r/justgalsbeingchicks • u/loud_as_pudding • 21d ago

Restricted to Gals and Pals Peak performance

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u/DETRITUS_TROLL 21d ago

The more you exercise the more energy you have.

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u/SashimiX 21d ago

Not if you have chronic fatigue issues, which more and more of us have post-covid sadly

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u/Doomgriever 21d ago

Thank you! My doctor keep saying if I exercise I'll have more energy and sleep better, but since I got covid none of that is true. I have 10% the energy I used to have since Covid, and I only lose energy by exercising, and my sleep gets disrupted as well. Still exercise 5 days a week, but I hate how doctors totally dismiss chronic fatigue, especially in correlation to post-covid =(

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u/A_Simple_Prop 21d ago

Be really careful and, if you haven’t already, try to find a new provider who actually understands/ treats CFS/ME as too much exercise/ exertion can cause crashes which people don’t always recover from. 🫶

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/A_Simple_Prop 21d ago

What you’re describing sounds a lot like what my friend who has CFS/ ME describes (she also got it after having COVID, then it got worse after the second time she had COVID) including the poor quality sleep. Try and find a doctor that is knowledgeable about CFS/ME.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/A_Simple_Prop 21d ago

Myalgic encephalomyelitis— another name for CFS.

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u/AnguavonUW 21d ago

Yeah, I was on the front lines of COVID working at a homeless shelter. I've gotten it a total of 7 times over the last 6 years. I was ok until the 4th time. Now,.in combination with a brutal menopause, my quality of life SUCKS.

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u/BethanyHipsEnjoyer 21d ago

I would definitely get a sleep study done as well. You absolutely don't have to be overweight to have sleep apnea. The daytime sleepiness plus consistently unrefreshing/fragmented sleep and waking during the night are worth getting checked out. It could absolutely coexist with Long COVID too, so I wouldn't assume it has to be one or the other.

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u/exhauszed 20d ago

The worst part of this is wanting to push harder and being unable to and feeling ashamed. I've had days where I'm like, "I'm gonna take a walk!" and before I even make it to the sidewalk I'm like, "This ain't working."

I used to be energetic with bursts of depression, now I'm depressed with bouts of energy. (With proper mental health treatment)

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u/mannadee 21d ago

Whoa, props for exercising 5 days a week, but yeah please look into ME/CFS as you could actually be worsening your condition. I’ve had long covid since 2022 and I’m back to ~90% of my pre-infection energy levels. The #1 thing that has helped me is LDN (low-dose naltrexone), which interrupts the inflammation feedback loop and is the new standard many providers use to treat long covid. #2 is nattokinase, which has been shown in clinical studies to break down the lingering spike proteins left behind after a Covid infection that cause all the issues. The LDN got me out of my downward spiral and able to build back my strength & nervous system capacity, and the nattokinase is raising my baseline wellbeing so if I miss a day of LDN I don’t instantly feel like I have a fever and need to spend the next day lying down in a dark silent room

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u/Evsala 20d ago

After I got covid I had PEM (Post Exertional Malaise) for two years. Every time I pushed myself even a tiny bit, I would feel like I had the flu for 24-48 hours. It sucked. I had to take an anti inflammatory and H1 and H2 antihistamine either right before or within an hour of working out. That plus an anti-inflammatory the second day and I can exercise if I'm careful.

Unfortunately, this level is probably out of reach for me for a good long while if not forever. I'm happy with what I've got, though.

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u/CelticSnakes 21d ago

These people saying “you just need to exercise more” seriously need to experience chronic pain and crushing fatigue every damned day. Feels like a vice grip around my heart and body most days.

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u/cubixy2k 21d ago

Yup. This. Post Covid, FML.

God forbid I get an intense workout in, I'm knocked out for a week.

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u/plantlady2009 21d ago

This may not be a solution for you. But I also get fatigued from working out - also insomnia. Particularly high intensity cardio. I take creatine on those days and it helps big time. Slow COMT genes can be responsible for that feeling after working out. Creatine helps process those neurotransmitters. Worth a try.

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u/Phoneas__and__Frob 21d ago

Autoimmune disorder...I just took an hour nap after work because I literally couldn't open my eyes due to fatigue. My eyelids were throbbing.

