PLEASE help me sort my stamina!!!

[Shortofchange]

I have horrendous stamina but nothing is helping it!

I used to dread sports at school- I was skinny, long legged and everyone expected me to be good at it but I hated the feeling of my heart going so fast and feeling like I was going to faint after 1 race:

Today I was walking my dog through the woods and had to walk up a hill, it was probably around 40 metres and around 45 degree slope? Just a normal hill in the woods. It’s only 16 degrees so warm but not particularly hot, it’s also raining. The ground was the normal gravelly mud you get on woodland trails.

I could barely do it. I had to stop at the top because I was so exhausted and I felt weak and faint with it. My heart was pounding and I felt like I had just run a marathon. Obviously I don’t know what my pulse was but I could tell it was fast.

I’ve always been like this and I don’t know why! I’m healthy, active (dancing), young, and my BMI is around 21 so normal. My diet is normal and I’m not iron deficient as I’ve had that tested in the past in s routine appointment as well as oxygen levels, so I think my problems are just fitness related rather than health. I’m really struggling and my lack of stamina has been noticed by my dance coach before and it’s not improving regardless of cardio, training or any types of exercising. The weak feeling eventually passes and my heart slows back down itself if I take a break or sit down, but I come across as being lazy as I have to do this quite a lot.

its also embarrassing when when we are out and I’ve got to try and pretend I’m not dying inside (eg going up stairs in shops).

In case it’s relevant I’m quite an anxious person and even when I’m not worried about something my body still seems to be anxious. I was admitted in hospital for a while after an accident and I wasn’t worried or anxious at all but my pulse was always above 100 and at times went up to 150+, which they said was anxiety from being in hospital which seems likely although I wasn’t aware of being anxious it was probably subconscious. Not sure that’s relevant at all because obviously I wasn’t anxious today when walking up the hill, but just mentioning it just in case!

what the hell is wrong with my fitness? Has anyone else had similar stamina struggles before?

Bumping🤞🏻

What has the doctor advised please @Shortofchange ?

Have you had your blood pressure checked?

Can you get a tracker so you can see what your heartrate actually is?
What kind of cardio/training/dancing do you do and do you feel like you lack stamina when you do them?

i would suggest looking into postural tachycardia syndrome- if you suspect this then exercise like swimming or recumbent bikes are best.

What are your heart rate recovery statistics?
Something's not right. You can't be anemic but you sound like you have something to manage. This isn't ordinary.
Just how do you do dancing, like how many minutes without a break, what kind of dancing?

I didn’t go to the doctors specifically for this, but I’ve had blood tests as part of a check up for other things, they also did blood pressure tests and other things and everything was fine. The only thing that’s ever a bit off is my pulse- anytime someone has had to measure it, it’s always over 100 but I was told it’s because I’m nervous and it doesn’t usually bother me, it’s only when I’m exercising that I feel weak and I struggle with it. When I was in hospital after an accident it was always between 100-150+ even when I didn’t feel particularly anxious so I think that’s my normal range, it’s only really when I’m exercising that I notice how awful my stamina is and how unfit I am x

Go to your GP.

You need to see a doctor. That’s a high resting heart rate. Don’t let them fob you off.

Thyroid? I think thyroid issues can cause high resting heart rate.

a friend had this as part of long covid too, despite not being particularly ill when she actually had covid.

I'm thinking it could be exercise induced asthma. Ask for a peak flow test at the surgery

Sorry should have said- I had my thyroid checked because of period problems but it was absolutely fine, I do a type of dancing that’s really intensive and fast rather than slower paced like ballet. So for maybe 90 seconds it’s intensive. I can barely get to the end of a dance without feeling weak and having to stop

I’ve tried exercising in short bursts like interval training and running, and I’ve tried doing slower gradual exercising to build up my general stamina, I’ve also tried building muscle with stretches, squats, planks etc as well as things like cardio and stuff. Nothing is helping and I’m always the first one at dancing to have to stop 😬 everyone thinks I’m lazy but I’m not, it makes me feel so weak and like I’m going to faint and I need to stop to let me heart go back slower!

