Severe Fatigue!
 

I am having some trouble with being severely fatigued and out of breath while exercising. I played racquetball today and had to leave the court after 10 minutes! I am not that out of shape and weigh about 200 lbs.
Any thoughts??

Maybe you're suffering a lack of something. Why not go to your doctor and get some blood tests done?
About the breathing, could it be asthma, allergies, etc.?

Hopefully this is not the symptom of serious health issue but only your doctor can diagnose that.

How often do you exercise? When was the last time you did a similar level of exertion? How old are you? I couldn't do 5 minutes on the elliptical machine when I returned to regular workouts ealrlier this year. Like you I said 'I'm not that out of shape' but I was fooling myself. When I was younger I could not exercise for a long period and then step right back into playing sports but as I age I find my fitness level declines quickly without regular exercise.

Thanks for the comments!

I am 41 and have been in and out of the gym (mostly out) for the past 10 years. I haven't had much exercise in about 6 weeks. Prior to that I was on the treadmill 3-4 times/week and felt like I was in pretty good shape.

I have visited with my doctor in the past about these concerns and the tests come back normal.

I quit drinking alcohol about a month ago and am trying to get back in shape.

I guess this is something that needs to start slow and work up from there.

It was alot easier to workout when I was younger.....

Hi Andy.

Don't know your height but at 200 lbs (90 kgs) you should be well over 6 feet and large framed. I would say you are well and truly overweight and racquetball is an 'explosive' activity which is pushing your limits.

Try stretching or hath yoga exercises mixed with swimming and cycling - more gentle without loosing the burning fat aspects.

As you say, we do not know his height. Therefore, let's refrain from calling someone "well and truly overweight" until we know that's the case.

Andy, is racquetball something you're used to doing? If it is a new activity, that may be part of the issue. For example, I run and play tennis, but one time tried to swim laps and got winded very quickly, regardless of being in good shape. Try building on your time slowly each time you play.

You visited the doctor 'in the past' about 'these concerns.' Does that mean much time has passed and were the concerns exactly the same? If you saw the doctor last week, something still may be new to you since that visit. Only your doctor could tell!

Not sure that I agree with the statement above but I do think that age and a lack of regular aerobic activity could be the cause for your fatigue. I suggest you get re-establish a regular routine of cardio for a couple of weeks. You may want to consider doing an HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training, you can google it for more info) routine instead of just steady state cardio.

What was the duration and intensity of your workouts on the threadmill? Different activities can complement other activities but cardio endurance drops off quickly after you quit. And like someone said previously racquetball is an explosive sport. It, even more than tennis, can wear out people who are considered to be in good shape. I wouldn't worry about being out of breath after just 10 mins.

Most new activities do.

LOL Yes but 41 isn't old. You just need to increase your activity level over time. Once you establish a base level of fitness new activities will become easier again.

@rpmcduff
I'm glad to see people are still recommending HIIT. In my humble opinion, it beats your steady state low-to-mid intensity cardio like stationary bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, etc, you normally see, hands down. (EDITED: I qualified that last sentence for steady state since you could incorporate HIIT into any of those exercises I listed.)