Have you ever felt so tired during a workout, where you were unable to push through?
Maybe, what you’re experiencing is exercise intolerance.

Exercise intolerance is defined as the inability to maintain exercise at an expected level resulting in short workouts or easily fatigued muscle.

It is commonly associated with heart disease but can also present in people with mitochondrial dysfunction or metabolic disorders.

Signs and symptoms:

• Excessive sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain and Muscle cramps
• Inflammation
• Weakness and shaking with exertion
• Nausea

The “powerhouse of the cell”

Many of us are taught in high school biology that the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. When there is mitochondrial dysfunction, the cell has a harder time making energy thus making fatigue more likely.

The Heart Disease Connection

When heart disease is present, the cardiovascular system has a harder time pumping oxygen into the blood and tissues. This can also cause exercise intolerance has the muscles and tissue are unable to receive the nutrients they need to optimally function.

Nutrition for Better Exercise Tolerance

• Protein as well as nutrients such as thiamin, niacin, arginine, creatine, and carnitine all support healthy cells within the muscle. Great sources to pick up at your next grocery trip include grass-fed beef, wild caught fish, eggs, and beans.
• Carbohydrates sources should be high in fiber to prevent large glucose spikes. Sweet potato, white potato, sprouted whole grains, quinoa, and brown rice all are high fiber sources that will fuel the body and slowly enter the blood stream.

It’s important to find your “sweet spot” when it comes to carbohydrates. Eating too little or too many carbohydrates can negatively affect your blood sugar, making you sleepy and not equipped for your workout.

Other nutrients to consider

• Nitric oxide founds in beets, dark leafy greens, and dark chocolate help dilate the blood vessels so blood pumps more efficiently to the muscles.
• Coenzyme Q10 aids in energy production and acts as an antioxidant to prevent cellular damage.
• Glutathione aids in detoxify unwanted material in the body. The best sources of glutathione include spinach, avocado, asparagus and okra.
• Selenium can help increase your glutathione production. Foods such as beef, chicken, fish, organ meats, cottage cheese, brown rice and Brazil nuts are great sources.

Find a Type of Exercise that Works for You!

• Yoga
• Tai chi
• Walking

If you think you’re experiencing exercise intolerance, talk to your health care provider.

Sources:

Campagnolo, N., Johnston, S., Collatz, A., Staines, D., & Marshall-Gradisnik, S. (2017). Dietary and nutrition interventions for the therapeutic treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a systematic review. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics: The Official Journal of the British Dietetic Association, 30(3), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12435

Dietary supplements for primary mitochondrial disorders. (n.d.). Nih.gov. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/PrimaryMitochondrialDisorders-HealthProfessional/

Finsterer, J. (2009). Mitochondrial myopathies. Fortschritte der Neurologie-Psychiatrie, 77(11), 631–638. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0028-1109759

Holden, S., Maksoud, R., Eaton-Fitch, N., Cabanas, H., Staines, D., & Marshall-Gradisnik, S. (2020). A systematic review of mitochondrial abnormalities in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome/systemic exertion intolerance disease. Journal of Translational Medicine, 18(1), 290. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02452-3

Khanpour Ardestani, S., Karkhaneh, M., Stein, E., Punja, S., Junqueira, D. R., Kuzmyn, T., Pearson, M., Smith, L., Olson, K., & Vohra, S. (2021). Systematic review of mind-body interventions to treat myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 57(7), 652. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57070652