Expert: Ryan Hale - 4/15/2010

Question
Hi, I wanted to know why when I exercised and pushed myself hard  I was physically sick? I struggled breathing and my chest just went into what felt like a double knot. It was scary, I don't know if it was just because I over did it? Do you know why this happened?
Also if you exercise regularly (daily) and stop for a couple of days how quickly does the muscle turn to fat?

Answer
Your body may be going through many things.  It could be that you did not have enough caloric energy for what you were doing, causing your blood sugar to get really low.  Being dehydrated can do it also.  Often, those with eating disorders have electrolyte imbalance (which is the same thing that can happen to trained athletes who push it too hard).  The electrolytes help control muscle contraction and nerve conduction.  That's why when they get low, you can have muscle cramps, including the stomach which is very muscular and the heart which of course is a muscle).  Your breathing was labored, because the expansion and contraction of your chest is also performed by muscle.  

In response to the second question, your muscle does not turn to fat.  It is a tissue that needs nutrients constantly to be maintained and repaired (that's why body builders eat every few hours and even in the middle of the night).  If you don't get enough nutrients, the muscle is slowly "disassembled" or sort of dissolves and the building blocks of the muscle (protein and amino acids) are used for other things.  So, if a body builder who weighed 250lbs stopped training but didn't adjust his caloric intake downward, he could end up weighing the same amount (250lbs) but have less muscle and more fat).  The muscle doesn't "turn" to fat though.  It also takes energy to maintain muscle, so the 250 lb body builder would be burning more calories at rest than his 250lb counterpart who did no exercise.