People That Work Out Frequently -Whatsa Matta Me??

[ACMESkydiver 0]

I'm a dork, but somebody with some knowledge of physiology please point out my mistake:

I know that I only got about 3 hours of sleep last night (twins and their dang sleep disorder! )...

On my way to pilates this morning at 7am, I only got down about 1/3rd bottle of water, and about 110 calories, including 25gm protein and 3gm carb (I threw a couple scoops of protein shake powder into some water in a glass and ran out the door).

I am JUST starting and in terrible shape.

So we're doing all of these crunches and planks and movements that are just SMOKING me...but I notice that every time I sit straight up after finishing a set, I have a STABBING, horrificly painful headache on the top of my head that is so intense it's messing with my ability to focus my eyes.

(EDIT TO ADD: And ALL I can think about when this is happening is Turtle's post on my gym thread and how I'm gonna have a stroke right here in my first pilates class and die of embarrassment! )

Every time I start my sets again, it isn't so bad (and I know I'm not breathing right...more like holding breath to hold up the legs and arms...good LORD that's tough! )

I get this horrendous stabbing pain again when we're done and I stand up. It dulls a bit as I'm walking to my truck, and it's just a mild ache by the time I got home, and gone within 20 minutes.

So what caused that stupid headache? Dehydration? Should I have eaten more food earlier? Sleep deprivation before working out? Just because I'm a newbie and out of shape? Was I pushing too hard? Whatcha think...I want to correct whatever it was I screwed up so it doesn't happen again tomorrow.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[mnealtx 0]

It was the half bottle of Captain last night....

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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It was the half bottle of Captain last night....

I haven't drank since last Friday night, and that was only a shot and a half of delicious Scotch.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[simplyputsi 0]

my guess is increased blood flow, as well as not breathing right.

The lack of food/water before workout isn't good, but shouldn't cause pain.

or it could just be your body saying "hey don't do that, i'm tired, you didn't feed me, we don't do this, and well ha have some pain to stop"

Could be tweaking a nerve somewhere as well.

Too many things to be able to tell from just one workout.

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[ACMESkydiver 0]

I was thinking it might have something to do with blood flow and holding my breath instead of breathing.

I was TRYING to breathe through it, but DAMN those moves are tough!

It kinda felt like holding your breath and gritting your teeth so your face turns all red from straining...maybe that's what was causing the instant headache...I just can't figure out how I'm going to combat that, though. I have to keep doing the moves to get better!

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[simplyputsi 0]

holding your breathe is never a good thing when working out.
Strains a lot of things.

oh and I forgot to add, a full shot of you without clothes shall make it very easy for me to diagnose this problem.

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[BIGUN 1,050]

Exercise headaches -
http://www.theberries.ns.ca/archives/exercise_headaches.html

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[EricaH 0]

I am absolutely no expert, but I get those pains sometimes too. Recently at the therapist for a protruding disk in my back certain moves really hit me hard. I told the therapist - they said when doing these back strengthening moves (like a plank) I'm straining my neck to keep my head up. they said to really (and boy do they mean really) keep my neck in a neutral position. otherwise i'm obstructing nerves and or the blood flow.

for example when i bend over a swiss ball & then walk my hands out so it's like a push up but my knees end up up on the ball - the neutral position for my head makes me feel basically like a cow out to pasture grazing on some grass.

hard to describe accurately - but once i got my head in the right place (literally) the pain went away.

good luck!!! It's so tough trying to get back into shape.

There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear.

PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

[Shotgun 1]

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I was TRYING to breathe through it, but DAMN those moves are tough!

It kinda felt like holding your breath and gritting your teeth so your face turns all red from straining...maybe that's what was causing the instant headache...I just can't figure out how I'm going to combat that, though. I have to keep doing the moves to get better!

If you're not able to breathe properly while doing the moves, then you're probably pushing yourself too hard. Maybe you could ask the instructor how you can modify the positions for your current level of fitness?

[Shotgun 1]

Oh, and FWIW, I personally find it hard to get a good workout from pilates without straining my neck (which I have problems with anyway). So I prefer power yoga because it's still a good workout, but it feels much more comfortable to me.

[tigra 0]

Disclaimer: I'm no fitness expert .................

My best guess would be dehydration first and a combination of everything else you said. Exertion combined with lack of food, water and sleep. If I'm working out first thing in the morning, I always "eat" something (like an Atkins friendly protein shake) and I never workout without plenty of water.

Did your heart rate get extremely elevated? Were you overheated and sweating?

Also, you ARE just starting out. It takes a while to build up endurance. You need to work at your own pace without comparing yourself or trying to "compete" or keep up with with anyone else in the class. If you need to stop after 5 reps instead of 10, stop. A stabbing headache is a pretty good indication its time to stop and rest- I'm actually surprised it went away as quickly as it did. You're lucky!

[ACMESkydiver 0]

I'll have to read through that article better when I get back (I have to run some errands).

Thanks!

