Fighting Fatigue
Fatigue can come in many ways. Physical and mental fatigue are realities at different points for all of us. Rather than dwell and sink into the narrative that fatigue in any form is “normal”, let’s explore how to prevent it and how to recover.
The first step in combating fatigue is recognizing that habits are the true drivers of overall energy. While habits may be difficult to change, it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that your energy levels are well within your control. It’s estimated between twenty and thirty percent of initial doctor visits are due to lack of energy and chronic fatigue. Here’s a few common habits that may be zapping your energy: Caffeine: while it’s great for that morning boost, it comes at a cost. Caffeine provides a false sense of energy and has a driving tolerance requiring more of it to have the same effect. Stop the crash by trying to limit your intake and only using caffeine when absolutely necessary. Sleep Deprivation: deep, quality sleep is essential for restoring our systems and bringing the body to balance, or homeostasis. Even small adjustments to sleep patterns have profound effects on the human body. Sugar: Similar to caffeine, sugar takes our bodies on an energy roller coaster. While many follow the sugar highs and lows, it’s truly a ride we don’t want on. Sugar stability is key for high energy levels. You didn’t let your children ride the sugar coaster, so let’s get you off of it too.
So what kind of habits can we initiate to fight fatigue? Movement: we’ve all heard it before, but let’s make it simple. Movement is perhaps the easiest habit to initiate. Walking is your superpower. It’s amazing what a 20 minute walk will do for your energy and mental health. Even if you only have 10 minutes, creating intentional movement stimulates the body to increase energy output, increase metabolism, and provide mental clarity. Time Restricted Eating: contrary to popular opinion, we actually don’t need to be eating every few hours. In fact, intentional limitations around meals can kick in healing and repairing mechanisms in our mitochondria, the parts of our cells responsible for producing energy. This doesn’t need to be intermittent fasting, but stick to a schedule.
Hot/Cold Exposure: It sounds crazy, right? But temperature alteration has been shown to help reset the nervous system, flush out toxins from the lymphatics, boost immunity and create healthy mini-stressors on the body that it actually loves. Conquering these mini-stressors is even more rewarding. It’s one of the best health hacks around right now and you don’t need fancy equipment to do it. Even a cold/hot shower works!