I don’t know if there’s a particular type of cardio I would be better doing? I’m healthy and don’t have any problems at all it’s just my stamina has always been rubbish

What is your breathing like?
For me there are two distinct reasons to stop - the breathing or the ache / pain "can't go on" feeling.

Can I ask your age and what the period problems were?

Have you ever tried yoga? I used to be like you, very anxious. It’s helped a lot.

Long legs and skinny... Any chance you're hypermobile?

I'd agree about going to the doctor to get checked up.
When you say you've tried to improve it, how consistent have you been?
I'd suggest you walk at a fast pace - not intervals - that you can still talk at, daily for 30 minutes. Not a stroll with the dog, but a good fast pace as though you had to be somewhere. I'd do that daily for a month and then reassess how you feel.

Have you been tested for POTS? My DD is 32 and just got diagnosed and apparently had it since teens but teachers just thought she was lazy

No I’m not any more hypermobile than normal - I’m really flexible but it’s not natural it’s from dance training and I’m naturally not anymore flexible than normal x

I’m sorry @Shortofchange but playing a medical guessing game online with strangers isn’t going to sort your problem

“I didn’t go to the doctors specifically for this”

that’s your problem.

go to the doctors. All the best.

Have you had your ferritin levels checked? My hemoglobin is 145 but ferritin 20 which is very low even though hemoglobin is normal

Normally it’s fine- when I feel my heart going quickly I try to keep my breathing normally and I’m not usually panting (unless I’ve done loads of exercise). It does make me feel really sweaty suddenly though and then I feel really weak and light headed until I wait for it to slow down.

I remember once at dancing my heart was up at 150 after just walking across the floor and bending over to sort my shoes and I actually remember another time in a competition after I danced it was over 200- I tried to count but lost track although that was particularly fast because I’d just spent 90 seconds dancing non stop. It slowed down by itself gradually and I don’t mind it going fast like that after I’ve exercised but it’s annoying when it goes too fast when I’m just walking about or going upstairs.

sometimes it happens when I’m just sitting doing nothing physical- all of a sudden it just feels different and I can’t really explain how. It doesn’t hurt it just feels funny, maybe it’s going fast or maybe it jumped a beat but it feels different, but then it quickly goes back to normal again. I guessed it was just I was subconsciously nervous about something because when I was in hospital after an accident it was over 100 everytime they checked for several days, and a few times it went up past 150 even when I was lying down. They said it was my body just being anxious without me even realising it which made sense so I assume this other thing is just the same as that. My heart etc is fine thankfully and they did a eeg (I think that’s what it was called- the test where they put stickers on you to check your heart) and it was completely normal thankfully so I think presumed my symptoms are just because I’m unfit

sorry for such a long winded answer!

Thanks I appreciate it but I’m not playing a medical guessing game! My health is completely fine thankfully but if I have concerns of course I’ll go to a doctor. I just posted because I presumed it was fitness related so wondered if anyone had experienced similar and if there was specific exercises that might help etc or if I should be training a certain way if I’m prone to being unfit like this. Thanks x

I couldn't run a km till i was 45. It sounds ridiculous but I had no stamina at all. There is nothing wrong with me either though i don't have a high RHR so I would echo everyone in saying you should get checked out by the GP first.

But if it is not a health problem, what you have to do is start slow and often. Do the couch to 5km but understand that you will probably repeat the weeks 3 or 4 times. It took almost a year for me to be able to run a 5km. Even now, I can't get quicker no matter how hard I try. It takes ages for me to progress. You have to do little and often and on the weekend try to do a bit more.

I think sometimes people think they should be able to do more than they can. Not everyone can just hop up and run 5km. Looking back, I was horrendously unfit. I would also second the yoga as that can really help with the anxiety and the breathing. But it's hard work and it requires a lot of effort so don't underestimate that!

Early 20s- they don’t really come very often, I usually get 3/4 a year but everything is fine. It’s not because im doing too much exercise- it’s always been this way even when I wasn’t exercising very much. Everyone says just make the most of not having to go through periods every month so I’m grateful for that haha