What does "unfit" mean ?
Discussion
I'm feeling very unfit in that I quickly get out of breath and tired. I was in a Cardio ward a few weeks back, where all the tests showed up OK (including echocardiogram, angiogram). On meds for BP, AF and heart rate. Before being discharged I persuaded the consultant to refer me to a lung specialist; now I've done that check and all is OK there.
Weight is stable. So if my heart's OK and my lungs are OK, what other organs or systems can cause unfitness ?
Weight is stable. So if my heart's OK and my lungs are OK, what other organs or systems can cause unfitness ?
Lily the Pink said:
I get a lot of "natural exercise" as a semi-retired 69 year old farmer. Not overweight, and my weight hasn't changed significantly for years.
I’m afraid what’s probably happening is that you’re ageing. It’s a total pain in the arse, and when you work out how to make it stop (other than the obvious) please tell the rest of us
Lily the Pink said:
I get a lot of "natural exercise" as a semi-retired 69 year old farmer. Not overweight, and my weight hasn't changed significantly for years.
Without wanting you to disclose your reason for being in hospital recently, is it in anyway stress related? Could you be suffering from burnout?The mind is another organ that can make you feel tired and unfit. If your body needs protecting for whatever reason, it can make you feel the way you do. It is wanting you to rest to recover. If you have been pushing through this symptoms for a while this is where you can experience burnout.
Recovery is about restarting and taking it slowly. A short walk will release endorphins and your brain can get addicted to these and want more. But you need to take it slowly, you cannot go out for a short walk one day and within 7 days be out on a all-day hike. The more your body(brain) shuts you down to protect you, the slower and longer you will have to take your recovery. Go too hard and you'll experience setbacks.
Ashfordian said:
Without wanting you to disclose your reason for being in hospital recently, is it in anyway stress related? Could you be suffering from burnout?
The mind is another organ that can make you feel tired and unfit. If your body needs protecting for whatever reason, it can make you feel the way you do. It is wanting you to rest to recover. If you have been pushing through this symptoms for a while this is where you can experience burnout.
Recovery is about restarting and taking it slowly. A short walk will release endorphins and your brain can get addicted to these and want more. But you need to take it slowly, you cannot go out for a short walk one day and within 7 days be out on a all-day hike. The more your body(brain) shuts you down to protect you, the slower and longer you will have to take your recovery. Go too hard and you'll experience setbacks.
I was in because my GP detected AF - though that's not unusual at my age. I don't feel stressed, everything in life is pretty stable, but interesting thought about the mind being another organ. I'm trying to understand the physiology - if the heart is pumping the blood round and the lungs are doing the oxygen bit, what else needs to happen to "be fit" ?The mind is another organ that can make you feel tired and unfit. If your body needs protecting for whatever reason, it can make you feel the way you do. It is wanting you to rest to recover. If you have been pushing through this symptoms for a while this is where you can experience burnout.
Recovery is about restarting and taking it slowly. A short walk will release endorphins and your brain can get addicted to these and want more. But you need to take it slowly, you cannot go out for a short walk one day and within 7 days be out on a all-day hike. The more your body(brain) shuts you down to protect you, the slower and longer you will have to take your recovery. Go too hard and you'll experience setbacks.
Lily the Pink said:
Ashfordian said:
Without wanting you to disclose your reason for being in hospital recently, is it in anyway stress related? Could you be suffering from burnout?
The mind is another organ that can make you feel tired and unfit. If your body needs protecting for whatever reason, it can make you feel the way you do. It is wanting you to rest to recover. If you have been pushing through this symptoms for a while this is where you can experience burnout.
Recovery is about restarting and taking it slowly. A short walk will release endorphins and your brain can get addicted to these and want more. But you need to take it slowly, you cannot go out for a short walk one day and within 7 days be out on a all-day hike. The more your body(brain) shuts you down to protect you, the slower and longer you will have to take your recovery. Go too hard and you'll experience setbacks.
I was in because my GP detected AF - though that's not unusual at my age. I don't feel stressed, everything in life is pretty stable, but interesting thought about the mind being another organ. I'm trying to understand the physiology - if the heart is pumping the blood round and the lungs are doing the oxygen bit, what else needs to happen to "be fit" ?The mind is another organ that can make you feel tired and unfit. If your body needs protecting for whatever reason, it can make you feel the way you do. It is wanting you to rest to recover. If you have been pushing through this symptoms for a while this is where you can experience burnout.
Recovery is about restarting and taking it slowly. A short walk will release endorphins and your brain can get addicted to these and want more. But you need to take it slowly, you cannot go out for a short walk one day and within 7 days be out on a all-day hike. The more your body(brain) shuts you down to protect you, the slower and longer you will have to take your recovery. Go too hard and you'll experience setbacks.
Getting enough good quality sleep?
Lily the Pink said:
I get a lot of "natural exercise" as a semi-retired 69 year old farmer. Not overweight, and my weight hasn't changed significantly for years.
