If you find yourself feeling tired mid-afternoon, struggling to stay alert throughout the day, or just straight up exhausted, you are not alone! Due to our busy lifestyles, more and more of us are suffering from low energy and fatigue. Luckily, there are easy ways to boost our energy levels – and often all it requires is making some small changes to our routines!
1. Focus on nutrition
The best thing you can do for your body is to eat according to your goals. You must eat the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat to effectively fuel your body. Pre and post workout nutrition is exceptionally important, and can help you get the most out of your workouts and assist in recovery. In terms of food selection, you should try to follow the 80/20 rule to maintain balance. That means getting 80% of your nutrition through whole, minimally processed, micronutrient dense foods and using the remaining 20% for more processed, or “junk foods”. This will ensure that you obtain enough micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) which help to improve energy levels and overall vitality!
2. Stay hydrated
Did you know that one of the first signs of dehydration is feeling tired or exhausted? Not drinking enough water can be why your energy levels are low and you feel exhausted. Don’t just drink water when you are thirsty! Make an effort to sip on water continuously throughout the day, with more around training times.
3. Move your body every day
Incorporating regular exercise into your routine will actually boost energy levels. Burning calories and engaging in physical activity sends oxygen and nutrients to the cells of your body, which helps your heart and lungs to work more efficiently and boosts energy levels. You don’t need to be a gym junkie or run a marathon to get the benefits — moderate levels of activity will help with increasing energy levels and reducing stress and tension. It all adds up!
4. Optimise your supplementation
The perfect health and fitness regime includes a balance of four things: a healthy diet, an appropriate exercise program, sufficient rest and recovery, and optimal supplementation. However, many people underestimate the benefits of supplementation on optimising energy production and improving your nutrition status and overall health. Check out my other articles on which supplements I recommend.
5. Make sure you get enough sleep
Sleep is the most factor for recovery and energy production. Ensuring that you get an adequate amount of sleep will assist mental health, hormonal balance, and muscular recovery. Aim to get between 7-10 hours per night.
6. Don’t let stress control you
We often feel like there is nothing we can do about stress, but we have a lot more control than you might think. Stress management allows us to take charge – of our thoughts, emotions lifestyles, and the way we tackle problems. No matter how stressful your life seems to you, there are strategies you can use to relieve the pressure and take back control. These include: identifying causes of stress, using relaxation techniques, improving sleep quality, prioritising task lists, learning how to say no, staying active, eating healthy and reaching out when you need to.
7. See your doctor
If you have optimised everything above and you are still struggling with constant fatigue, you may be suffering from an underlying medical condition. Anaemia, diabetes, depression, anxiety, thyroid dysfunction, hormonal problems are all common causes of fatigue, so it is important to see your doctor if you suffer from prolonged tiredness. As fatigue can present a vast range of symptoms and be caused by many different factors working in combination, diagnosis can be difficult. Your doctor may diagnose fatigue using a number of tests including a physical examination, clinical tests and medical history analysis.