Getting More Energy
8 Reasons You Feel Tired Every Day (And How to Fix It)
You know that feeling that sets in every day at about 3:00 p.m.? The groggy, let’s-shuffle-through-the rest-of-the-workday feeling? Turns out you don’t need a third cup of coffee or diet soda to nix it; just check out these eight energy boosters from Total Beauty.The Zapper: Your Comfy Desk Chair
The Reason: Ever wondered why sitting in your car then transitioning to sitting down in your office chair can feel so utterly exhausting? According to Dr. Frank King, M.D., founder of King Bio, sitting for long periods of time puts your body into idle mode. Your lack of movement makes circulation sluggish and lowers the amount of oxygen flowing to your brain. Cue the onslaught of yawns.
The Fatigue Fighter: Go for a walk. Studies show getting up and moving can boost energy for up to two hours. “Walking is the simplest, most natural form of exercise,” says King. “Taking brisk, 10-minute walks a day helps increase circulation, lower blood pressure, and instantly perk you up.” Getting out in the sunlight also boosts your serotonin levels so you come back to your work refreshed, more productive and even more creative.
The Zapper: Your Messy Desk SpaceThe Reason: The reason you feel too zapped to clean up your cluttered desk or office home? The mess itself. “Not only is there literally less space to do your work, create your art, make a magical spreadsheet, etc., but all the stuff is staring at you, reminding you of the hundred other things you have to do,” says Los Angeles-based clutter expert and professional organizer Fay Wolf of New Order. “Your clouded brain isn’t able to be fully present to the work at hand.” Looking for your notes from that one meeting or your favorite pen wastes time and tires you out before you’ve even started.
The Fatigue Fighter: You’ve heard that the bedroom should be reserved for two activities: sleep and sex. Well, according to Wolf, your desk should be reserved for current work projects and the tools that facilitate that. This means your computer, materials relating to your current project, a few writing utensils, and a small amount of office supplies like a notepad, a stapler, scissors, tape and paper clips (unless you have room for those in a desk drawer) can stay. Everything else is having a judgment day.
“Go through every item, left to right, and either discard it or choose a new home for it,” says Wolf. “If a piece of paper needs to be filed, make a file for it: ‘To Read,’ ‘To Pay,’ ‘To File.’ Next, she suggests using a to-do list app that you check every day and where you write down absolutely everything that has to get done. “If anything has a deadline, add it to your trusted to-do list.”
“People who eat a balanced breakfast have more energy, perform better at school and at work, and sleep better at night, which means they wake up the next day more energized,” says Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., author of “Eat Your Way to Happiness.” But Somer isn’t talking doughnuts and coffee.
The Fatigue Fighter: For a winning breakfast to fuel your energy, follow Somer’s 1, 2, 3 rule. The breakfast must have:
1) whole grains, which provide high-quality carbs for the brain during the morning hours,
2) a little protein to keep you satiated and maintain your blood sugar level throughout the morning, and
3) one or two colorful fruits and vegetables.
Try a bowl of whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk and a handful of berries on top with a side of sliced watermelon, or make a smoothie with fruit, soymilk and wheat germ.
The Zapper: DehydrationThe Reason: You may not feel like you’re walking through the Sahara, but there’s a good chance you’re mildly dehydrated right now, and even mild dehydration makes you feel sleepy and sluggish. “Many of us walk around dehydrated without realizing it,” King says. “Dehydrated bodies trap toxins and encourage water retention — a natural defense against the chronic ‘drought.'” Remember, your body is about 60 percent water, and there’s no way it can function at its optimal level during a drought.
King’s simple test for dehydration: Pinch the skin on the back of your hand and hold for three seconds. When you release, if the ridge from the pinch remains for more than a second, you’re probably dehydrated.
The Fatigue Fighter: Next time you’re feeling drowsy, chug a glass of cold water for an instant fix. Then, take a look at how much water you’ve been drinking. According to Dr. King, you should aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. If you weigh 150 pounds, that’s 75 ounces of water (about 9 cups). If you want something more pleasing to your palate, snack on watermelon, which is about 91 percent water.
