If you’re asking yourself “why am I tired” after a workout often, then it’s important to figure out what’s going on. For most people, exercise leaves them feeling good and maybe a little tired right afterward, but it passes fast.
However, if you’re working out tired all the time, then it could mean you’re not treating your body right, and you need to make changes in your lifestyle. Consider some of these reasons for why you might feel fatigue after exercising.
Why Am I Tired After Working Out? | Changing Your Routine
You’re Not Eating Right Before Your Workout
Your diet is a good place to start when asking why you’re tired after working out.
Sugar is how the body gets energy and working out burns it, so your blood sugar drops. Eating right is how you control your blood sugar levels.
When your blood sugar is low, you feel tired. You’ll have no energy during a workout.
The answer is to eat something before you exercise, something with carbohydrates in it.
Carbohydrates or carbs are a complex kind of sugar, so they give you energy and raise blood sugar levels. If you raise your blood sugar level right before you workout, you won’t feel the drop as much.
Some examples of good carbs to eat for a pre-workout snack include:
- Banana
- Oatmeal
- Low-fat yogurt
- Sweet Potatoes
- Beans
- Chocolate milk
The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests you eat one to three hours before you exercise.
They also say you should include some protein in that meal to help rebuild muscles that break down with exercise. Protein is made up of amino acids and they’re the building blocks of the body.
You’re Not Eating Right After You Workout
If you get sleepy after exercise in the morning or any other time of day, pay attention to what you eat after your workout.
The body stores energy in the muscles and uses it all up when you exercise.
You need to eat the right foods, so you can store some more to get you through the rest of the day.
Right after your workout, fill up on carbs and protein.
Try to get that meal within 15 minutes to keep the muscles from getting tired. Good choices for after the workout meal include:
- A smoothie made with low-fat milk and fruit
- Low-fat chocolate milk
- A turkey wheat wrap
- Yogurt with berries
All these food combinations give you just the right amount of carbs and protein, so you feel energized instead of tired.
Drink More Water
Still asking yourself “why am I tired?” after working out the next day? Maybe the problem isn’t what you’re eating, but what you’re drinking.
The American College of Sports Medicine states water is the one thing you can’t do without because of it’s important to the functioning of cells.
You naturally lose some water when you exercise by sweating and even as you breathe, so you need to replace it.
This is what you can do to remedy that:
- Drink water four hours before you exercise — about 20 ounces.
- 15 minutes before starting, drink another 12 ounces.
- Every 15 minutes during exercise, get eight ounces of water into your body.
- Finally, drink 12 ounces or more after you exercise.
It’s important not to go overboard when drinking water, too.
There is a condition called water intoxication that means you drank too much water, so use caution and don’t drink too much.
You Are Tired After Workout the Next Day
If you’re trying to do more exercise than your body can handle, you might feel this way. If you spend most of your night sitting on the couch, you can’t just get up and run a marathon.
You have to build up to it, so your body is strong enough to do it. Start slow and build as you train to allow your muscles to grow, so you can handle a heavier workout.
You’re Not Breathing Right
Breathing is very important when you exercise.
If you find you’re gulping for air, it’s a sign you need to slow down and focus on taking a breath in and letting it out.
Breathing overly fast means your body can’t get enough oxygen and that will make you feel tired. It also helps to learn proper exercising techniques to avoid getting out of breath and injuries.
Try warming up for at least ten minutes before you start. You might also need to see your doctor to rule out other serious problems like COPD or asthma.
You Need More Sleep
It could be that you being tired has nothing to do with exercising. If you find yourself sleepy after exercising in the morning, you might not be getting enough sleep.
Focus on developing good sleep habits like going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.
If you already get eight hours a night, try going to bed a little earlier to see if more sleep helps.
The recommended eight hours is just an average, some people need more or less than that to feel good.
See Your Doctor
Of course, if you haven’t exercised in years, it’s a good idea to see your doctor before you start. You may not be ready to jump into the exercise you want to do.
The last thing you want is to be counterproductive. Getting fit is a process, and you don’t want to hurt your body in the pursuit of a healthy change.
If you do exercise a lot already and now you’re starting to feel tired, then it’s time for a checkup. Something might have changed about your health that’s making you feel that way.
If you keep asking yourself “why am I tired” every time you workout because of hunger, try making this deliciously healthy egg muffin recipe for breakfast:
Exercise is good for you, but it should feel good, too. If you find yourself asking “why am I tired” after exercising then you need to figure out why.
It could be as simple as not getting enough water or as complicated as having a medical condition. Either way, assess yourself and know where your limits are when you exercise.
Try these tips to ease your fatigue after working out. Don’t forget to come back and share the improvements in your exercise routine.
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