To feel fit, "natural exercise" isn't enough. It might be fine for endurance if you are doing the garden for 3 hours or going for a long walk, but there's a whole range of fitness criteria to make a person "fit" or at least fitter.-strength
-endurance
-dynamicism
-flexibility
-mobility
-balance
Play a sport and your general fitness will soon be realised... but the more you play the fitter you'll get... for that sport at least.
There is some crossover between fitness and fatness but you can be overweight and fit... and slim but unfit.
Atrial Fibrillation is known to make you tired. Apart from risk of stroke, tiredness is one of the main problems. Unfortunately, the drugs you are on also can have the same issues.
I presume you are also on blood thinners. If you have AF you really should be on those to minimise stroke risk.
I had a cardiac ablation in an attempt to cure AF but looks like it hasn't worked. I really hated the drugs, so went down the ablation route to try and come off them. They did to me what you are describing. Maybe you could try a different drug. There are plenty to choose from.
I presume you are also on blood thinners. If you have AF you really should be on those to minimise stroke risk.
I had a cardiac ablation in an attempt to cure AF but looks like it hasn't worked. I really hated the drugs, so went down the ablation route to try and come off them. They did to me what you are describing. Maybe you could try a different drug. There are plenty to choose from.
Lily the Pink said:
I get a lot of "natural exercise" as a semi-retired 69 year old farmer. Not overweight, and my weight hasn't changed significantly for years.
How often in a day/week do you normally get significantly out of breath? Or put in a maximum effort to lift or move something?It's very easy, particularly as you age beyond 60, to accommodate a gradual loss of strength and fitness. If you don't use it you lose it and that loss is imperceptible on a day to day basis but can be quite marked year on year.
Fitness isn't just medically healthy heart and lungs. Your heart loses fitness too, so has to work harder to pump the same amount of blood, your muscles get smaller and the blood supply reduces to match. All of which means that activities that had you pottering about at 30% capacity now push you to 60% (say...) and you start getting out of breath far more easily.
As others have suggested already - natural fitness, as you describe it, is obviously beneficial but it's quite easy to be active but still not ever really exert yourself.
I usually go out hillwalking most weekends but haven't been out at all for the last year or so. I have however been working physically every day doing up an old cottage and working on the surrounding grounds. It's been quite strenuous stuff - fencing, digging ditches by hand and climbing about on rooves.
I went for a walk up my local hill last weekend and nearly keeled over when I got to the first steep bit - completely unfit!
I would try and do something every day that gets you breathing hard and your heart rate up - walk up a hill or even just walk fast if you live somewhere flat. Cycling is another good one if you have a bike. It's amazing how quickly you improve.
I usually go out hillwalking most weekends but haven't been out at all for the last year or so. I have however been working physically every day doing up an old cottage and working on the surrounding grounds. It's been quite strenuous stuff - fencing, digging ditches by hand and climbing about on rooves.
I went for a walk up my local hill last weekend and nearly keeled over when I got to the first steep bit - completely unfit!
I would try and do something every day that gets you breathing hard and your heart rate up - walk up a hill or even just walk fast if you live somewhere flat. Cycling is another good one if you have a bike. It's amazing how quickly you improve.
AlexanderV8 said:
Atrial Fibrillation is known to make you tired. Apart from risk of stroke, tiredness is one of the main problems. Unfortunately, the drugs you are on also can have the same issues.
I presume you are also on blood thinners. If you have AF you really should be on those to minimise stroke risk.
I had a cardiac ablation in an attempt to cure AF but looks like it hasn't worked. I really hated the drugs, so went down the ablation route to try and come off them. They did to me what you are describing. Maybe you could try a different drug. There are plenty to choose from.
I presume you are also on blood thinners. If you have AF you really should be on those to minimise stroke risk.
I had a cardiac ablation in an attempt to cure AF but looks like it hasn't worked. I really hated the drugs, so went down the ablation route to try and come off them. They did to me what you are describing. Maybe you could try a different drug. There are plenty to choose from.
Stu-nph26 said:
It’ll be the AF are you constantly in AF? I am and often feel out of breath and tired. I’m hopefully waiting for an ablation to get sorted. The condition combined with the meds really can take it out of you.
That's interesting. I bought one of those Bluetooth heart rhythm monitors and can see that my heartbeat is irregular - but I have nothing to compare it with; I should get a healthy youngster to use it and see what theirs is like.Check your pulse if your heart rate is irregular you’re in Afib which will mean you aren’t getting enough oxygen and you’re bound to feel ‘unfit’. I’m 36 was diagnosed with Afib last October and I’m pretty much in Afib constantly and it definitely impairs my aerobic ability it’s a pretty standard side effect of Afib.
A kardia device will perform a home ECG and confirm but if your heart rates irregular you can be very confident you’re in Afib.
A kardia device will perform a home ECG and confirm but if your heart rates irregular you can be very confident you’re in Afib.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff