PTs/people who got fit, help please

[Kat1953]

After a long period of ill health, I'm overweight and unfit. Decided to change this by joining a gym...I've not gone in guns blazing, I've started with strength and body conditioning classes 1-3 times a week (although I don't usually manage 3) and going for a walk if I can each week.

I'd like to start increasing my exercise but I this isn't happening because my word I get tired!

It's been brilliant for my sleep but is it normal to feel this tired when starting to get fit?? Am I doing something wrong?

I can't find anything online about this and I'm 3 months in and am in my early 30s...I thought my stamina would have improved by now!

I promise it gets easier! I joined the gym about 5 years ago after a long period of basically no exercise (two children born etc) and I used to fall asleep on the sofa in the afternoon, I was totally shattered!
Just keep at it, have some early nights and good food and you’ll soon feel tired but only at bedtime.

It doesn’t feel like it ever gets easier because you increase it every time (sometimes without realising). Have you found you are walking quicker/ longer or lifting heavier weights?

Well done for the 3 months making it part of your routine is the hardest part! Every 6 weeks or so have a bit of a shake up and swap the exercises about a bit so you don’t get bored.

PT here. This is not medical advice blah blah blah.

Impossible to say for sure. It could just be that your stamina is taking a while to catch up. It could be that you're not eating the right things, at the right times, to support whatever workouts you're doing.

Also: you do mention a long period of ill-health in your OP. I'd be wondering if there was some residual energy level imbalance or if you're still actually recovering from your illness. (Not prying here, and definitely not asking you to put details of your condition on this thread.)

Only you can know for sure if the kind of tiredness you're experiencing is abnormal for you or not, but if you haven't already you might want to have a quick chat with your GP. Some long-term illnesses can have long-term energy impacts, annoyingly.

In broader terms, stamina is a funny thing. So many things can affect it -- how much sleep you're getting, how much water you're drinking, what kind of food you're eating (and how much of it) and even stuff like mood and emotional state.

Can you see a difference in what you're doing? I don't know what sort of exercises your class involves but say if it was 60 seconds of jogging on the spot - did you start by having to have a breather every 20 seconds, and now you can do 30 or 40 without stopping? After three months of even only one or two classes a week you'd expect to see some improvements in your strength and stamina.

Couch to 5k is a classic for improving your fitness and getting into some casual running/jogging. When you start and it asks you walk for 90 seconds then run/jog for 60 seconds and repeat several times, the minute long runs seem like they last a lifetime. But by week six you can run for 25 minutes without stopping! Even if you repeat some weeks to give yourself more time, it's a clear progress of improvement with only half an hour or so of effort three times a week.

Just throwing out there for good measure - women feeling run down and tired, low iron levels are a classic. If you haven't had yours tested lately good to get that checked out.

Thank you so much for your replies. I was a bit brain dead yesterday as felt really drained so sorry I'm responding a bit late.

My strength has improved, its not back to where it used to be yet and I wouldn't expect so but it really has got better.

I've been doing yoga and pilates classes so far and would like to start including some weight training and Couch to 5k.

My diet could be improved - more on balance of how healthily I'm eating rather than amount of calories. I average 1200-1500cal per day but this can certainly shoot up to 2000 if I've indulged. Which I try not to not do (getting it right about 50/50) but I decided to work on one habit at a time and knew that I'd feel more encouraged to address my diet when I was more active. I've not lost weight yet, not hugely surprised but it would have been nice 😆

I'm recovering from severe burnout, I do have IBD but it's in remission and has been for a long time. Recent routine tests since Xmas confirm this. It does mean I can't tolerate a full 5aday with fruit and veg, or whole grains and I need one carb based meal a day to keep my digestion happy. I try to ensure this is oats or potato based but if im eating badly (or too tired to cook) its likely to be toast.

Blood tests in Feb came back fine and my skin and hair are both in good condition, they tend to show signs if I'm lacking in something. I had an iron infusion last summer and have eaten more red meat since to keep up iron levels...Otherwise, I eat a lot of fish with steamed veg or salad. Weaknesses tend to be crisps (I avoid buying them!)

I cancelled a pilates class yesterday because I felt so drained. I'd done two hours of pilates the day before, which doesn't feel like much. I average 7-9 hours sleep a night and am debating going to the gym for an hour this evening just to be moving if nothing else. I tend to have at least 3 rest days per week, I know my body needs time to recover while getting fit again. Even still, there's at least one day when I have a nap.

I'm signed off work (currently in talks to go back on reduced hours) so I can't blame that either atm. It just feels so strange that exercise leaves me drained for a good two days or so. I feel I'm reaching the limit with what docs can test for and help with - and I've escaped covid (I think) so I'm honestly feeling stumped.

Sorry for the long post but you've each been so considered with your replies, I wanted to ensure I covered a response to all of you... I have wondered if it's still that my energy hasn't recovered but was hoping getting fit would help more.

If you think focusing on my diet is likely to help please don't shy away from telling me. I think I just want to know this is either normal or fixable!

Thank you x

I'd say that you need to get a cardio class in there to get your heart rate up. That's what will improve your fitness levels more than anything.yoga and Pilates aren't (in my opinion) energetic enough.
Try swapping one of the classes for an aerobics style class or do the c25k.

What's your resting heart rate ?

Atm (having a lazy Saturday morning in bed) it's 66bpm but usually I calculate it at about 72.

Thank you, it's quite cool here today so seems like a good time to try Couch to 5k