really hope someone can help because I’m absolutely at my wits end with this!
My stamina is absolutely awful, but I’m not sure if it’s a lack of fitness or if there’s something not right.
For as long as I can remember I’ve struggled with exercise my entire life. I’m active and grew up going out and about and spent my childhood outdoors and love sports but I just can’t seem to cope with exercise the way my peers can and it’s worsening as I get older. I know that it’s normal to get breathless and tired but it happens so quickly for me. I get a crushing sensation as if my chest is being squeezed and I can’t breath. Sometimes I get chest pain and tightness but the crushing is the worst feeling ever. It feels like my body is in a vice. I also just get this awful sensation of doom as if I’m going to die. I know that’s normal after intense exercise but I get it so quickly, eg the other night I ran up the road to my friends house (0.5 miles away) I didn’t sprint it was just a normal jog and I immediately felt like my chest was being crushed and I could barely breath. I felt sick, had a feeling of doom and my chest was painful. I could barely stand up because of the crushing feeling and it felt like I was having a heart attack (even though I know logically I wasn’t) it slowly got better after resting but it was such a sickening feeling.
ive been this way since childhood - I remember at sports day collapsing on the grass after doing a 400m run and everyone looking at me like I was a drama queen, meanwhile I was confused at how everyone was just slightly breathless meanwhile I felt like i was dieing
I’ve tried going to the gym, I’ve had PTs, I’ve tried different sports (high and low intensity, varying levels of endurance etc) but I cannot seem to improve my stamina. I’ve tried training regimes, working out, exercises etc but nothing helps. It’s become a running joke among my friends and family that I have such awful stamina but i really hate it. It honestly feels like I’m going to die in the moment and it’s awful. I’m supposed to be doing a charity run with my friends soon and I’m genuinely concerned about coping with it.
for context, I’m mid 20s, have a normal/healthy lifestyle, dont smoke, don’t drink, don’t take any drugs, work 5 days a week and my BMI is 21. I eat a normal diet (not high in sugar/fats etc but I also don’t actively avoid them either, I just eat very normal foods)
does anyone have any clue why I could be struggling so much? I’ve got mild asthma but it’s very well controlled and not worsened by exercise and this feels totally totally different anyway from an asthma attack so I know this isn’t my asthma. Is it possible my body is just a bit lazy and it’s something I’m doing that’s causing my stamina to be so bad?
I know it doesn’t seem like a big issue but it’s really affecting my life when I play sports etc. I tried to go for a run with my friends recently and they genuinely thought I was joking because i was struggling to much but it felt like I was going to die.
I honestly don’t know if I’m just being dramatic and possibly a bit lazy and need to power through it or how other people cope but just wondered if anyone had experienced similar and had any advice
thank you xx