Lack of sleep isn’t the only thing sapping your energy. Little things you do (and don’t do) can exhaust you both mentally and physically, which can make getting through your day a chore. Here are 10 simple lifestyle tweaks that will put the pep back in your step.
Eat Every Three To Four Hours
Ida Conway, M.D., author of Increase Your Energy Effortlessly suggests you eat every three to four hours instead of three major meals a day. In-between snacks like fruit and nuts, string cheese or some cottage cheese will keep your blood sugars up and your energy levels high.
2. Load up on protein
Conway says eating lots of protein is essential for staving off fatigue. Especially in the morning, she suggests eating eggs, breakfast meat or adding protein powder to your oatmeal. If you eat only carbohydrates, you’ll crash early and hard.
3. Clean Out Toxins In Your Gut
Conway says your energy levels are tied to the health of your gastrointestinal tract, and if you’re frequently tired or feel bloated, you may want to get your gut in shape. She recommends eight glasses of water a day, eliminating artificial sweeteners (which act like toxins in the body), laying off alcohol and sodas, eating fiber-rich foods and cutting back coffee to about half a cup a day.
4. Push Your Body
Exercise is crucial to lifting your energy levels, but Conway says people often don’t push their bodies to maximum potential. Any exercise is good, but she recommends burst training, where you work at 100% capacity for 45 seconds, rest for 1.5 minutes, and then repeat for 20 minutes. She adds that women shouldn’t fear lifting weights.
5. Exercise Early
Quality sleep will keep you energized all day, but Conway says you can’t exercise in the evening because it will disrupt your sleep. “Never exercise after 4 pm,” she says, noting that the morning is the best time, as it will invigorate you.
6. Improve Sleep
Conway says you’ll get better sleep if you “improve your bedroom hygiene.” Don’t put a TV in the bedroom, keep the temperature cool, go to bed and get up at the same time every day, and if you have trouble falling asleep, get up and leave the room until you feel tired.
7. Have Great Sex
Conway says good, frequent sex is one of the best things you can do to increase your health and get rid of fatigue. “It stimulates brain function, burns calories, increases oxygenation, boosts immunity and relieves stress.” She advocates for sex in the morning because, from a hormonal perspective, it will increase energy throughout the day.
8. Get Your Thyroid Checked Out
“Although millions have a thyroid problem, only about half of cases are diagnosed,” says Conway. It can be responsible for nightmares, anxiety, impaired concentration and severe fatigue.
9. Get Ready For ‘That Time Of The Month’
Conway says hormones greatly impact fatigue, and PMS can hijack your energy if you don’t prepare for it. Some all-natural remedies include filling up on fruits and veggies, eating more fiber and complex carbs, avoiding salt and caffeine, exercising more and trying yoga or pilates. You may also get some relief by leveling out hormones with birth control pills or using light therapy, she says.
10. Get A Diagnostic Test
If you suffer from severe fatigue, Conway says it’s important to get yourself tested to pinpoint exactly where the problem lies. From a food allergies profile test to vitamin analyses and an adrenal stress test, specialists can offer greater insight if you can’t find relief through a healthy lifestyle.
See More At 10 Ways to Beat Fatigue and Boost Your Energy Levels
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