Getting your second wind...

KickChick · Black Belt

I never gave this much thought or knew what was actually happening to me when 'this' happens so when I looked into further I thought I would share this.
Everyone knows the term "getting your second wind" but do you know what is actually happening to your body when this happens and do you know how to have it kick in sooner? (would be awesome for those long sparring matches or competitions!)
That feeling of the afterburn igniting comes about 15 -30 min. after aerobic activity when you have burned available carbs and your body starts to use fat for energy. Fat delivers twice as many units of energy per gram as compared to carbs or proteins creating that euphoric feeling of a "second wind".
Fat burns slower and longer which is why the second wind drives you to carry on.
There are actually two easy ways to achieve your second wind sooner!
Get your carbs to start burning earlier with a vigorous warm up 10 -15 min. prior to workout or activity. This is great for sports too like a game of basketball. In this way you will be minutes away from using your fat for energy.
Also, you can get your second wind quicker and maintain it longer by drinking 16-24 ounces of water or sports drink 2 hours before workout/sport and then another 8-16 ounces about halfway through your activity.

ZR440 · Black Belt

If I could only get a second wind in the afternoon at the office....

chh · Orange Belt

That's what coffee & twinkies are for, ZR...

KickChick, a fitness trainer once told me that after you burn off the energy supplies you have from carbs and fat, your body resorts to the sugar in your body, and when that happens you can get light-headed and dizzy. Do you know anything about that from your research? Back when I first started karate I had a lot of trouble getting sick quickly, and one theory was since I have very little body fat my body was going right to the sugar and making me feel faint, dizzy, etc. Yet somehow, when I increased my protein intake the problem went away, and I don't understand where protein fits into the whole energy burning process. Any insights you can share?

KickChick · Black Belt

Honestly that just sounds to me as if you didn't eat anything before working out. You should have some complex carbs before your workout to give you some energy. I felt that way when I went on an extremely low carb diet. I was dizzy light headed and not to mention lethargic.
There is a good chance that it could be an insufficient intake of quality carbohydrates. The endurance that all martial artists strive for is correlated directly with your intake of carbohydrates. You should choose quality sources of carbs. Complex carbohydrates should form the bulk of your carb intake. Complex carbs take longer to digest and the gradual release of glucose into your bloodstream is important to sustain energy levels over a longer period of time. This is especially important for those endurance-critical activities such as martial arts training. Examples of complex carbs are sweet potatoes, yams, oats, brown rice, fresh pasta, and vegetables.

Carbs are your preferred source for energy to fuel your workouts which allows your body to remain in an anabolic state (i.e. more protein available for muscle repair and growth than required for fuel). Should your body not have protein to spare for muscle maintenance and repair and, instead, look to your protein intake for fuel, you are in a catabolic state. Don't forget, the muscles in your body are also a source of protein-rich fuel and if given reason to, the body will break down your muscle tissue for energy.
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1st dan Tae Kwon Do (ITF)
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[ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2002-05-28 15:42 ]

rabid hamster · Purple Belt

I never heard of this second wind thing, but is it where you exercise a lot, and you get really tired, but you keep going and all the sudden you feel like you have way more energy then when you first started, and you feel as though your endurance got bigger and you can keep going forever?

KickChick · Black Belt

yup exactly!
Sometimes it happens to me on a Saturday night (and no I'm not exercising!)

Withers M.A.A. · Brown Belt

Pretty cool stuff....

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