Lightheaded after intense workouts

Owen Lowe said:

I just started going to my local fitness center for treadmill walking.
I've been sidewalk walking for most of the summer, but I find it
difficult to get my heart rate above 120 on the level surface without
running (and I don't want to run - bad knees & back.) My pace was about
4 mph.

I'm 41, and had a mostly blocked right coronary artery in Feb of this
year which was angio'd and stented. Doc had me on a "standard" course of
meds: Plavix, Lovastatin, Metropolol, Lysinopril, Asprin. He's ended up
removing me from all of them except the asprin as I've checked out A-OK
on my EKG's, blood work, blood pressure and Stress Echo - no muscle
damage whatsoever and I didn't/don't have hi-BP (115/75-ish with a
resting HR in the 40's) or abnormal blood lipids.

At the gym, I've been pushing myself on the treadmill - 3.6mph and 10%
incline for about 40 minutes. Heartrate is in the mid-140's and it feels
like a good workout with no leg, chest or other pains. Problem is that
I'm very lightheaded after I step off the treadmill - my balance is
skewed where it's difficult to walk a straight line. I don't feel any of
this while on the mill and I *do* cool down with 5 mins at very a slow
paced walk. It all clears up within a few minutes.

Is this something to be medically concerned about or is it perhaps due
to sending a great amount of my blood supply to my legs for the exertion
and not allowing enough time to recover?

It is concerning. You should inform your cardiologist.

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Great job exercising. I used to feel lightheaded after an intense
workout - but it's odd you'd feel that way after a 5 minute cool down.
By all means tell your doc. I'd suggest a lower incline until your
doc clears you. One thing that helped me was eating saltly peanuts
after a workout. A long workout may deplete sodium. Another
possiblity is low blood sugar - you could try Gatorade,etc to see if
that helps. For (I think) the best info on working out, etc see
www.drmirkin.com I believe his archive covers faintess after working
out.

Owen Lowe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I just started going to my local fitness center for treadmill walking.
I've been sidewalk walking for most of the summer, but I find it
difficult to get my heart rate above 120 on the level surface without
running (and I don't want to run - bad knees & back.) My pace was about
4 mph.

I'm 41, and had a mostly blocked right coronary artery in Feb of this
year which was angio'd and stented. Doc had me on a "standard" course of
meds: Plavix, Lovastatin, Metropolol, Lysinopril, Asprin. He's ended up
removing me from all of them except the asprin as I've checked out A-OK
on my EKG's, blood work, blood pressure and Stress Echo - no muscle
damage whatsoever and I didn't/don't have hi-BP (115/75-ish with a
resting HR in the 40's) or abnormal blood lipids.

At the gym, I've been pushing myself on the treadmill - 3.6mph and 10%
incline for about 40 minutes. Heartrate is in the mid-140's and it feels
like a good workout with no leg, chest or other pains. Problem is that
I'm very lightheaded after I step off the treadmill - my balance is
skewed where it's difficult to walk a straight line. I don't feel any of
this while on the mill and I *do* cool down with 5 mins at very a slow
paced walk. It all clears up within a few minutes.

Is this something to be medically concerned about or is it perhaps due
to sending a great amount of my blood supply to my legs for the exertion
and not allowing enough time to recover?

"Owen Lowe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I just started going to my local fitness center for treadmill walking.
I've been sidewalk walking for most of the summer, but I find it
difficult to get my heart rate above 120 on the level surface without
running (and I don't want to run - bad knees & back.) My pace was

about

Quoted message said:

4 mph.

I'm 41, and had a mostly blocked right coronary artery in Feb of this
year which was angio'd and stented. Doc had me on a "standard" course

of

Quoted message said:

meds: Plavix, Lovastatin, Metropolol, Lysinopril, Asprin. He's ended

up

Quoted message said:

removing me from all of them except the asprin as I've checked out

A-OK

Quoted message said:

on my EKG's, blood work, blood pressure and Stress Echo - no muscle
damage whatsoever and I didn't/don't have hi-BP (115/75-ish with a
resting HR in the 40's) or abnormal blood lipids.