You know that feeling that sets in every day at about 3:00 p.m.? The groggy, let’s-shuffle-through-the rest-of-the-workday feeling? Turns out you don’t need a third cup of coffee or diet soda to nix it; just check out these eight energy boosters from Total Beauty.The Zapper: Your Comfy Desk Chair
The Reason: Ever wondered why sitting in your car then transitioning to sitting down in your office chair can feel so utterly exhausting? According to Dr. Frank King, M.D., founder of King Bio, sitting for long periods of time puts your body into idle mode. Your lack of movement makes circulation sluggish and lowers the amount of oxygen flowing to your brain. Cue the onslaught of yawns.
The Fatigue Fighter: Go for a walk. Studies show getting up and moving can boost energy for up to two hours. “Walking is the simplest, most natural form of exercise,” says King. “Taking brisk, 10-minute walks a day helps increase circulation, lower blood pressure, and instantly perk you up.” Getting out in the sunlight also boosts your serotonin levels so you come back to your work refreshed, more productive and even more creative.
The Zapper: Your Messy Desk SpaceThe Reason: The reason you feel too zapped to clean up your cluttered desk or office home? The mess itself. “Not only is there literally less space to do your work, create your art, make a magical spreadsheet, etc., but all the stuff is staring at you, reminding you of the hundred other things you have to do,” says Los Angeles-based clutter expert and professional organizer Fay Wolf of New Order. “Your clouded brain isn’t able to be fully present to the work at hand.” Looking for your notes from that one meeting or your favorite pen wastes time and tires you out before you’ve even started.
The Fatigue Fighter: You’ve heard that the bedroom should be reserved for two activities: sleep and sex. Well, according to Wolf, your desk should be reserved for current work projects and the tools that facilitate that. This means your computer, materials relating to your current project, a few writing utensils, and a small amount of office supplies like a notepad, a stapler, scissors, tape and paper clips (unless you have room for those in a desk drawer) can stay. Everything else is having a judgment day.
“Go through every item, left to right, and either discard it or choose a new home for it,” says Wolf. “If a piece of paper needs to be filed, make a file for it: ‘To Read,’ ‘To Pay,’ ‘To File.’ Next, she suggests using a to-do list app that you check every day and where you write down absolutely everything that has to get done. “If anything has a deadline, add it to your trusted to-do list.”
- The Zapper: Your Breakfast
“People who eat a balanced breakfast have more energy, perform better at school and at work, and sleep better at night, which means they wake up the next day more energized,” says Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., author of “Eat Your Way to Happiness.” But Somer isn’t talking doughnuts and coffee.
The Fatigue Fighter: For a winning breakfast to fuel your energy, follow Somer’s 1, 2, 3 rule. The breakfast must have:
1) whole grains, which provide high-quality carbs for the brain during the morning hours,
2) a little protein to keep you satiated and maintain your blood sugar level throughout the morning, and
3) one or two colorful fruits and vegetables.
Try a bowl of whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk and a handful of berries on top with a side of sliced watermelon, or make a smoothie with fruit, soymilk and wheat germ.
The Zapper: DehydrationThe Reason: You may not feel like you’re walking through the Sahara, but there’s a good chance you’re mildly dehydrated right now, and even mild dehydration makes you feel sleepy and sluggish. “Many of us walk around dehydrated without realizing it,” King says. “Dehydrated bodies trap toxins and encourage water retention — a natural defense against the chronic ‘drought.'” Remember, your body is about 60 percent water, and there’s no way it can function at its optimal level during a drought.
King’s simple test for dehydration: Pinch the skin on the back of your hand and hold for three seconds. When you release, if the ridge from the pinch remains for more than a second, you’re probably dehydrated.
The Fatigue Fighter: Next time you’re feeling drowsy, chug a glass of cold water for an instant fix. Then, take a look at how much water you’ve been drinking. According to Dr. King, you should aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. If you weigh 150 pounds, that’s 75 ounces of water (about 9 cups). If you want something more pleasing to your palate, snack on watermelon, which is about 91 percent water.
