Fit...but out of breath hill walking?

[Marlboroughlights1]

Hi

I thought I was quite fit; twice a week at least doing HITT/boxercise/weights. Walk a lot. Active. i'm nearly 50.

The past couple of weeks I've done a new walk with my dog. There is a very steep hill as part of the walk. Not quite vertical, but quite fierce.

I am really strugglign with it. Out of breath after about 20 steps. HAve to pause etc.

It really worries me. I was a smoker for years back in the day. Am I worrying there is an issue, or would you expect breathlessness?

Maybe you are asthmatic? Maybe a trip to your doctors to check your peak flow

I came on to say possible asthma. How are you at Boxercise? I got breathless at that too.
Other symptoms than commonly suggest asthma can include coughing when leave i warm building to go out in the cold air and coughing after a fit of laughter.
Worth getting checked out by the doctor.

I get breathless during boxexercise but only when everyone else does.

This hill is almost vertical! I just texted a friend who goes to the same place to walk and she's never attempted that side. She goes up the gentler side.

Am I being hard on myself?

I started panicking that it's emphysema but I'm being neurotic, right?

I doubt it - you are fit but not for exertion over time which is hill walking. All your exercise is short and sharp efforts. The fact you are fit means your probably walking faster than most people would.
Slow down a bit, lean forward and use your arms when going up the steep hill and consciously breathe in and out.. I used to live up a steep hill - the amount of people who struggled who were ‘fit’ was unbelievable. The first time I did it, I had to stop at the top and look at the view. Within three months I was cheerfully carting huge bags of shopping to my third floor flat without stopping.

If after three weeks of regularly doing it, there’s no improvement then I’d suspect asthma.

Thanks Bookish. That's what my DH just said. He plays footballs, runs around for great periods of time - he says that my exercise is far shorter bursts of cardio, which is working differently essentially.

Does asthma just come on in adulthood?

I need to hill walk more. It was very taxing but it feels good

Are you low in iron? I struggled big time with exercise when I was anemic even though I was fit.

Oh my goodness, this is me. I felt embarrassed getting breathless the other day walking up a hill in the park with a friend when I am a regular gym attender. But the coughing when I go in the cold is an absolute nightmare! Never considered asthma before. Thanks Whyiseveryonesoangry for suggesting it.

I don't think I'm anaemic. I had bloods done recently and it was fine. It's being repeated tomorrow, so we'll see.

I don't cough in the cold.

My chest feels a bit heavy now. DS has a bad cough. Maybe it's in the post.

I get SO worried that all my years of smoking - and now, say, possibly once a month, a tobacco free weed pipe with friends - will come back as emphysema or cancer or something. I very health conscious now, eat really well, very active, don't drink, don't do sugar. So when something comes along that makes me feel like this, I immediately think the worse.

The muscles and movements for walking up hills does seem to be a different set to any other exercise. I grew up in the flatlands of East Anglia and I still have trouble will short uphills however good I am at 20 mile walks, 50 mile cycle rides etc.

I think there's a couple of thigh muscles that basically never get exercised any other way, and without them being up for it your whole leg just goes wobble! Even the cardio stamina I have for the other stuff can't keep up, somehow.

I "don't do hills" either! I have to stop every 50 yards to get my breath back when going up a steep hill. I don't think I am unfit compared with the general population, but hills (especially if it's a hot day) have always been a challenge!

so interesting, thanks all

Walking up the steep Hill places demands on your cardiovascular system which it is not accustomed to
If you do this more frequently your cardiovascular system will upregulate and you should find it easier

Also remember that walking up a steep Hill can be as demanding as running

I used to go hiking. Some friends that could happily run 10k on fairly flat routes struggled on steeper hills. It's hard going on the quads and calves!

Runners use hill repeats as a way to build up stamina that speeds them up on flatter routes.

Agree the more you do it the easier it will become. I have found this with cycling up hills.

Once half term is over, i'm going to try and go there 2 a week to walk dog and do the hill. I think it will be a good challenge

x

If you have unsupple ankles this can make walking up hill ridiculously hard.

I was half marathon fit (2h20 so almost respectable) and still struggled with a couple of steep hills near my house, especially if feeling stiff!

Very different muscles to flat as well!

I can relate to your post op.
I have always been a walker and into doing exercise. Over the last year I have still done some mountain biking but for one reason or another I had practically stopped doing all exercise. However I have a reputation at work for being the 'sporty one' I had to take a group of kids out last Monday on a walk with support staff. Bloody hell, the start of the walk killed me! Thank goodness one of the children was really struggling so I said I would stay with him and gave the others pointers on where to go next. My thighs and calves were killing for 3 days. On the fourth day I went back to the gym and I have been out walking today and I am going to the Lake District tomorrow. There's no way I am going to face that humiliation again. Thankfully no one knew I was so knackered!!!