At the gym, I've been pushing myself on the treadmill - 3.6mph and 10%
incline for about 40 minutes. Heartrate is in the mid-140's and it

feels

Quoted message said:

like a good workout with no leg, chest or other pains. Problem is that
I'm very lightheaded after I step off the treadmill - my balance is
skewed where it's difficult to walk a straight line. I don't feel any

of

Quoted message said:

this while on the mill and I *do* cool down with 5 mins at very a slow
paced walk. It all clears up within a few minutes.

Is this something to be medically concerned about or is it perhaps due
to sending a great amount of my blood supply to my legs for the

exertion

Quoted message said:

and not allowing enough time to recover?

By all means check this out with a medical professional but this can be
a normal reaction when stepping off a treadmill after a long workout.
The ground still appears to move and this creates a sensation of
vertigo. With your hightened awareness due to your recent medical
condition, every little abnormality may be getting a lot more of your
attention. I can understand that.

Phil Holman

In article <[email hidden]>,

Phil Holman said:

By all means check this out with a medical professional but this can be
a normal reaction when stepping off a treadmill after a long workout.
The ground still appears to move and this creates a sensation of
vertigo. With your hightened awareness due to your recent medical
condition, every little abnormality may be getting a lot more of your
attention. I can understand that.

I had the experience again today but this time paid particular attention
to the sensation... it's not a dizzy feeling as much as a floating on my
feet feeling. Maybe rubber legs to the N-th degree. I don't feel as
though I'm going to faint, just not totally in control of my legs. (If I
wasn't concerned about stumbling into someone else and looking like a
goober, it would be almost comical.)

One other thought if Dr. Chung is listening: I just stopped the
Lovastatin and Lysinopril within the last 10 days or so. Doc just told
me to go cold turkey. Could there be any lingering effects from either
of these two drugs?

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Brad Sheppard) said:

Great job exercising. I used to feel lightheaded after an intense
workout - but it's odd you'd feel that way after a 5 minute cool down.
By all means tell your doc. I'd suggest a lower incline until your
doc clears you. One thing that helped me was eating saltly peanuts
after a workout. A long workout may deplete sodium. Another
possiblity is low blood sugar - you could try Gatorade,etc to see if
that helps. For (I think) the best info on working out, etc see
www.drmirkin.com I believe his archive covers faintess after working
out.

The low blood sugar is an interesting angle. I've been anti-hi-glycemic
eating for the last 6 months. Little if any refined flour or sugars.
Much of my diet is protein and green veggies with some fruit thrown in
for good measure. Maybe I should eat a piece of fruit before the workout?

I still do that after years of treadmill exercising. I go every morning
between 3.5 and 4.0 miles an hour at varying inclines. One explanation I
have read is that the vasculature in your legs expands to feed the very
large muscle groups and when you stop, blood tends to pool causing a
reaction similar to orthostatic hypotension. If you posted this anywhere
else, I would say don't be concerned. However, since you have a history of
cardiac disease, you should really check with your doc. Even if my
explanation is correct and it is just transient hypotension, he or she may
want to know about it as stents like a certain pressure flowing through
them. Or maybe it doesn't really matter. (I was the critical care nurse in
my clinical days- who knows what happens to patients after they get
discharged🙂 But, it certainly is worth a phone call.

One option may be to get a referral to a cardiac rehab facility if only for
a few days so that you can be monitored while you exercise. After they
clear you, you can head back to the regular gym.

When I get off the treadmill (after a very dramatic cool down), I make it a
point to not stand still for a few minutes. I wander through the house on
the flat surface and may do one or two domestic chores that don't require
standing. It has become habit to lift up on my toes and to tighten my thigh
muscles when I first stand still to mechanically move the blood out of the
tissues. Works for me.

Blood sugar, as Brad suggested, is also a possibility but it seldom self
corrects without intervention and after all your hospitalizations, someone
should have picked up on it by now.

j
"Owen Lowe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I just started going to my local fitness center for treadmill walking.
I've been sidewalk walking for most of the summer, but I find it
difficult to get my heart rate above 120 on the level surface without
running (and I don't want to run - bad knees & back.) My pace was about
4 mph.