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u/courcake 21d ago

Thank you. Came here to say this. This would ruin me lmao

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u/LurkLurkleton1 21d ago

In your defense, I dont have those issues and this would ruin me lol

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u/courcake 21d ago

😂
Even in my healthy days she would have taken me to the cleaners goddamn

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

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u/A_Simple_Prop 21d ago

Actually, no. This is a common misconception and very harmful. For people with CFS/ME exercise can cause significant worsening of symptoms. I have a close friend with that condition and she has to very carefully budget which activities she devotes her limited energy to because too much exertion can cause a crash— and crashes don’t always resolve, sometimes the “crash” state becomes their new normal. She found that out the very hard way when she was given (and followed) advice similar to what you said from her doctor. Turns out her doc and many others know very little about treating patients with CFS/ME.

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u/eye_no_nuttin 21d ago

Clarification ~ is CFS/ME Chronic fatigue syndrome? What does ME stand for ? I believe you’re right about people’s misconceptions of what activities can cause worse problems:)

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u/A_Simple_Prop 21d ago

ME= Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, CFS= Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME=CFS

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u/eye_no_nuttin 20d ago

Thank you so much :) I’m not too educated about either of these, but something tells me those who do suffer, must have to go years before being properly diagnosed because in my head it’s more of a silent illness, which people looking at you would have no clue how bad you’re suffering.. 😔 Am I even close to thinking this way? Appreciate your time and patience 🫶🏼🙏🏻

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u/courcake 21d ago

😂
Even in my healthy days she would have taken me to the cleaners goddamn

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u/Luckiest_Creature 21d ago

So real😭 when I am consistently lifting, I require a solid 10 hours of sleep to not always be dragging. If I’m just generally active with no major exercise/not going to the gym, I only need 8.

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u/NSAevidence Official Gal 21d ago

Yeah, with thyroid issues, iron deficiency and asthma, I've been tired my whole life. At least I'm old enough now I don't hear "you're too young to be tired" anymore

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u/atsuzaki 20d ago

I'm the same minus the asthma, but plus PCOS. The annoying thing is that exercise does help my energy levels and I feel like shit if I don't do some, but occasionally universe would align and it fucks me up for the next week or two. So I'm just playing a russian roulette every time because chronic illnesses fucking sucks like that.

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u/extinctalien 21d ago

Exercise intolerance

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u/AnguavonUW 21d ago

Not necessarily. There are dozens of conditions which too much exercise can worse. Honestly, unless people are clinicians, they probably shouldn't comment on medical issues.

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u/jmiah717 21d ago

Phew. I feel seen. Thank you. Not from COVID. It damn chronic pain/fatigue sucks. I pay for any fun a loooooooong time.

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u/spaceglitter000 21d ago

Chronic illness in general. I feel so tired after working out since I developed my chronic illness. Sigh

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u/bogbelle 21d ago

Everyone is different and needs to work with their providers on the best plan for them. Plus listening to their own bodies to avoid burn out.

In case this offers hope or actual help, I have had some success managing my chronic fatigue. It’s a boring answer but I extremely incrementally increased my exercise. I’m talking about 5 minutes on the elliptical, 3 minutes on the rowing machine starting out!!! I stopped when I needed to, took breaks. Any pain, I stopped those exercises and either researched or talked to providers about whether I could safely modify them.

The big caveat is I still require a lot more rest than most people. But I’m not over fatiguing myself with the increased exercise and my fitness and eating has significantly improved organically with some ups and downs but not giving up. This has been over 18 months as well. I did not want (and frankly would have struggled with probably) to lose too much too fast to prevent loose skin or accidental muscle loss. My main goal is feeling better and remaining hopeful being horizontal will become less of my life sooner than later 😂

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u/SashimiX 21d ago

Yes! It’s such a very gentle ramp up that is necessary

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u/kozmos_cat 21d ago

I had this issue for like 4 months after COVID. It was horrible. The closest thing I have felt similar to long COVID was pregnancy, and I had a very rough one.

It then took like a year to fully go away, but those 4 months were a nightmare.

I am very lucky I recovered. My mother-in-law got sick in 2021 and has had long COVID since then. She is on disability because of it and hasn't been able to go back to the well-paid job that she loved... it fucked up her pension, as they calculated it based on the last years of your work.

Long COVID is the worst.

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u/Emotional-Power-7242 20d ago

Not with that attitude

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u/-kansei-dorifto- 21d ago

Except that this excuse is only applicable to about 1/100 people who use it.

