Feeling Drained After 5 PM: Does Anyone Else Struggle to Pursue Creative Passions

[integral]

On 9/13/2024 at 7:27 PM, Carl-Richard said:

I've been doing sprints for about a year now, and I've noticed the last couple of months that I've been experiencing some build-up of fatigue, and I think it had to do with me slowly upping my sets of sprints from the recommended number of 3-4 sets to 6 sets (and recently also an additional "sprint to failure" set on the 6th set: when the set is done, sprint the other way until you literally cannot run anymore). In hindsight, that sounds pretty foolish, but I somehow felt like I was progressing by doing it that way. But yes, it was foolish because it didn't just make me feel fatigued but it also made me less able to sprint with high intensity (which is the point of sprints). Recently, I've cut back down to 4 sets, and the difference is palpable.

So if you are going to do sprints or other forms of super high-intensity work, keep your sets deliberately low. And I agree that sprints are something unique when it comes to boosting your cognitive functioning. The type of mind state I enter after a sprint session where I managed to hit extreme levels of intensity is so much different than times where I didn't or compared to low-to-moderate intensity cardio or weight training. It's like your mind just got bolted with electricity or fed some superconductive substance, which is probably because it had just been granted an extreme amount of resources (blood flow, glucose, oxygen, neurochemicals). I think I used to achieve something similar back when I did weight training with extreme intensity, but I partially stopped doing that to work on form, correct muscle imbalances and deal with various injuries.

I think the reason high-intensity training in general is thought to increase intelligence is because of this effect of granting an extreme amount of resources in a short time period. In order to think clearly or solve difficult problems or have insights, your mind needs to be working at high intensity, and high-intensity bodily training produces a high-intensity mind (your body is connected to your brain which is connected to your mind). Also, thoughts themselves are fleeting and quick and are in a sense analogous to a sprint. Nevertheless, if you increase the intensity that your mind can handle in short bursts, then naturally you will be able to handle more heavy thoughts and thoughts in general.

That's a good point I think I noticed a similar pattern and by coincidence I just watched this video

A surprising discovery is that the total number of calories burned daily doesn't significantly differ between those who are highly active, like hunter-gatherers, and those who lead a more sedentary lifestyle.

For instance, the Hadza people, a hunter-gatherer community in Tanzania, walk an average of 9 kilometers daily. Despite this high level of activity, they burn roughly the same number of calories as people in industrialized societies.

This phenomenon is not due to genetic differences but to how the body allocates energy. The body seems to have a relatively fixed daily calorie budget that it adheres to, regardless of activity levels.

The body has evolved to maintain a consistent energy expenditure. When you exercise more, the body compensates by reducing energy spent on other activities or processes, a concept known as the "activity budget."

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The way I see it is when you overdo high intensity exercise you're pulling from all the energy of all the cells in your body and if that isn't replenished or the recovery can't keep up you're going to suffer. Pretty obvious but it's interesting that you are still use up a fixed amount of energy throughout the day regardless of your activity level. 

Edited September 15 by integral

[Clabber Girl]

@mr_engineer - YES! We had a new boss that started in April, and he is the most draining person. Instead of actually looking at the emails he will come over to hot seat you about them almost immediately. Its exhausting, the workplace was nothing like that before he started. He also changed the wfh schedule to be in the office 4 days a week. My cat has a terminal illness so it makes it even worse....  I would love to spend more time with him.

[Clabber Girl]

@Carl-Richard would orange theory qualify? It's a intense one hour workout that usually does sprints on the treadmill. 

[BlueOak]

Yes.

I've got energy to burn.
Exercise + Yoga + Vegan Diet (light foods) + Don't eat before bed + Detox + Don't Drink/Don't Smoke + Retain sexual energy etc. Means I have a lot of energy.

Yet still come 5 p.m., it's getting darker and it's a push to keep going after work and housework is done. I was going to post something similar actually as I feel jaded more than tired, things are always slower than I want, perhaps the topic I need to talk about in another forum.

But know at least you are not alone, we all have these struggles at some point. It helps to have a non-creative job if your side business is creative though, I've found that out before and again now.

Edited September 25 by BlueOak

[hyruga]

You can take vitamin B6. It helps provide you with more energy.

Edited September 26 by hyruga