Have you ever worked out so much that all you wanted to do is sleep afterwords? I "thought" i had a decent workout. I ran 3 miles in 30 minutes, not a big deal. But 2 hrs after i worked out, i passed the hell out. I just woke up after a 4 hr nap and im still tired. Is there anything that i should do (eat or drink) to get my energy levels back up?

Gatorade and a banana or something similar. I just recently had heatstroke which was pretty brutal. It totally wiped me out for several days. I ended up in hospital for it but the ER doctor who treated me happened to be a competitive cyclist and runner and gave me a bunch of advice. He strongly suggested drinking Gatorade during and after a ride and alot of water before. Afterwards, it replaces the electrolytes that tend to get unbalanced during a hard work out - i.e. sodium and potassium. Bananas are also great for replacing potassium and I always have one after a ride.

You could also eat stuff like fresh Turkey breast, fresh fruit, orange juice etc. These are also things he suggested.

Good luck....

Justen

A couple hours after riding long rides (50+ miles) and I'm ready for a nap. Doesn't seem to matter what I eat or drink. I think that the body just needs some rest. About two hours does it for me.

Try to get some some simple carbs in your body right after exercise. Sports drinks are very good as they also add hydration.

well, i've never passed out, but after some events i have been extremely tired (many adventure/endurance bike/multi-sport races in the 4 to 7 hr range and a few up to 12 hours). i think basically if your body gets so weak and low on water/nutrients/energy it just shuts down all non-essential systems (like staying awake) so that the brain and the vital system are most protected.

to prevent it you should eat and drink - DURING and just AFTER strenuos exercise. for quick recovery the window up to an hour or 2 after exercise is the best.

in your case (i think it has already been a few hours) i think anything that gets into the body fast, like a sports drink, bananna, gel would be good, but you should pay special attention to your fluids, especially if it is hot.

you should probably feel better the next day, but may be drained for up to a week --- i did a mountain "marathon" (13 miles and 8000ft vertical) weekend-before-last (my time 3:35) and the entire week i was very weak and low on power. today, 10 days later i still feel less than fully recovered.

I think you done good......

I go with complex carb based nutrient dense meals to replace glycogen and include adequate protein and fat and plenty of fruits and vegies as well for recovery purposes.As others said you can get away with high glycemic carbs immediately post exercise.Rest is an important part of the recovery process so don't neglect it but also don't overdo it or it can become counterproductive.