Say Goodbye to Exercise Queasiness: Your Blueprint for Fun Fitness!

The last thing anyone wants after pushing through their workout is to feel nauseous. Exercise is supposed to make you feel good! After all, heightened endorphins, boosted energy, and feeling strong are the tradeoffs for all your hard work.

Dealing with nausea during or after a workout is not only frustrating but can also make you avoid exercising altogether. The good news is that there are many ways to try and combat feelings of nausea when trying to do something good for your body and your health.

Keep reading to learn more about what causes post-workout nausea and how you can eliminate the issue with a few simple changes.

It is essential to note that many different factors can affect how you feel during and after your workouts. What causes your nausea can differ from what causes it for someone else.

While it is always crucial to contact your health practitioner if you think there is a serious, underlying problem, there are a few common (and relatively harmless) causes that may be the culprit of your post-exercise nausea.

Dehydration is one of the most likely reasons you feel nauseous after your workout. Even if you think you drink enough water throughout the day, your body loses more water than usual through sweating.

Some of the most common dehydration signs include:

• Dry mouth
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Muscle cramps
• Dry skin
• Headaches
• Thirst
• Flushed skin
• Irritability

If you notice these symptoms during your workout, dehydration may be to blame.

Exercise-induced hypoglycemia is the medical term for low blood sugar during or after a workout. Even if you don’t typically deal with low blood sugar, the increased usage of glucose during your workouts can make you feel many of the usual symptoms associated with hypoglycemia.

Nausea is certainly an indicator of low blood sugar while exercising, but there are a few other telling signs, including:

• Shaking
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Confusion
• Anxiety
• Fainting

How you fuel your body greatly impacts the success of your workout. Your body needs energy to push through, especially when doing workouts that test your limits.

What you eat and how much you eat can cause you to feel nauseous during and after your workouts. Eating right before a workout increases the likelihood of experiencing digestive discomfort and nausea. The same can occur if you fill up on slow-digesting foods, like fats and proteins.

Lactic acid is created primarily by your muscles and red blood cells to help fuel your body during workouts. It is normal for your lactic acid to rise when partaking in strenuous activities, such as exercise.

However, if your body produces lactic acid quicker than your liver and kidneys can clear it out, it can lead to some feelings of discomfort, including muscle aches, stomach pain, and nausea. 

Emotions and anxiety play significant roles in how you feel during your workout. If something about your workouts causes stress, nervousness, or anxiety, you may be more likely to feel nauseous while exercising. 

Whether trying out a new gym or working out to prepare for a race or competition, many things can cause stress and anxiety around your workouts.

Building the muscle and stamina required to engage in high-intensity and high-impact workouts takes time. When you exercise too far beyond your baseline level of fitness, you’re more likely to experience GI issues, like nausea.

Even if you’re feeling particularly motivated to take on that 90-minute HIIT workout your best friend swears by your body may not be ready to handle that level of exertion.

Taking deep breaths throughout your workout is crucial to allow enough oxygen to enter your body – which keeps your muscles going! If you’ve already started to feel nauseous, take a break. Let your heartbeat return to normal while you take controlled, deep breaths. This should help calm your system and ease your nausea.

Eating enough before exercising is crucial to ensuring you have the energy to ace your workout. However, large meals or eating slow-digesting foods can increase the likelihood of nausea.

Instead, focus on eating a small meal or snack at least one or two hours before your workout. Combining a carb with a protein is usually the most effective way to fuel up before a workout.

Nothing will make you feel sicker faster than dehydration. Ensure you take in the necessary amount of water and other fluids before, during, and after your workout. It may also help to add an electrolyte mix or drink to supercharge your hydration.

If you just started exercising and try to spend one hour each day working through an intense cardio session, you may want to rethink your approach. Longer, more intense workouts can be harder on your stomach.

Instead, try starting with a shorter workout while building up to a longer session. You can also add more rests or breaks throughout your workout to give you more time to recover.

Warming up before a workout allows your body to acclimate to a more active state after resting. It allows your heart rate to rise more naturally, which may help avoid nausea.

Stretching after a workout serves a similar function. Immediately stopping after an intense workout can cause your heart rate to drop too quickly, resulting in dizziness and nausea. Instead, spend a few minutes after your workout stretching and giving your heart a chance to slowly return to a state of rest.