Fighting Fatigue and Regaining Energy

Experience has taught me that simple things make a big difference when it comes to fatigue and energy.

Diet: Diet influences how we feel. Many times when your body is not functioning correctly, it goes back to diet. You are either eating something that is not good for you, not eating something you need or your diet is out of balance. Making adjustments to my diet has helped with overcoming fatigue. When I have been eating too much fast food, my body lets me know that it does not like it. My energy level is one of the many ways it lets me know that fast food is not good for it.

Some of the basic changes that may help include increasing magnesium. I did this by eating almonds, hazelnuts or cashews and increasing the amount of fish in my diet. Decreasing sugar intake also helped improving my energy. Although sugar often gives you an immediate rush, it also leads to a crash afterwards. I could always count on a crash a short time after sugar intakes, even in coffee drinks.

Energy drinks and bars can provide you a temporary energy boost. (I included a link to Frequensea, since their energy drinks are from natural products, rather than sugar, artificial chemicals and caffeine, and I found them much better for me than Red Bulls.) If you are hiking or doing something strenuous, these may be options that you consider. There is a growing amount of research about the potential dangers related to the overuse of the chemicals in the energy drinks. Some of this research suggests that energy drinks are potentially dangerous for your heart. If you are in poor health, you may want to avoid energy drinks, even though they give you an immediate boost. Much like junk food, you need to look at the ingredients of such items. Sugar, strange chemicals and excess caffeine are potentially dangerous. The unnatural ingredients and highly refined chemical additives are things you want to avoid. When you are dealing with energy drinks, food or diet, always listen to your body. Your body often has a way of letting you know when you are putting something in it that is does not like or is not good for it.

One part of the diet that can be contributing to your fatigue may be your sweetener. There is a growing body of evidence that aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are contributing to the development of chronic fatigue syndrome. Since I am not a doctor, I can not say there is a clear link, although the growing amount of research shows that this is an area that can not be ignored if you are feeling fatigued and have been using those sweeteners or drinking large amounts of diet soda.

Sleep: Obtaining enough sleep is a simple thing that also impacts energy level. Having the right amount of sleep and sleeping at the right time affects my energy. When I tried sleeping at different times, I learned quickly that there are optimum times for sleep and an optimum amount of time to sleep.

Exercise: Doing some exercise on a regular basis is one way to maintain energy. Although it sounds counter-intuitive, exercise has improved my energy levels.Even going for walks on a regular basis has made a difference in my energy levels.Moving is critical to feeling more energized. The movement of the human body has a natural way of starting to make you feel better and give you more energy. Even if you are where you can not walk about, just moving your arms and legs is a good start. The idea of getting energized from movement is part of what makes activities like dancing such an energizing activity. On moving around, you start developing more energy. The inner organs start doing what they are supposed to do and there is less struggle in breathing.

Fresh Air: Not only does exercise help, that boost it provides is enhanced when you include fresh air and sunshine. Sunshine and fresh air have a way of energizing you. As part of a wellness routine you will want to include regular time out doors. Being surrounded by natural settings has a soothing and healing effect. Besides the soothing aspect, it is also energizing. When all you look at during the day is four walls, you need some fresh air, skies, clouds, grass, trees and sunshine. Along these lines, it also helps to go barefoot outdoors as well. There is something natural and healing about walking around in bare feet.

Balance: Maintaining a balance between work, play and relaxing makes a difference with me as well. When too much time is spent in one area at the expense of the others, I can always tell it within a short period of time. Very akin to balance is the need for some time in spiritual pursuits. Whether it is reading, meditating, praying or studying, it is important for me to maintain this discipline to keep myself from feeling wrung out and dried.

Boundaries: Maintaining healthy boundaries has also helped with fatigue. I found that some people are emotionally draining. Learning to set limits with those people is imperative. When I kept them from taking my positive energy and hope, I felt better as well.

Surroundings: I try to surround myself with a pleasant atmosphere. Having pleasant surroundings has helped to energize me. When the things around me (in terms of art, furniture, etc.) are things I do not like, it wears me down. When I am surrounded by pleasant surroundings, I feel uplifted. The objects that surround us will either energize us or drain us of energy. This includes our clothes and surroundings.

It takes time to start thinking in terms of what you 'love' or what energizes you. Most of us have focused on the practical and pragmatic, rather than what energizes us. If there are photos, art or clothes that you hate, you need to get rid of them. They may be taking more energy than they are contributing to you. When there is more energy being taken than given, you will feel fatigued.

Although the list seems lengthy, I find that they are all simple things. About the time I think I have learned about everything that I need to know concerning combating my own fatigue, I gain some new insights. When i started taking control of my life, I began with the items at the top of my list. When that was taken care of I moved to the next item. After a few changes, my energy level improved and my fatigue lessened.