Dear Hayley,
So, I'm 30 and have, in the past seven years, lost 20 kilos and kept them off. I weigh 61 kilos and am 5'3" but I have a decent amount of muscle and so look leaner. I also have a busy, happy life. Of late, I've been trying to get more toned and flexible, but I find it hard to give up my HIIT workouts, because they're so damn efficient. My routine (when I stick to it, which is often) is 40 minute HIIT workouts four times a week and yoga or pilates on two. One day, I usually take off. I like working out first thing in the morning and feel a decent amount of guilt on the days I haven't worked out (I'm working on the guilt. I know it isn't healthy.) I try to eat healthy. I'm vegan and I eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg and cook most of my own food. I also have a big sweet tooth which is my nemesis, but I control it well enough on non PMS days.
My issue is that I love going HAM in my workouts, but when I do, I often find that I am tired and sore for the rest of the day. Like, my butt will hurt, my shoulders will hurt, my back will be sore. And these symptoms don't disappear even when I work out consistently for weeks on end. I just get more.
Another side-effect I have is that I get terrible acidity and gas pains, often after workouts. I'd say this happens at least twice a week, if not more often and often together. I sometimes get bloated so bad that I look six months pregnant. These, coupled with the muscle soreness, severely affect my productivity at work. I'm in such discomfort that I can't focus on work sometimes. If I take a break from working out the symptoms resolve themselves (slowly) but I also feel cloth-headed and sluggish. I do note that these symptoms intensify in the second half of my menstrual cycle. I usually deal much better on weeks 1 and 2.
My question to you is, what am I doing wrong? How do I work out consistently while getting the burn and endorphins I enjoy while not being so tired or messing up my digestion so much that I can't function efficiently afterwards? Any advice you give me would be super helpful.
Yours,
N
First thing first is lose the guilt. And lose it yesterday. It’s not healthy and it doesn’t do a thing for you. Sure if you eat an entire box of cookies while binge-watching Netflix you may have something to feel guilty about (only if you do that every single day because sometimes a box of cookies and Netflix is good for the soul) but not working out in a day is totally fine. There is probably a perfectly good reason why you missed the workout so just give yourself a break. Deal?
Now for the workout pains. I am not too concerned with this to be honest. If the pain is debilitating, like you feel it in your skeleton then I would say take down the intensity. Lighten the weights, and shorten the workouts a bit and maybe switch to more body weight exercises and limit the impact you’re placing on your body. You can still go HAM in your workouts, but maybe do it with more cardio intervals and less weight intervals.
Here’s the thing with soreness. A little bit is ok as long as it goes away after a day but if you’re still in pain 4 days later then you’ve definitely overdone it. If it’s something new you’ve done, like snowboarding or hiking down a mountain, and you’re sore for a few days it’s not good but it’s nothing to be concerned about as sometimes that happens but if soreness lasts for days after each workout then you need to take it back. Keep doing the yoga or Pilates and maybe even add in one extra day a week.
As for your gas pains, it is most likely what you are eating before your workouts that is causing it (even what you eat the day before). I’ve heard anecdotally that with eating vegan, sometimes some of the foods you eat can cause you to feel gassy, especially when combined with exercise. Salad is an absolute no for some people before a workout as there is just way too much fibre there. Instead try some baked yams (or squash) mixed with a bit of broccoli and some walnuts. Maybe avoid legumes (which includes hummus) and lentils and instead try a banana with a small serving of nut butter. Try not to each too much protein before a workout, which means limiting things like quinoa, but make sure you are giving yourself a good source of protein after your workout. This will help with the gas as well as help your body recover. Stay away from processed proteins as well or try out a couple to see which ones irritate your digestive system the least. What I would suggest is keeping a food log for a bit and document how you feel after your workouts. Doing this will help you figure out what food combinations work best for you and your workouts.
Also, spend some time after your workouts meditating. You don’t have to sit like Buddha for this to be effective but while you’re stretching at the end of your workouts focus on breathing deep to help relax your digestive system. Sometimes I find in my own body that an intense workout can cause my insides to tighten up and my anxiety to increase, which makes me super gassy. Breathing deeply and relaxing is a good way to keep the gas at a minimum. And if all else fails, schedule in an extra-long walk back to work so you have time to release the gas. Yup. Go walk the streets and let it all out. I do this all the time.
Attached: Sarah Hyland heads to the gym this morning in Studio City, CA.
