Struggling with my fitness

[enchilada81]

I've been doing Atkins for around three weeks and I'm really struggling with my karate. I train twice a week (sometimes 3 times) but for the past few weeks, I've struggled greatly with it. I get exhausted after 10 minutes. My muscles ache and burn to the point where I just have to stop until the pain goes away.

I put up with it for the past few lessons but I have just found out I have a grading coming up in four weeks and I need to be fit, not just for the actual grading but also for the practice leading upto it.

I am currently taking a daily vitamin + mineral tablet with potasium, calcium and sodium etc but I was wanted to ask a couple of questions:

1. Is it dangerous to take more than the recommended dose of vitamin tablets?
2. are there any low carb energy drinks that will see me through the next few weeks karate lessons? Something like a diet redbull etc?

[MissM]

Although im sure its not the best thing for us to be drinking they do make sugar free red bull, sugar free amp and other sugar free eneergy drinks.

[enchilada81]

Thanks MissM, I managed to find some sugar free redbull and had a can before I went to training last night. I have to say, that was the best training session I've had for months!

I know I shouldn't make a habbit of it but I'm hoping it will get me through this bad patch.

[MissM]

Well the way I see it is sometimes you just have to do, what you have to do, to get things done

good luck

[tracyred]

caffeine is meant to help with performance.....

i would have it only around a training session, so your body doesn't get too used to it (caffeine, i mean)

t

[lifepower]

As you are doing Atkins, it needs a lots of physical strength. to regain your strength take time to yoga.
It helps you regaining your strength even more better. Good Luck!

[Clarioneer]

If you have access to a gym - try a few bodypump classes - its a great overall cardio workout but also great for quads which you use a lot in karate... ie... lots of squats and lunges... you start of with low weights and rapidly build them up...

I also use Protein Sci-MX shakes for energy/body building which also includes plenty of vitamins and potassium

[Kisten]

Thank you so much for distribution this. Absolutely great - but superior info to know!

[bigpaparn]

not wise to take more than the daily recommended dose of a vitamin

[Tril]

Especially the fat soluable vitamins/minerals.

[Christian]

You have to struggle to keep your body fit. Your healthy liife is the
result of your struggle.which you do to
keep your body fit.

[David Steele]

Okay, deep breath....

When you wrote this you were at the three week stage, so the advice I would have given you at the time would be - cut yourself some slack!

Before starting on this life-style change, you've been used to performing on carb glucose which is a bit like pumping a car engine full of NOS. You get fantastic results, but only for a little while and then you crash...

What you're doing when you start low carb is completely changing the way your body proceses calories. Effectively you're making a change that's as radical as going from AC to DC power.

In fact, that analogy holds up well. As AC (Alternating Current - mains power) power is based on many peaks and troughs, and DC (Direct Current - battery power) is a smooth line. Both are equally valid methods of fuelling yourself, but you've trained your body to rely on performing based on a glucose hit and a rapid burn. Don't worry - it's what we all do if we fall for the Sportzcarb (TM) sales pitch.

Over time your body will get the hang of burning fat as it was supposed to before our carb rich diet messed everything up. Humans have been around for a long time before the invention of thick shakes and jam on toast. It may not feel like it right now but ketosis (Burning fat) is the natural state.

As for vitamins - I haven't got the attention span to go into this right now. But you don't have much to worry about. taking in too many vitamins will just teach your body to dump vitamins. Try to get through the day without any "suppliments" and you'll feel loads better after about a week.

Further reading: "Why we get fat" by Gary Taubes. (Sorry to keep plugging this book, but I regard it as essential reading for anyone on low carb. For the record I'm NOT his agent!)

Further Further Reading: "Bad Science" by Ben Goldacre has lots of evidence based studies showing what a harmful waste of time vitamin suppliments are, and why the "big pharma" companies don't want you to know it.

Always a pleasure.

DS