Top 4 Reasons You Seem Sluggish During Your Workout

Ever gone to workout and felt like you just can’t make it through? It’s a pretty common issue. the question is: why? Here are the top reasons you feel sluggish during your workout (and what you can do to fight the workout fatigue).

1. You Aren’t Getting Enough Sleep. Next to a balanced diet, getting enough sleep could be the biggest factor in a woman’s health. In fact, according to a recent study at Duke University, women may feel the affects of sleep deprivation worse than men. So if you aren’t sleeping enough, you can expect to not feel up to the demands of a high intensity workout. As a result, you will rob yourself of the full potential of your workout. In fact, you might even find yourself yawning during your workout, even when your heart is pumping.

The Fix: Sleep more, duh! Although, that may be easier said than done. If you can’t get the sleep in at night, try to mix in a 20 minute power nap during the day. Having trouble sleeping at night? try changing your bedtime routine. To wind down.

2. You Skipped Your Rest Day. I remember my first time I went through Insanity. I was so jazzed on the workout that when those rest days came up, I wanted to keep blazing right through. Big mistake. The fact is that your muscles need adequate recovery time. You’re tearing them down and if you don’t give them time to heal:

• They won’t grow the way you want them to
• You risk injury
• You will hit a wall (fatigue)

The Fix: Shoot for two rest days a week. And try not to work the same muscle groups consecutively to give them more time to heal.

3. You Skipped Too Many Days. I’m not sure if there’s science to back this up or not, but I’m speaking from personal experience here. if I skip too many days in between workouts, I fall out of the groove. I feel like my energy is low and my muscles are all shriveled and tightened up.

The Fix: I heard this somewhere. Go by the rule of two. Never go more than two days without getting physical. Makes sense, right?

4. You’re Not Eating Correctly. Eating the wrong foods can make you feel sluggish. Particularly if you are loading up on carbs before your workout, you may find yourself dragging.

The Fix: Instead, try working out on an almost empty stomach. This will allow your body to burn fat rather than sugars during the workout. Eat your carbs right after the workout to aid in rapid muscle recovery.

Feeling sluggish? See if any of the above help you get a better workout!