3 Steps to Reverse a Slow Metabolism
When your body decides to slow your metabolism it’s all about one thing: survival! It’s not about your body trying to conspire against you and ruin your life. It’s your body making a wise decision to sacrifice long term health for short term survival because it’s being told to do so (usually through food/nutrient scarcity)! The slowing of the metabolism allows your body to go LONGER on less food. The body also tends to hold on to fat as a protective mechanism.
So if this is where you’re at, today I’m going to tell you how to go about reversing your slow metabolism. Knowing what habits to change is the most important place to start!
STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE SLOW METABOLISM TRIGGER:
If the cause is not eating enough food and/or nutrients, it’s time to eat more real food and stopcounting calories.
So if this is where you’re at, today I’m going to tell you how to go about reversing your slow metabolism. Knowing what habits to change is the most important place to start!
STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE SLOW METABOLISM TRIGGER:
- Not eating enough food
To make an analogy, think of your body like a house. If you’re not making enough money to pay your electricity bill, what do you do? Well, you turn down the heat in your house to compensate, as well as you may not turn the lights on as often or fail to perform regular maintenance. The body operates in a similar way. When there are not enough calories coming in, the body saves energy by reducing body temperature (slowing the metabolism), turning down digestive juices (making digestion weaker), reducing the pulse, and slowing thyroid function (resulting in less energy). This is a built-in survival response by the body, to help you go longer on less food. And this is not a bad thing. It’s actually a very good thing, because it’s going to help keep you alive in an emergency or famine - Not eating enough carbohydrates
- Carbohyrates are really the most important macronutrient when it comes to the metabolism (and by macronutrient I mean protein, carbohydrates and fat). All macronutrients are extremely important, and none should ever be limited in any fashion intentionally. Adequate carbohydrates in the diet is very important because the conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) to T3 (active thyroid hormone) is dependent on enough glucose (sugar) and stored glycogen (sugar) in the liver. So you need regular carbohydrates to set the stage for that to happen.
- Other causes….
If you’re eating enough calories, carbohydrates, nutrients, and still having issues, there are a few other things you may want to think about. Consider if any of the following could apply to you and support your slow metabolism:- Malnourished liver: often caused by not enough high quality (animal) protein. Common in those with a history of veganism or low protein vegetarian diet.
- Nutrition deficiencies: fat soluble vitamin deficiencies are common due to the popularity of low fat diets, as well as some other common nutrient deficiencies.
- Poor digestion: weak digestion down regulates the appetite often due to bloating, constipation and often causes you to not be able to take in as many calories.
- Hormonal imbalance: low progesterone levels or estrogen dominance can slow the metabolism by interfering with the body’s ability to convert thyroid hormone (from T4 toT3).
- Toxic lifestyle and/or poor liver detoxification: excess toxins in the diet and lifestyle as well as poor liver detoxification further burden the metabolism.
- Stress: the stress hormone cortisol blocks thyroid hormone conversion, which will protectively slow the metabolism over time.
- Inflammation: food sensitivities, food allergies, polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils) are common causes of inflammation.
- Over exercising: too much exercise, especially when the diet is poor is a sure way to send your body running for safety by slowing the metabolism.
If the cause is not eating enough food and/or nutrients, it’s time to eat more real food and stopcounting calories.
- If the cause is eating too few carbohydrates, it’s time to work some nutrient dense carbohydrates into your diet gradually.
- If the cause is nutritional deficiencies, it’s time to fill in the nutrient “holes” in your diet.
- If the cause is a malnourished liver, it’s time to nourish the liver with the right foods.
- If the cause is poor digestion it’s time to learn about what foods are the easiest to digest and work with your body to up-regulate your digestion over time.
- If the cause is hormonal imbalance it’s time to ensure you are supporting hormone production by giving your body enough of the raw materials it needs to make hormones!
- If the cause is toxins it’s time to ditch the toxins from your food, and detox your lifestyle!
- If the cause is over exercising, it’s time to make sure that you are supporting energy balance on a day to day basis (avoiding a calorie deficit).