Feeling tired a week after starting fitness routine

[GandTnow]

Just wanted to know if this was normal, I want to try and tone up, exercise for fitness sake rather than lose weight. I love Jillian Micheals DVDs and have done the Shred and Ripped a while back, however, now when I try and do them I can get to about week 2/3 and then just feel so tired I stop. Not sure what to do about this, just wondered if anyone else had this problem and what they have done about it.

TIA

[penstemon]

I am like this. I think it is because I am too enthusiastic at the start. I go from nothing (whilst kidding myself that I have a base level of fitness), start doing something like the 30 Day Shred so am doing something every day, as I am pretty busy anyway, I end up having to do it at 11pm or at 6am and, even if I do it at 8pm, it just postpones what I would normally be doing at that time - whether it is ironing, sorting out stuff for the DC or just MNing.

[theptidad]

Hi,

Army reservist/ personal trainer/ dad.

Just a couple quick questions to help me answer you better...

What is your diet like? How much sleep do you get? How much water are you drinking?

All of these will effect your ability to perform. As you progress your muscles are going to need more rest to be able to recover and grow which is why you need the sleep.
You'll need effective nutrition to give you the energy. Fruit and veg, protein and carbs, cooked from scratch ideally. Junk foods aren't going to give you the energy you need to sustain an exercise programme.

I'm not saying you're going down micky D's every night but a brief overview of your diet would help me I.D. any areas for improvement.
Personally I always feel far more energetic after a bowl of porridge than toast for example (and there is a nutritional reason for that).

Lastly being hydrated is vital. And I mean water none of this sport drink nonsense. In the Army I've seen guys who are rested and well fed pass out and collapse because they haven't drunk enough water (especially in hot weather). Likewise I've seen poorly rested, hungry guys who have drunk enough fly through a fitness task.

The other thing might be your body just really needs some time to rest and regroup. I have also had this. A few weeks ago I smashed around Pen Y Fan and Corn Du, 7 miles in 2 hours wearing a 15kg pack. (this was after a 3am start for work finishing at 8am). I was physically unable to do anything properly for 4 days afterwards and I ate like a newborn baby. However on day 5 I was back to normal.

Listen to your body. Sometimes it needs the rest. So take the rest until you feel able again and then continue. Effort is relative so if you've pushed yourself super hard for 2-3 weeks your body is going to need a break to adapt. However once it is done adapting you'll come back even stronger.

So in summary; Diet - eat well. Drink loads of water (pee should be light coloured), get enough sleep and listen to your body. Don't give up if your body needs a rest, allow yourself the rest before continuing. Effort is relative and subjective to you personally, don't beat yourself up for needing to recover.

Usain Bolt slept for hours before and after breaking the 100m WR. Your body needs time sometimes. :)