Hey @Jamc
It is not terribly unusual to have mixed reactions when starting to work out.
For one thing you are really challenging yourself mentally and emotionally as well as physically, and that is very tiring and can be quite confronting. Be patient and kind with yourself, especially now that you are just ebginning. there is no right or worng way to do it, no right or wrong way to feel during or afterwards.
Sometimes after a work out I feel shattered, exhausted and need to sleep, sometimes I feel like a god, like I can do anything. I have found that listeing to my body does help - just because you could do weight and Y reps one day doesn't mean you can do it two days later. You'll get a sense of how hard to push yourself and when you are punking out vs when you need to take it easy. being the big fan of writing things down that I am I like to keep logs of my workouts, what I did and how I felt afterwards at different points, so I can pick up on patterns like - felt nauseous during, shattered after, exhausted all day vs avoidant during, trumphant after, energised all day... That helps me know when to push through and when to ease back.
Moving your body can release unexpected emotions - I have had a couple of crying bouts when working out because certain movements, well they didn't actually trigger anything consciously, but I just started sobbing....
Also post workout routine can play a big part in your recovery. Make sure you are doing a good cool down, stretching, having a shower (hot and cold alternating can help with sore muscles and is super invigorating), using a foam roller can be super helpful if you are sore, and getting dome high quality protein into you within 30 minutes to help your juscles recover is very important.
Keeping hydrated before, during and after is crtical, and ensure that you are working on the right fuel for you during your workout eg some people need a small carbohydrate meal like a banana or piece of toast before they work out or they get really sapped and nauseous, other people (like me) feel vommy if they work out with anything at all in the stomachs, so I need to work out first thing in the morning before I eat, but before I have been 'fasting' too long.
I am glad to hear that the downer passed and some good music got you feeling better again.
Do you workout with music? Headphones can be great both to help vlock out the presence of other people and to make sure you have fabulus music to work out to.
