How to Avoid Being Tired After Extreme Exercise

Extreme, high-intensity exercise will provide future health benefits, but it puts significant stress on your body during and immediately after your workout. During your workouts, your body is working to continually provide energy to your muscles. Afterward, your body is repairing damaged muscles during the recovery phase, which can drain your energy. Eating the proper foods, staying hydrated and getting adequate rest will help you avoid being tired after extreme exercise.

Step 1

Get adequate amounts of sleep to avoid excessive fatigue after exercise. If you are not getting adequate rest, you will have less-than-optimal workouts and will likely crash immediately after. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, recommends that most adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep to avoid fatigue. Try to go to bed at the same time each night and wake at the same time each morning. Further, sleep in an appropriate environment that is dark, relaxing and not too hot or too cold.

Step 2

Eat the proper foods before and after your workouts to avoid excessive post-exercise fatigue. MayoClinic.com recommends eating a small meal one hour before exercise to provide your muscles with the fuel needed for an intense workout. Further, MayoClinic.com comments that you should avoid eating large meals before your workout. Doing so could make you feel sluggish or cause stomach cramps. After your workout, you should eat a meal high in protein and carbohydrates to place glycogen stores in your muscles, which is the primary source of fuel for muscle contraction. In addition, eating after your workout will provide your body and brain with energy to reduce feelings of fatigue.

Step 3

Drink adequate amounts of water to reduce fatigue after your workouts. The American Council on Exercise states that women should drink 2.7 liters of water per day and men 3.7 liters of water per day. On days you are planning extreme exercise, it is particularly important to make sure you are well hydrated to optimize your workout and prevent post-exercise fatigue. Even small amounts of water loss can cause fatigue. Therefore, during your intense exercise, you should drink 7 to 10 oz. of fluid every 10 to 20 minutes of extreme exercise.

Tip

Drinking sports drinks, which contain electrolytes and carbohydrates, helps you replenish lost resources and may help reduce fatigue.

Warning

Immediately stop exercising and eat and drink if you begin to feel nauseated, dizzy or lightheaded.