Post covid, I'm exhausted all the time. Any suggestions?

I feel you. I ran a half marathon for my 60th birthday, ran 4 times a week, did heavy lifting with a trainer and now.... nothing. And I am still at nothing 18 months out. What I will say is I truly believe it was because of having great cardiac & pulmonary endurance I did not need hospitalization. However, I got sick before FDA approval of vaccines & had the full effect of the disease. Those of us who exercise hard have a very difficult time pacing ourselves-it goes against everything I know. I have lived my life pushing my limits and now am restricting my activity. I have worked very hard with acceptance and to change my mindset in seeing this as a different kind of marathon training. Before, I had great runs and really bad ones and some I just couldn't get started. I am not doing sprints or farklets, I am doing slow tempo activity and forcing myself to stay within budgeted hours of activity per day, much like tapering my runs at the end of training and before the marathon. Mindset is everything!

There are several Post-Covid options to consider that will help with balance, muscle flexibility, anxiety, and pulmonary function. Investigate Yoga, Tai Chi, and the Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Program. All can be done at your own pace, alone or in a group, and have zero to minimal cost

I feel your pain, I cycled 6 days a week. But 15 mo. Of long Covid, I am happy to cycle an half an hour a few times now. The key is slowly working your body back. I was told by Covid recovery clinic have to pace yourself, start with 15 mins 3 days a week of physical activity for 2 week then increase to 20mins. For 2 more weeks etc. It is very hard to do when you are use to pushing yourself physically. Take daily naps too. And listen to your body, some days you just have to rest. Hang in there you are not alone. Notice things that make you smile, write them down and look at list when you have a bad day.

Yes, agree. Mindset and attitude is very important. I use to say that in terms of weight loss. Although the type of diet can be important, it was 80% attitude and 20% diet/methodology. That losing weight has to be on par with e.g., getting up to go to work vs. getting up on a Saturday to do something recreational; i.e., it has to be a priority . You can not expect the diet (or anything or anyone else) to make you lose weight. If you cheat one day, do not use that as an excuse and say the diet/exercise failed you. It is the essence of why people ask about "what diet you used to lost weight", when what mattered was the commitment. Same w/ long covid, be totally committed to what you feel is the best plan to being as healthy as possible, and it will help in (your perspective to) continuously push forward.

Routines help lower you expectations and go with the flow.. you are not alone and listen to your body. Hugs.

Thanks for your validation & support 🙂

I wanted to chime in and offer support. I had exhaustion for months. My fatigue was extreme. But I gradually improved. My first milestone was taking my dog for a walk, which was unthinkable for a long time. Then I was gradually able to start yoga, not at the same level I had before, but I could complete an occasional online class. I slowly but surely kept building. I had setbacks, and big ones! And they were tough. When I over exerted (physically or through stress) my fatigue came back two-fold. Eventually I was able to attend my kids sporting events, go cross-country skiing, run errands, and complete a work day in the office again. It was a learning curve for me - that attempting to push through the fatigue did not lead to results. I had to listen to the fatigue and simultaneously pace myself to get physical activity back. I am now 6 months out and nearly back to pre-Covid fitness. I was fortunate in that I was able to see a post-Covid specialist and found their insight to be extremely helpful, mainly in terms of validating my post-covid experience and providing timelines and hope for recovery. I hope my story can provide you some hope.