Dizziness after treadmill workout...

My step-mother has been doing 30 minutes almost everyday on the treadmill in the gym. She says she gets very dizzy after her workout. Not during the workout, afterwards, and its everytime since she started about three weeks ago. Shes tried drinking more water eating more carbs before, more protein, not right before, like 2 hours before. The only thing I can think of when dizziness happens is dehydration or not enough food or sleep. She says she gets plenty of all those things. Any ideas on why else this could be happening? She has been sedentary most of her life and very overweight. Could it be that?

Check her HR. If she is jumping right into 30 minutes of sustained high HR, it could just be a matter of conditioning. See if she can keep a sustained low level HR for 10 minutes, then bump it up from there. Food and water are the first things that come to mind. Hmm..

If the dizziness disappears within a minute or two of completion, I would not give it any concern. I would just sit down for the minute and go about my business.

If it lasts longer than that I would first consult my physician to make sure that I was physically OK for this workout.

I frequently get dizzy when I am doing my long set of push ups (80 to 90 reps), but the dizziness disappears within 30 or 40 seconds after I stand up. This is oxygen deprivation to the brain. The push ups draw so much oxygen that the brain gets oxygen-starved.

A meal just before training (or a single glass of wine) will do the same.

If the dizziness persists, have the doctor give her a go ahead before doing much more training.

A meal just before training (or a single glass of wine) will do the same.

Well, shes not much of a drinker.

Just a few things I thought of that might be contributing to her dizziness:

1. She needs a complete physical before beginning any exercises program if she is overweight and has been sedentary for a long time. It is a tremendous strain to the heart and lungs to begin any new exercising.

2. If she is just now starting out 30 minutes may be too much for her - try cutting back to 10 or 15 minutes.

3. Is she allowing herself a "cooldown" time on the treadmill before she steps off? sometimes if you abruptly end a treadmill run, or fast walk and just hop off it might cause some dizziness.

4. Is this the only time she has the dizziness? Has she tried just walking - not on a treadmill?

5. Does she sit down or lay down immediately after her workout? Not good. She needs to do some cool down walking and some easy stretching right after she finishes - letting her heartrate come back down before she sits down - allowing her body to readjust to normal functions.

6. Breathe! Sometimes people forget to breath properly when exercising, which deprives the brain and muscles of oxygen, causing dizziness.

I hope this and all the other info helps her. I think it is great that she is taking an interest in her health and fitness The positive example of your eating and working out habits are obviously beginning to rub off on her. Help her to stay positive and stay on track...just might need some adjustments to find the right combo of exercise and diet

I get this all the time.she should see a doctor asap.

I have low blood pressure and i iron deficient. im taking some supplements AND eating my liver and spinach frequently.

She should make an appointment with her Doctor to rule out anything serious. Blood sugar issues, heart disease. Dizziness can be a symptom of either one of those conditions and other medical problems as well.

fitoverforty had some great advice. My wife's just beginning to work-out and she feels dizzy if she goes straight from 4mph to standing still... make sure your friend's getting an adequate cool-down.

I get this all the time.she should see a doctor asap.

I have low blood pressure and i iron deficient. im taking some supplements AND eating my liver and spinach frequently.

Magnesium will inhibit iron absorption, so check that you are getting Mg and Fe at different times. Vit C will enhance Fe, so take your supps with some orange slices (:

If she's an evil step mother, then just sit back and ignore this.

If you care about her, then I would suggest you tell her that this is not normal and if it is on-going she should see a medical professional before doing it again.

If she fails to follow your advice you will, at least, feel that you've done your part for your stepmother and dad.

(This is not a normal or a desireable result from cardio exercise. The root cause of the problem needs to be discovered. There is no telling what the upshot of continuing to workout with this sort of result. It may just be an inner-ear issue (not serious at all), or it might be something else entirely. I recall getting vertigo once at work. I called my doctor who told me to call 911 and get to the hospital immediately. Clearly the doctor was concerned about some serious issues. It turned out to be an inner ear problem caused by allergies. Not serious. But not knowing is serious. Find out the root cause of the problem and then go forward.)

I get this all the time.she should see a doctor asap.

I have low blood pressure and i iron deficient. im taking some supplements AND eating my liver and spinach frequently.

Magnesium will inhibit iron absorption, so check that you are getting Mg and Fe at different times. Vit C will enhance Fe, so take your supps with some orange slices (:

REALLY? i sure will. thanks alot.