Exercise Recommendations for Someone With POTS

bellanoise

bellanoise

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Hi everyone, for close to 2 years now I've been pretty consistent with going to the gym, but lately I've been dealing with dizzy spells that hit whenever I stand up, get overheated, or push myself too hard. This happens both during workouts and in everyday situations. As soon as it began I went to see my GP, and after going through testing I was officially diagnosed with POTS today. My GP told me I should change my workouts so they're mostly seated, and avoid lifting anything too heavy, in case I faint and hurt myself. Does anyone have ideas for seated (or at least supported) low impact exercise that can still give decent results? Is there anyone else here with POTS who has general advice on how to help it? 💖
 
Hi Bellanoise. For roughly the past month, workouts have been leaving me dizzy and feeling unwell. I kept asking myself what on earth was going on. POTS is something I plan to research. Low BP has been a lifelong thing for me. Somewhere I came across the idea that dizziness can be a side effect of Reta. Electrolytes are another thing I've bought to mix into my water - apparently that's something people do as well. If you want to hold onto your lean muscle, you really do need to lift fairly heavy. Using the machines at your gym might be the safest route for you. Staying seated lets you get your leg pushes done, and you can go pretty heavy that way. Plus you're sitting down, so should you start to feel faint - you're already seated. Most gyms will have seated machines for upper body, core and back work too. Once I know whether the electrolytes are helping, I'll tell you. Dropping my Reta from 3mg down to 2mg is another possibility. At 6' I've got a long way to fall, lol, and trust me, I'd love a cure!!
 
bellanoise said:

Hi everyone, for close to 2 years now I've been pretty consistent with going to the gym, but lately I've been dealing with dizzy spells that hit whenever I stand up, get overheated, or push myself too hard. This happens both during workouts and in everyday situations. As soon as it began I went to see my GP, and after going through testing I was officially diagnosed with POTS today. My GP told me I should change my workouts so they're mostly seated, and avoid lifting anything too heavy, in case I faint and hurt myself. Does anyone have ideas for seated (or at least supported) low impact exercise that can still give decent results? Is there anyone else here with POTS who has general advice on how to help it? 💖
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After developing POTS from long covid, my boyfriend spent 9 months bed-ridden. A beta blocker was prescribed by his doctor in order to lower cortisol, since that is what sets off his heart fluctuations. Exercising is difficult for him, and even a short while at a flea market leaves him easily exhausted.

Over 3 years of use, the beta blocker meds had been causing bad eyesight. With supplements, he has managed to reduce them. The list is long (several of them mainly for lowering high cortisol) and includes ashwaganda KSM66, phosphatydilserine, Ubiquinol, L theanine, magnesium glycinate, and taurine. NAD+, fish oil, NAC, D3K2, quercetin, and a good brand of multivitamins are also part of his routine. His condition has improved a lot.
 
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