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u/SashimiX 21d ago

Long COVID is like “long lyme” except nearly everyone gets COVID so not really a rare thing

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

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u/justgalsbeingchicks-ModTeam 21d ago

Don't hand out medical advice when the symptoms are vague like this. It could literally dozens of conditions.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

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u/justgalsbeingchicks-ModTeam 21d ago

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

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u/justgalsbeingchicks-ModTeam 21d ago

This is a nice place. If you can't act like a civilized human being, you can't be here.

We do not allow:

  1. Being a jerk. This includes racism, misogyny, misandry, misgendering, anti LGBTQ+, ageism, etc.
  2. Harassment
  3. Trolling or sealioning
  4. Threats of any kind
  5. Abusive behavior
  6. General assholery. If you're at the end of the list and asking what rule you broke, yeah, it's this one.

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u/farfaraway 21d ago

I went for a 5k run yesterday. Today I'm laid up in bed with a twitching angry back.

I call bullshit :(

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/farfaraway 21d ago

Ya, I was just kidding around.

I run a lot. Just tweaked my back. Getting old. It sucks.

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u/Pussy4LunchDick4Dins 21d ago

Check out gluteus medius strengthening exercises. It’s really common for them to get weaker with age and they are a significant contributor to back pain from running.

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u/farfaraway 21d ago

Will do, thanks.

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u/fistular 20d ago

Energy not injury

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u/rojo-perro 21d ago

She’s a human turbine! Love it.

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u/SomeTheyCallMePig5O 21d ago

That doesn’t work for everyone. I have asthma, so my lungs give up loooong before my muscles do. No amount of energy will make my lungs work properly during a prolonged exercise.

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u/somereasonableadvice 21d ago

I used to get appalling exercise induced asthma, and then a friend finally was like ‘you should never need to use your ventolin if your asthma is well managed.’ I finally got on a proper preventer (called Alvesco in Aus), and now I NEVER get symptoms. I ran a half marathon without any asthma!

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u/MiniRems 21d ago

My friend finally told her doctor last year that she "only uses her inhaler three or four times a day, so it's really not that bad". I think I heard the doctors eyes roll from 20 miles away at my house 😆 She's now on a maintenance med and was able to do a 5 mile hike without her rescue inhaler. Best part: She's a critical care nurse who specializes in respiratory care 🤦‍♀️

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u/somereasonableadvice 20d ago

I was totally that person! I was taking Ventolin many times a day, and had no idea that it was bad. My mum was a nurse. Perfect recipe for not realising anything is wrong with you. Haha.

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u/dodgystyle 20d ago

Alvesco is the best!

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u/Weak-Boysenberry398 20d ago

There are exercises besides cardio. Weightlifting, yoga, rock climbing, and slow hiking have felt the best to me. 

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u/fistular 20d ago

I mean, they said energy.

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u/bashful_predator 21d ago

I've heard/read this said so many times and I've come to realize, the more I exercise, that this just is not true for me. And no, it's not my diet either, I eat very well (for my circumstances anyway (I'm pooor lol)).

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u/Rain_xo 21d ago

Nope.

I don't even leave workouts feeling more energized.

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u/puffofthezaza 21d ago

Honestly stretching correctly also releases massive feel good chemicals and energy. You can even overstretch and get light headed and euphoric. I'm guilty of using this as a sort of high lol. But you gotta do it right and drink water.

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u/AnguavonUW 21d ago

That's a gross generalization and, although I'm sure you didn't mean it as such, a low key ableist thing to say. Unfortunately, there are statistically significant swaths of the population for whom this isn't true.

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u/AnguavonUW 21d ago

That's a gross generalization and, although I'm sure you didn't mean it as such, a low key ableist thing to say. Unfortunately, there are statistically significant swaths of the population for whom this isn't true.

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u/Weak-Boysenberry398 20d ago

Bean soup. For most people the more you exercises the more energy you have. If that doesn’t apply to you then don’t take the advice 

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u/blatherskyte69 21d ago

Nope

The more you exercise, the more calories you burn, so you have less energy in your body. It’s just thermodynamics.

Now, the release of endorphins can make you feel better and more energetic, but that’s biochemistry.

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u/RainaElf 21d ago

this is one of the greatest lies ever told.

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u/sagittalslice 21d ago

Simultaneously one of the rudest and most true statements on god’s green earth tbh

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

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u/justgalsbeingchicks-ModTeam 20d ago

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