Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ilsanman]

These days, I decided that 2009 is the year to accomplish one of my many longterm goals, and that is to run a full marathon.

I started on a training program, found a race schedule, and tentatively decided to run one in September (after the summer heat dies down), and maybe a half marathon in June.

Also, with the training, I also made some effort to improve my eating and drinking. Almost no soda or alcohol, cutting out fried food, massive meat meals, and other bad stuff.

In only one week, I can feel a difference on my body. I think I've dropped 1 kg already, and I feel more energetic. But I am also getting another feeling, nausea and headaches.

The nausea and headaches come when I am around lots of cars (exhaust), in meat restaurants, and around smokers.

I have been here long enough to be used to all of this, but lately I find myself very sensitive to these things. I don't think I could go for even 1 more kalbi meal without throwing up.

I wonder if anyone else had this feeling too. Koreans go about their days around this crap everyday and never seem to care. They seem so used to living in this toxic environment, it has no effect on them.

Thoughts?

[English Matt]

This is just your body reacting to toxins, now that it is getting back on an even keel. Pretty much like a former smoker who now finds the smell of cigarette smoke gives him a headache and / or makes him feel sick. Your body was formerly accustomed to these toxins, but now that you are getting healthier your body is just providing you with warning signs that such things are bad for you.

[Ilsanman]

I wouldn't say I'm totally free of toxins, but better than before.

It goes to show how much of a toxic environment people live in. They're probably as sick as a dog and don't even know it.

Marathon training here is less than ideal, but if I don't do it this year, I think I'll never do it.

[Css]

Im not sure you would notice a change like that in just one week...Not in regard to your body rejecting toxins and reacting like that..

Are you sure you havent caught something?

[the ireland]

I really don't know how it could have changed you so much in one week, perhaps you are ust feeling a little ill, but stay away from any galbi restaurants for a while, and try to eat a little healthier to improve your fitness and stamina, less fried food, more carbs!!

the best marathon to run would have been dongah (usually around the 3rd sunday in march, think it's the 15th march this year) it has great weather, not too hot, not too cold, and you would have gotten your training in from sept / oct through march in a colder climate, I don't envy you doing you 18/20 mile long runs during the summer here.

remember to take it easy, you still have about 30 weeks of so till your estimated marathon time, so don't go too fast or hard now and end up injured, try and increase your weekly mileage by about 10% each week, and get a program and stick to it, hal higdon offers a good program for novices, and intermediates, if you are a natural runner you might wanna skip the novice and go straight to the intermediate.

[Goku]

You might be getting exercise vertigo.

I get hypersentive to all stimuli when I start to overdo exercise. Especially food. Terribel feeling and I get dizzy and want to throw up.

WORST feeling in the world.

May or may not be what you have. If you think you are getting it, let me know I have a few solutions for it.

[D.D.]

[Harpeau]

[the ireland]

[the ireland]

[Harpeau]

I should have said~ solutions.

[nene]

That's awesome Ilsanman. I'm often amazed at how quickly lifestyle damage can be reversed.

The bad feelings sound like classic detox symptoms. Since your body is dealing with less new toxins on a daily basis now, it's processing some of the old ones that have been stored in fat cells and your liver. It shouldn't last much longer. Good luck with the marathon... I'm thinking of training for a triathalon for this summer.

[Goku]

Usually exercise vertigo is the result of a large increase in phsycial stimulation, usually because of long dormat inactivity. Your body isn't used to being pushed to limits and throws you off balance... checmicals, mentally, everything.

So if you're sitting on the couch watching Oprah for 2 months and all of a sudden you decide to pull out 20 strong pushups very fast you will get vertigo (diziness and all the crap).

It's not really understood, but we know it happens.

I stopped doing all exericse for 1 month and did 20 pushups via pylometics forgetting to warm up. I was sick in bed for 2 days. I "returned" my food from outback steakhouse and felt like the world was spinning right round like a record.

Anyways, if you get severe vertigo there are ways to balance out the diziness. I've gotten it so many times because I'm capricious about exercising. I'll have 2 months of playing WoW, and then suddenly decide to go jogging for 12 hours.

Remedies:

You need to always have your feet or any apendage planted on the floor... even when sleeping in bed i have my hand on the floor to reduce the spinning.

This I read is the best cure and seems to work well for me. When you close your eyes, it's like your in some sort of Nasa motion simulator. so they recommend keeping your eyes open and affixed to anything still. Stare at something boring for 10 minutes.

When sleeping, sleep on your stomache. You want to sleep on the side of your face.

Balance your body all the time and be aware. Always be concious of how much oxygen you are getting. It makes the pain worse in the short run... I know. but it helps your body in the long run.

Eating and hydrating is EXTREMLY tricky. Especially because you know it'll just upchuck a few moments later. But drink as much water as you can, even the mere act of spewing makes you feel better after. It also clears any food and acid that have already traveled upwards of your esophaugus.
More importantly you don't want to risk dehydration. Especially in that state when your body is out of balance.

I have more but

OP I don't think it's Vertigo you're getting, because it sounds like just smoke are the triggers and you aren't so much dizzy (more like just general headaches). This sounds like a side effect of over activity though. Of course only you know your body well. If you are as fit as a fiddle and regularly get exercise maybe it's your breathing patterns. Hypersensitivity can be the result of many things. But honestly I think it's the massive meat meals.

Drastic changes in diet are sometimes too much for the body to handle. I would of course still incorporate some carbs, and some processed grains despite the general trend away from them. Bodies needs carbs and even though there is some modern studies that argues otherwise, I wouldn't forgo any type of food completely. The ideal diet as you know consits of getting a variety of foods in small quanities.

Sensitivity to smells like smoke occurs when I don't eat enough fruits for some reason... but that's just me.

[the ireland]