Newbie - spewbie

[KittyB52]

Disclaimer: I am a very unfit 42 year old vegetarian sloth.

I had my first training session with a personal trainer at the gym near work today and while I (mostly) enjoyed the weights, I felt light headed and a bit sick straight afterwards. I suspect I hadn't eaten enough beforehand (having read about the perils of eating before working out, I erred on the side of caution). I felt off for most of the afternoon, even after eating.

Is there a way to avoid this feeling? I suspect I will be full of aches and pains tomorrow but I can cope with that - not sure I'd keep going if I am going to feel faint and sick each time though.

Reading online, advice varies about how much and when to eat before training so any advice that's worked for you would be appreciated.

[BumbleNova]

when you say off OP what do you mean? lightheaded? queasy? or just knackered?

silly question alert - did you drink enough water? tbh it is likely to be your lack of fuel beforehand, as long as you give yourself enough time to digest I would have a snack before you go. It helps with energy levels and you can train harder.

[CarriesBucketOfBlood]

Feeling sick after training is pretty normal for me, I don't find its down to eating beforehand, more that I have just worked really hard.

Cold water and gentle exercise, either on the treadmill or just rocking on the foam roller really help me.

Feeling weird all day is probably because you have worked your core muscles hard I reckon. It's a good feeling!

[KittyB52]

BumbleNova I felt lightheaded and slightly queasy. The knackered feeling came in later. I did sip water in between 'groups' (chunks?) of exercises.

I made myself go back to the gym yesterday despite my legs being really stiff, and I made sure I'd had something to eat about an hour before. I also made sure I drank even more water, and felt much better this time round.

I wouldn't be able to carry on exercising regularly if I felt light headed or sick afterwards though - I am slightly phobic about being sick, plus I am planning to go to the gym before work or in my lunch hour, so I won't have time to sit around 'recovering', I need to be showered and back at the office. Hopefully it was just a blip and now I know what and when to eat, it shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks.

[CarriesBucketOfBlood]

Kitty by going back to the gym you are doing exactly the right thing. Working through the discomfort (not pain!!!) is what changes your body and gets the results desired.

I would really recommend buying a foam roller for home. They're a tenner on eBay and you can do it while you're watching TV. Mine is the only thing that helps with my back and inner thigh. I won't say it's a pleasant feeling to use, but the feeling afterwards certainly is.

[KittyB52]

The trainer did mention the foam roller but when I said I was using a tennis ball on my thighs to help massage them, he seemed to think that would work OK. I am back at the gym on Monday so might try the roller then to see if I like it.

I am pretty much ache free today, but I'm taking my yoga strap and resistance band with me when we go away for the weekend so I can at least do some stretches in preparation for the gym on Monday morning. I am also filling in a food diary, so will get recommendations on my diet next week too.

[CarriesBucketOfBlood]

That sounds like a really great idea kitty, I wish I had your dedication!

The places that I can never massage enough are my inner thigh and shoulders. A hockey/ lacrosse ball is even more viscous effective than a tennis ball in case you need some extra deep tissue massage!

[KittyB52]

Thanks, I'll bear that in mind. The tennis ball seems to be teeth-gritting enough for me at the moment. And I was a bit too quick to declare that my legs had recovered, as I discovered over the weekend when I was playing with a friend's children.

Back to the gym tomorrow for the last PT session then if all goes well, I will be signing up and trying to get a weekly programme sorted. I'm hoping I can manage 3 times a week if I can alternate legs, arms, core etc., to allow me to recover.

[Nevergoingtolearn]

I started at the gym a months ago, first week I felt really sick after ( I'm phobic too so almost put me off ), I now go 4 times a week, spending a hour to an hour and a half there depending on how much energy I have, I usually do 45 minutes on the treadmill speed walking, followed by 20 minutes rowing, some days I spend 10 minutes doing weights or ropes. I have also started doing some basic exercises at home in the evenings using medicine balls and just working on core muscles. I still feel tired in the evenings but that's a good thing .

[KittyB52]

Never, I am also a bit phobic about being sick (I get really nervy when anyone at work mentions that their kids have had a bug in case I get it) so if the spewy feeling had been part of the deal, I wouldn't have continued. However, it doesn't seem to have come back since, and although I feel achy the day after a gym session, it's nowhere near as bad as the first time.

[MuttonDressedAsGoose]

The vomiting is caused by the blood rushing to big muscles, away from the digestive system. If your belly isn't very full, it's unlikely to be a problem. Body builders sometimes puke when they exercise their legs. They have huge quads and they eat ridiculous amounts of food.

However, some people are more pukey than others. I almost never vomit, no matter what. But I have felt slightly nauseous during very hard exercise a couple of times.

Eating a little something before will help. Just don't stuff yourself.

Your body will adjust and the stiffness will improve. However, you'll learn to love it, at the same time as you'll know it means you've worked hard.