout. And in some cases, it’s true. However, when done properly, exercising can actually leave you with more energy than when you started.

Our bodies are very efficient machines.  They only do as much work as necessary. If our energy demand is low, so will the production of energy to meet that demand. At the heart of energy production are little “energy factories” called mitochondria within each cell. Basically their job is to take food and turn it into energy to fuel our body. The more energy we use, the harder mitochondria work to meet the energy demand – up to a point.

So if you’re feeling completely spent after a workout, it could be from any of these reasons.

How Tired Should You Be After A Workout?

Lack Of Energy

When you exercise, you burn calories. After all isn’t that the reason most people workout – especially if trying to lose weight? However if you’ve not eaten before working out, you might not have enough energy to get through a workout without feeling exhausted at the end.

Eat a small carbohydrate snack (like a bagel with cream cheese or toast with peanut butter) about an hour before working out. This will ensure you have enough glycogen in your muscles to power through a workout. Then about a half hour after a workout, eat again – something with carbohydrates and protein, like yogurt with fruit. The carbs help replace the energy your burned while working out and the protein helps get the process of repairing the microtears in your muscles going and making them stronger.

Dehydration

If not properly hydrated, you can feel lethargic and even dizzy after a workout. To prevent dehydration, start by drinking 3 cups of water starting about three hours before working out up to the time right before you start working out.

Then, drink about a cup of water per 20 minutes of working out. Drink about 3 cups of water per pound of weight lost during your workout. Monitor your hydration level by watching the color of your urine. If it’s dark yellow, drink more fluids.

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Lack Of sleep

You might be asking yourself what does sleep have to do with working out? The answer is a lot. You need around 7 to 8 eight hours of sleep to give your muscles the time they need to repair and rebuild. If you’re not getting this amount, your muscles are in a degraded state even before you work out and you’ll feel exhausted.

Not Warming Up or Cooling Down

When exercising, a lot of things are happening in your body. Your muscles and organs being worked are calling for more oxygen. This increases not only the flow of blood, but also the respiration rate in an effort to get in more air in so the blood can get it to the cells needing it.

But by warming up first, you are slowly increasing the level of respiration and blood flow instead of going from zero to full speed in a short amount of time. During a cool down, blood flow gradually returns to a normal level instead of pooling as it can right after a workout without a cool down. Pooling can make you feel more tired than you should be. Your breathing also gradually returns to a normal state.

Pushing Yourself Too Hard

If you’re doing everything else right and you’re still feeling more tired than you should, then maybe you are pushing yourself too hard for your fitness level. Try backing off the intensity or duration (or both) and see if it makes a difference. If so, then slowly work your way back up to a level you can maintain without feeling tired. Listen to your body. It will give you clues if you’re training at the right level or pushing too hard.

If none of this makes any difference, see your doctor to rule out any medical issues which could be causing your exhaustion.

Free Report: 6 Daily Habits To Boost Your Energy Levels

At one time or another, all of us can use a boost in our energy level. Because we are creatures of habit and function on bio-rhythms, getting into a daily routine of practicing certain habits will keep us going day-in and day-out. Download this free report, 6 Daily Habits To Boost Your Energy Levels  so that you can feel better and more energized after a workout.