Why You Feel Nauseated After Working Out

Feeling nauseated after working out is more common than you think. When you push yourself to work out harder, it is only logical to feel a little queasy during or after the workout. However, it’s nothing to worry about. Working out a little too hard can also lead to complications, especially in times like the pandemic when you need to keep your immunity up.

You might drain out by working out too hard, which accumulated with social, financial, medical and other stressors can make the immune system more vulnerable. However, you should still work out and focus on not working out too hard. Check out FITCOACH – AI-enabled fitness coach – that provides dynamic workout recommendations based on your fitness needs.

The Cause of Nausea after Working Out

When you work out hard, blood starts pumping harder and that’s a little difficult on the digestive tract. The body distributes blood to the muscles for more oxygen and nutrition when you put it all in. What happens, as a result, is that very little blood is left circulating the stomach and intestines, which then causes nausea or a vomiting sensation.

Therefore, when a challenging workout makes you push harder, you feel like you might just puke, especially if you’re working out that hard for the first time. The body is unable to manage the accumulation of metabolic waste due to working out too hard. The body is unable to fulfill the oxygen needs of the muscles. This leads to the build-up of metabolic waste (carbon dioxide, lactic acid, hydrogen ions, etc.), which leads to acidity and thus nausea. No matter the level of fitness, everyone can witness nausea. 

Workouts Likely to Cause Nausea

The hard and long workouts like sprints, tempo run, HIIT circuits, etc. can be a cause for unwanted nausea. This also depends on your posture during the workout. It is highly possible during cycling due to the pressure on the abdomen, especially when you lower your torso to increase your speed. 

For that matter, weight-lifting workouts are even worse because the body needs high levels of blood flow. Consider leg day; the size of the muscles and their volume is high in addition to the fact that they can take more load than the upper body muscles. This means that the body might not be able to direct enough oxygen to the leg muscles and you might feel nauseous.

The Role of Food in Feeling Nauseous

It is important to eat well and stay hydrated if you workout. However, if you have a little too much before a workout, you are bound to witness nausea after or during a workout. That is because the stomach area won’t have enough blood to digest all the extra food and liquids. That’s why experts suggest keeping a gap of at least 90 to 180 minutes between eating and working out. Eating foods that contain healthy fats that keep you full for longer is not a good idea before a workout. Avoid fiber and protein before the workout as well. Consult expert nutritionists at your convenience with FITFEAST. Get daily diet recommendations to suit your workout needs and achieve the best results.