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Fatigue Post Physical Activity
First time posting…!
I’m looking for insite as to the exhaustion levels post work out. The level of physical activity is certainly relative to the person, that is understood. But, I can work a low physical day and feel moderately tired. Yet, if my day consists of a work out (no where near like that of the past) the exhaustion leads into the next day, or two. This exhaustion includes mental, physical and incredibly emotional disappointment. The desire to keep physically active is diminishing, causing more mental strain. The fine line is for me to find, diferent for all. Just wanting to discuss this as I’ve learned SO MUCH from this forum already!
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11 Replies
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Hello Nomad, You are not alone in discovering that ALS can zap your energy – – mind and body. It takes a real mindset change to “out-finagle” it. But it can be done. I’ve been at it for 14 yrs now.
What I do: no more solid one hour workouts…. break it up into short segments throughout the day. No more traditional strength training (lifting weights)… take joints through their range of motion (circling, etc.), I do combination movements on the floor with my body weight as resistance. Give yourself a recovery day if you’ve done a lot of exercise movements.
I’ve written quite a few posts about how I exercise. Use this link and scroll down to find “Exercise Tips” https://alsandwellness.blogspot.com/2017/09/als-and-wellness-blog-archives.html
I’m happy to discuss this with you further and answer any questions you may have. “Keep Moving!” Dagmar
alsandwellness.blogspot.com
ALS and Wellness Blog - Index of Articles
ALS and Wellness Blog - Index of Articles
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I was diagnosed with bulbar onset ALS in December of 2023 and have struggled to find the right balance of exercise vs. fatigue. Is overdoing it with exercise primarily a quality of life issue (i.e. over exercise can lead to the next several days being low energy with high fatigue)? Is there any concern and/or science that shows overexercise speeds up the progression of ALS?
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My physical therapist gave me a general rule of thumb…if I can’t recover from the physical activity within an hour then I need to change the level of difficulty or the length of time. I, like Dagmar, try to do a more activities within the day for a shorter period of time (20 minutes or so).
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For exercise, I also break it up into small chunks. I take a lovely virtual class on Saturdays with a group of physically challenged women.
Because I still work full time (Rollator assisted always) I walk around the halls.
Yesterday my physical therapist worked me out for an hour, so today I let myself recover a little, especially because I’m up early for work.
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Hello Nomad,
Everyone’s disease process is different. My husband, who had an aggressive form of ALS (18 months from first symptom til death) was advised not to do any strenuous work out. Possibly get an opinion from your neurologist. Some good feedback already here from others.
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The days of feeling good after any slightly strenuous physical workout are over. Dwindling away at best without calling on the muscle to grow.
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Thank you all for the input, AGAIN the reason I signed on to this forum.
The remarks about working it too hard and needing a day or two for recovery hits home. My work has always been very physically demanding, only 1/2 (many days less) capable now. Used to be very physical/active with the martial arts (40+ years). Now I’m observing class members feeling sorry for me, ugh!
The biggest take away is recognizing that less vigorous, more consistent smaller physical activities with a good recovery time is pertinent. The desire is not to drain the batteries to a point they won’t even slightly charge anymore.
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I’ve also found that pacing is a factor – – as in, normal workouts (sessions) on day 1 and day 2, day 3 is rest/mild exercises. On day 3 I feel like someone switched all the plugs – – lots of uncoordinated moment… but then the next day everything feels stronger and movements have improved mightily, so it’s a day 1 all over again.
Bottom line, allow time for your body-brain to relearn and integrate what you are asking it to do. Don’t push day after day. Plan a light day often.
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Hello Nomad,
I’m sure it’s not a miracle solution, but I’ve recently found that drinking more water (than I used to) works very well for me to combat fatigue. Now that I make sure to drink at least 1,5 liter of water (not counting coffee and other drinks) per day, I feel remarkably less tired, I can walk longer and I no longer suffer from (nighttime) muscle cramps. (Yay!)
It’s a continious search for balance, and although in my experience exercising less leads to less fatigue and less physical discomfort, for me, that does not outweigh the mental benefits and a better night’s sleep. Also I feel that exercising helps me to maintain muscle and posture, and thereby my ability to walk. (I stopped doing it for a while, because of the tiredness, but it quickly showed and I still felt tired nonetheless).
I don’t exercise when feeling more tired than usual and I limit myself to a short session of 10-15 minutes a day (apart from my daily walks). I mostly focus on core stability.
In addition, it seems that mainly exercises (or daily household chores for that matter) where my heart rate exceeds 130 provoke the most fatigue. So I try to stay below that.
Good luck in finding your exercise balance!
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Sounds like you’ve found a good strategy to follow and it is working for you. 🙂
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I have the same problem. Too much exertion of any type can wipe me out for a couple of days (or more). Unfortunately, I can’t trust my body to tell me when I am overdoing it and so can easily do too much. I can still walk (short distances) and love to do so, but always carry a step counter to make sure I don’t walk too much. I work out regularly but am careful to limit how much I do. I try to have days “off” to rest. It is a constant effort to try to make sure I don’t do too much.
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