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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but once i got my head in the right place (literally) the pain went away.

that could be a lot of it, too. My neck was killing me, though I thought I was doing everything to keep it 'neutral'.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

I'll be in yoga tomorrow, & perhaps Sunday I can take it easier in the pilates class.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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Did your heart rate get extremely elevated? Were you overheated and sweating?

Um, yes, yes, and yes.

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Also, you ARE just starting out. It takes a while to build up endurance. You need to work at your own pace without comparing yourself or trying to "compete" or keep up with with anyone else in the class. If you need to stop after 5 reps instead of 10, stop. A stabbing headache is a pretty good indication its time to stop and rest- I'm actually surprised it went away as quickly as it did. You're lucky!

I know...I just feel so lazy if I don't push hard. I want to make the most of those minutes I get for 'me' time! I need to realize that I am quite a ways behind the other ladies, though...and ease up a bit.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[Butters 0]

DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH! I know someone who was holding their breath while working out, ruptured a blood vessel in their brain, had a seizure, and became temporally paralyzed on half of their body.

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH! I know someone who was holding their breath while working out, ruptured a blood vessel in their brain, had a seizure, and became temporally paralyzed on half of their body.

OMG you are freaking scaring me now.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[Andrewwhyte 1]

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On my way to pilates this morning at 7am, I only got down about 1/3rd bottle of water, and about 110 calories, including 25gm protein and 3gm carb (I threw a couple scoops of protein shake powder into some water in a glass and ran out the door).

Protein requires water, lots. You need 1/3 of a bottle of water just for breathing overnight. Add the protein shake and exercise and you need lots more.
Is this a beginner pilates class or did you just jump right in? If you are returning to the gym after a long break you will do well to have a two to four week period devoted to nothing more than reminding your body how to exercise; really easy activities for longer and longer periods of time rather than really difficult or strenuous activities for a short time, and lots of stretching.
I recently returned to my workouts after far too long without. I spent two weeks doing circuit training. This consisted of doing one set of a really light weight followed by one set on a different machine with light weight and no rest, followed by another, followed by,.. you get the idea. This got all my muscles moving and kept my heart rate up without really straining. Twenty minutes of stretching is my personal minimum per workout.
It is very easy to try to emulate the really fit people you see in the gym, but you really need to taylor a workout to your abilities and needs. I think one of the main reasons people fail to stick to their exercise routine is because they aim too high too early and end up over-training. This is a good way to injure yourself or to end up not progressing because you are asking your body to use more energy than you are capable of processing and ending up with no energy available for the rest of your daily life.
Baby Steps!

[Butters 0]

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DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH! I know someone who was holding their breath while working out, ruptured a blood vessel in their brain, had a seizure, and became temporally paralyzed on half of their body.

OMG you are freaking scaring me now.

Don't be scared, just don't hold your breath.

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[tigra 0]

I hear you because I have been pushing myself pretty hard, mostly with the cardio stuff. I can really get my heart rate up there on the elliptical machine- but once it gets to a certain point, I can feel a headache like you described starting up. If I don't slow down right then, that headache will be with me for several hours, even into the next day!

Its good to push but if you push too hard, its counter productive.

Look at it this way- if the workout is making you feel BAD, are you going to keep going or will you find something else to do with that "you" time??

[ACMESkydiver 0]

This wasn't really a beginners or intermediate pilates per se...it is just the ONLY pilates they offer, so we have differing levels in the room. I'm the newest obviously, just starting today.

I'll make a better effort to wake up earlier and start drinking water and get some food in earlier, too. I'm really thinking that I'm trying to out-do myself on some of these moves, too...it is so embarrassing to be at SUCH a low level of fitness. I mean I was having that difficult of a time with one set of 10 on a modification on some of these moves, when everyone was doing 3 sets of 15 -and these weren't 'hard body' tough women...most of them looked like your average overweight housewife, so it really kinda blew me away that I couldn't even get through 1/3rd of what the 'average-build' class was doing.

Anyhoo, I know I'm not supposed to compare...but I go to class to keep accountable. I'd just take it TOO easy if I'm at home trying to do it myself. It'll take a while, but I've got to figure out how much is enough, and how much is too much for myself.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[2fat2fly 0]

Immediately stop the workout and have a 16 oz ribeye, very rare, with a baked potato with extra butter and the headache will go away. I've found that if I skip the workout and go straight to the meal, I don't have a headache at all.

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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Look at it this way- if the workout is making you feel BAD, are you going to keep going or will you find something else to do with that "you" time??

Good point.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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Immediately stop the workout and have a 16 oz ribeye, very rare, with a baked potato with extra butter and the headache will go away. I've found that if I skip the workout and go straight to the meal, I don't have a headache at all.

You SUCK!!

Actually, a couple of nights ago I had about a 14oz cut of prime rib from the Keg. Ohhhh myyyy.....

I gave the garlic 'tatos to my hubby, though doing the low-carb dealio and all.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[2fat2fly 0]

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You SUCK!!

But I don't swallow so I'm not a tramp

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried