Nausea During Endurance Training

[rain]

Hi,

For the last few years (after diagnosis) I've been getting awful naseau during long bike rides or hikes. I can't figure out what to do. It's frustrating because now I am able to build muscle, but the nausea just wipes me out. 

Everything I read online addresses nausea after a workout, not during. It usually starts once I eat, so I suppose I could not eat, but that doesn't work either.

 

I am wary of gels because of the chemicals in them (I can't drink gatorade or soda for example). But I'm also not sure what the issue is.

 

Is it simply too much for me? Any thoughts?

 

Thanks!

[moosemalibu]

Have you hit the wall, so to speak, when you are getting the nausea? Can you time your rides/track your HR, etc. to pin point when it is happening? It is possible you are doing too much.

[KCG91]

Do you mean it starts during the hike/ride once you've eaten? If so I sympathise, I'm a distance runner and I can't eat anything solid while I run. I can't have more than one gel during a session either (think it's those chemicals) without 'protest', shall we say, so that isn't a particularly good solution for me either. What do you eat the day before and the morning of a session? Finding a good carby dinner and breakfast might help  

Also, are you well hydrated? If you are wary of commercial electrolyte drinks then try: 500ml boiling water, 3 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt mixed together and cooled (of course!) You can add squash or concentrate to make it taste better. 

[cyclinglady]

I ride. What are you eating before and during your rides?

[rain]

Thank you for your replies!

 

I'm certain it's not over-exertion since it happens other times as well, though it always helps to just sit sill.

 

I'm honestly not very particular about what I eat before, just so long as I get enough calories in to hold me over. I usually eat later in the evening too just to be sure. My next ride I'm thinking of eating a home cooked pile of mildly spiced soft rice, well cooked veggies and fish the night before.

 

I do suspect that drinking caffeine in the morning does something. That's just been really hard to test because usually these longer rides/hikes involve getting up early. I need a substitute.

KCG91 - thank you for the drink recipe! I will try this out. I find when biking, drinking something sweet doesn't go down well so I might balance the sugar/salt ratio a bit more.

[rain]

I forgot to add, during bike rides I've tried everything - bananas, lunch, no lunch, bars. Nothing works. I also find that if I wait for others to eat lunch that seems to aggravate things too, though that might be because I drink too much water since we're stopped.

[cyclinglady]

Well, I do use Gu, homemade bars and bananas. We now never stop for lunch because it slows us down, our muscles get cold and we sometimes get nauseous. No lunch even on long rides than are more than 80 miles. We snack constantly and nibble every 20 to 50 minutes by reaching into our pockets or at a stop light. A hydration backpack might work well for you and that way you would avoid big gulps and chugs. It takes practice to get a bottle out of a cage and drink -- never do it while drafting, just back off, drink and latch back on. Be sure you are well hydrated the days prior to your rides too.

I also eat a small breakfast like salmon (canned) and veggies. Do not drink your coffee on an empty stomach. The caffeine makes me crank. I am a slug without it. I like Gu's with caffeine or chocolate covered expresso beans. Be sure to have a good recovery drink like chocolate milk. That gives me a chance to shower before a nice meal otherwise I will tank. I use soy milk since I am allergic to dairy (not related to my celiac disease).

I am recently diabetic so I am now monitoring my carbs during my rides. I hope these tips help!

[Brandiwine]

The only exercise I seem to be able to get away with, without getting nausea, is running. I love to run but I don't always have the time, especially right now because I'm over half way through this fall semester so all my instructors are piling on the work!!! Any time I do core work outs I get overwhelmingly nauseous. I couldn't find my motivation this morning and I am trying to flush my body this week because I have been feeling so run down so I wanted to exercise to get my blood moving and help energize me, plus it helps relieve all my stress from school and work and doing the Mommy thing. I got about 15mins in and got so sick to my stomach... had to go outside to cool off and then had to run to the bathroom. I really want to tone my core muscles, I have a lot of back pain that I feel it will help with plus it's my main problem area. I'm I getting sick because I need to work out more? Maybe just take baby steps into it? Has anyone had this issue and was able to work past it? 

[1desperateladysaved]

I had trouble with some nausea this summer.  I believe mine has to do with allergies.  What are you riding by when having trouble?  For me it is corn and grains.

 

Dee

[Eliza Plank]

When I was younger, I was very physically inactive which led to a big amount of weight gain. 

Naturally, my muscles were weakened and I could barely run a mile without losing my breath. Every step plus was a huge pain for me and I was running out of breath more frequently than I care to admit. Sometimes I'd feel very nauseous, my ears would ring and I used to see blurry outlines.

However, it turned out that I had vitamin deficiency, and with some fruit, vitamin supplements, as well as L-Carnitin. Now, I am doing much better and I have a lot more energy in me.