Always Feeling Tired? 7 Simple Steps For More Energy!
June 1, 2009 by Mohamed
Filed under Weight Loss
We have all been there – always feeling tired. It seems that no matter what you do (or do not do) you just cannot shake it.
So what is the matter with you if your always tired?
First thing is to check with your doctor, and go for some routine blood work – if you are overweight it could be that you have developed Type 2 Diabetes and the sluggish feeling is as a result of not enough insulin.
If the doctor has said that you are fine – then what do you do next? Here are 7 Simple Steps for More Energy.
Step #1 – Sleep!
How much are you sleeping? Do you sleep at 1:00am and expect to wake-up by 6:00am refreshed? That will not work. Your body needs sleep to regenerate, and clean itself. You should listen to your internal clock. Mine starts around 10:00pm and there are telltale signs – like eyes closing, yawning and nodding off. If you are still forcing yourself to stay awake, no wonder you are always tired! Try and hit the bed about 30 minutes before you actually sleep an try and aim for 8-hours of sleep. Adults need between 8 and 9 hours of sleep, while children need anywhere up to 12 hours!
If you are having problems getting to sleep, you should see a doctor in case there is a medical condition. If you cannot get to sleep and you know it is not a medical condition – then what else could it be? Perhaps stress? Keep reading since there is a solution for stress.
Step #2 – Get MOVING!
Exercise will help you sleep, guaranteed. Do not aim to run a marathon, but small spurts of exercise will help you deal with STRESS and any pent-up excess energy. Try short 10-minute walks at lunch. Get up and out of your desk when you can. Try for a brisk walk, or bicycle ride in the evenings. The exercise will help you lose weight, firm and tone your body and will help you get to sleep since you have burned off all that excess energy.
Step #3 – Are you breathing?
Believe it or not there are times when you are probably holding your breath and don’t even realize it! By depriving your body of oxygen you are not feeding it what it needs and that means less energy. Pay attention to your breathing. If you work in an office, schedule a 2-minute “break” every 15 minutes during this time, just stop for a few quick deep breaths. Sip some water – I find that this combination really recharges me.
This isn’t really part of breathing – but here is a tip > something else that I do is keep a package of pre-moistened face cloths with me, and will use these when I am feeling particulary exhausted. Most contain different types of vitamins and other exotic substances that are supposed to invigorate you. I find them very refreshing – like coming out of a shower.
Step #4 – Stressed? Do SOMETHING about it!
Stress is bad – but all it is is pent-up energy, AND there is also GOOD stress > so why not put that energy to good use? Feeling stressed? Do some exercise. If that’s not your thing, why not consider taking up a hobby or asking for more responsibility at work? Deal with the stress, rather than ignore it.
Step #5 – Eat breakfast.
Do not skip one of the most important meals of the day. After 8-10 hours of “fasting” (unless you eat in your sleep) your body has cleansed itself and needs to be recharged. Skipping breakfast will not recharge your body. Your meal does not need to be fancy 3-course, it could be as simple as orange juice and cereal or toast and scrambled eggs (try using the Omega 3 eggs) or eggs and hashbrowns (not soaked in oil – perhaps baked in a toaster oven). You don’t want something very high in fat or calories (sugars) because that will do the opposite of what you want – I try having some protein (peanut butter) and whole grain toast in the mornings. I find the mix to be very tasty and keeps me going for 3-4 hours until it is time for lunch or a light-snack.
Step #6 – Stay wet.
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Many times you may be craving soda or other high calorie drinks. Drink some water instead. Cool water will keep you refreshed, and water doesn’t have to be boring. You can drop a lemon or lime slice or wedge into it. If you prefer something like Crystal Lite – try that instead – but do what you can to keep yourself hydrated without resorting to caffieneated drinks like coffee, tea of colas. Not only will the excess caffiene cause major issues with bowel movements (especially if you are not getting enough fibre) but may well cause some of that bad stress or give you headaches or the temporary caffiene high.
Step #7 – Eat less, more often.
Snack throughout the day, could be fruits like apples, pears, bananas, watermelon, melons, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries … well, you get the picture. How about vegetables? Cucumber is great – it’s got water in it, and is filling. Try snacking on lightly salted saltine crackers or other high-fibre crackers. You can add a bit of topping to them (just keep things under control) to add some flavor — I’ve purchased a smoked salmon flavored cream cheese that goes great. Other ideas for snacks is pickled vegetables with crackers (or even by themselves) – yummmmmy!
Try and keep your snacking between meals – so it should look like breakfast-snack-snack-lunch-snack-snacks-snack-dinner-snack — your after dinner snack should be very light as most snacking should be after your main meals. You will find that as you snack, you will not feel as hungry during lunch or dinner – thereby eating less and in the process aiding in your weight loss!
Do you have some other tips on how to get more energy? I would welcome your feedback!
Here is to your health!
Mohamed