I'm 41, and had a mostly blocked right coronary artery in Feb of this
year which was angio'd and stented. Doc had me on a "standard" course of
meds: Plavix, Lovastatin, Metropolol, Lysinopril, Asprin. He's ended up
removing me from all of them except the asprin as I've checked out A-OK
on my EKG's, blood work, blood pressure and Stress Echo - no muscle
damage whatsoever and I didn't/don't have hi-BP (115/75-ish with a
resting HR in the 40's) or abnormal blood lipids.

At the gym, I've been pushing myself on the treadmill - 3.6mph and 10%
incline for about 40 minutes. Heartrate is in the mid-140's and it feels
like a good workout with no leg, chest or other pains. Problem is that
I'm very lightheaded after I step off the treadmill - my balance is
skewed where it's difficult to walk a straight line. I don't feel any of
this while on the mill and I *do* cool down with 5 mins at very a slow
paced walk. It all clears up within a few minutes.

Is this something to be medically concerned about or is it perhaps due
to sending a great amount of my blood supply to my legs for the exertion
and not allowing enough time to recover?

In article <uUR2b.22356$uh6.12185@lakeread05>,

Julianne said:

I still do that after years of treadmill exercising. I go every morning
between 3.5 and 4.0 miles an hour at varying inclines. One explanation I
have read is that the vasculature in your legs expands to feed the very
large muscle groups and when you stop, blood tends to pool causing a
reaction similar to orthostatic hypotension.

Thank you for the reply Julianne. For the past several workouts on the
treadmill I've paid special attention to pinpoint exactly what the
sensation is and where I feel it.

I think it's really a case of rubber legs. I've been doing up to 40
minutes of roughly 4 mph/10% incline. When I stop and walk away, I feel
like I'm floating on my feet. I don't feel dizzy or anything in my head
at these times, though I've always been susceptable to the dizzies when
rising from lying down or being seated.

I've modified the 5 minute cool-down so that the treadmill *really*
slows down by the last minute. I think it's only going about 1.5 mph,
IIRC, and I stand on the mill for about a minute after it stops. This
seems to have solved my floaty feeling. I have rather muscular legs
compared to the rest of my physique - so I think you're right with the
blood pooling angle.

I'll continue to be aware of the situation, but think it's by and large
benign - unless I fall into some pumped up, testosterone oozing hulk...

Yeah - nuts/seeds are excellent - good fats, fiber, protein. I'll have
to try the pumpkin seeds. re: weights: Watch getting off the leg
press machine - you may feel faint - your blood can pool in the legs.
For me, caffeine is necessary before a workout. If you've never tried
coffee before a workout you may want to try it - it really gets the
motor running!

Owen Lowe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Brad Sheppard) said:

Personally I eat 1/2 pound of blueberries in lite yogurt before
working out. Before eating the fruit I eat 1 oz of nuts to slow the
glycemic response. I'd suggest a trial with gatorade - drink 20
minutes before end of workout. If that doesn't work your problem
isn't low blood sugar. BTW very good diet. Consider adding peanuts
and walnuts as well (but watch total calories).

Brad, I've started some weight training in addition to the cardio work
and will have to experiment even more with some proper pre/post snacks.
Additionally, I do eat a fair amount of unsalted nuts (peanuts, almonds
and sunflower seeds) and have just recently discovered hulled pumpkin
seeds in the bulk aisle of my grocery. I dry roast them in a skillet
until they puff up - very tasty.

Owen Lowe said:

Thank you for the reply Julianne. For the past several workouts on the
treadmill I've paid special attention to pinpoint exactly what the
sensation is and where I feel it.

I think it's really a case of rubber legs. I've been doing up to 40
minutes of roughly 4 mph/10% incline. When I stop and walk away, I feel
like I'm floating on my feet. I don't feel dizzy or anything in my head
at these times, though I've always been susceptable to the dizzies when
rising from lying down or being seated.

Perfectly normal, in my experience.

Bob