How to Boost your Energy Fast- 10 Causes of Tiredness
Are you so tired after work that you barely manage to eat and fall asleep while watching TV? Do you want to boost your energy fast? Are you sometimes so low on energy that you go straight to bed? Who needs to take off makeup anyways…?
On your weekends you need the time to reenergize instead of spending fun time with your friends and family? Not even thinking about personal growth projects and time for personal goals.
Now would you like to have more energy? To go with your friends to the cinema or the amusement park on the weekend?
To have enough energy and motivation to work towards your goals? Instead of spending all your energy on accomplishing your company’s goals? Would you like to jump out of your bed excited instead of staying in zombie mode all day?
Well so do I. I think what keeps me back the most is low energy. So, I went ahead and did some research. In the following you will find what I learned. Try out at least one energy booster and share if it worked for you!
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“How much energy you have impacts how
others see you.”
Learn about your individual Motivators and Demotivators to easily boost your motivation.
What is Energy?
The word energy comes from the Greek word energeia, often translated as “being at work”.
Energy is basically the capability to work.[1]
(If you want to learn more about the historical development of the term click here).
What I learned about energy is that there are mainly three types of energy.
– Mental Energy
– Physical Energy
– Emotional Energy
Those three types of energy are interactive. If one energy level is low, it also drags down the others.
The four main areas, which affect our energy level are: exercise, food, health and rest.
10 Causes of Low Physical Energy and how to boost it:
Also Read: Focus Tips when you are Overwhelmed
1. Not enough Sleep or Poor Sleep
4-6 hours of sleep during night are common for you? The average adult needs between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per day. Not enough sleep during your night makes you tired the next day. I know it often feels like the day doesn’t have enough hours. And I am sure you have often enough heard you should sleep enough. And not any kind of sleep you should get uninterrupted sleep.
If you need encouragement to sleep enough:
· Sleep can boost your sex drive! Guys let your women sleep!
· Sleeping even helps you with weight loss.
· Sleep helps you get a baby. No sleep doesn’t necessarily mean no baby… just saying.
· Sleep boosts your immune system.
· You’ll be more productive too; in case you worry about leftover tasks.
· It also reduces the risk of heart disease and strokes
· Scientists found out sleep deprivation has similar symptoms to being tipsy.
Bottom line sleep is good for your energy level and your health.
Here are some Sleeping Tips:
· Exercise for 10 to 30 minutes a day, but do not work out right before sleeping.
· Go to bed and wake up on a regular schedule.
· Try to keep electronics out of your bedroom.
You can find more sleeping tips here.
Also Read: Reboot your Fried Brain – Brain Fog Remedies when your head feels like mush.
2. A Lacking Diet
Are you working on losing a few kg and not eating properly? Are you skipping meals, such as breakfast? Or are you often too busy to eat? In that case you might be too tired because you don’t get enough calories.
If you don’t fuel up your car it won’t move. Same goes for your body. Long breaks in between eating can cause your sugar levels to drop. Therefore, you feel tired.
Or perhaps you don’t have time to cook so you keep eating store bought lunch boxes low on nutrients. A car fueled with low quality gas might also stop working.
Ask yourself the following questions:
– Is my diet balanced? Is it healthy? For real?
– Am I skipping meals?
– Do I eat enough vegetables and fruits?
– Do I drink enough water?
– Do I drink a lot of alcohol or caffeine?
Solutions:
- Fuel yourself with nutritious foods.
- Eat a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, grains, protein
- Drink around 8 cups of water per day
- Try not to skip meals. Since I am a typical breakfast skipper that’s a reminder to myself lol
- Eat foods with a low Glycemic load.
The glycemic load measures the speed that sugar is going into your blood stream. Foods with a high glycemic index cause fast energy sparks. Quick spouts of energy. But in order to control this sudden increase in sugar your body releases insulin, which might cause a sudden crash in sugar levels “Sugar Crash”. You can find a chart for common foods here.
Foods That Boost Energy:
Here are some foods that quickly boost your energy:
3. Stress
How often do we come home after a really stressful workday and feel like our battery is empty? Don’t even get me started on exam period.
Stress increases your cortisol level cortisol reduces the production of ATP and increases inflammation, A real energy zapper. What can you do against stress?
Solution:
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
- Meditation
- Mindful breathing
- Enjoying a hobby
- Doing tasks before they turn into stress monsters!
- Self-Care
4. You are not active enough
It is almost funny how a lack of activity causes more tiredness and therefore you feel even less like working out. It is a right downward spiral. You don’t feel like working out. The next time you feel even less like working out. Does that mean if you don’t work out you will never feel like working out
Solution:
- Prepare your workout outfit in advance. You can even go to sleep with fresh workout clothes.
- Stick to a daily 5 to 10-minute commitment.
Start simple and build up from there. It won’t help if you are a total newbie decide to do an abs challenge if you won’t be able to move the next 7 days.
A quick workout can get your heart rate going and it’ll give you energy fast. You’ll instantly feel more active and energetic. I especially like to start my morning with a quick warm up.
5. A Vitamin D Deficiency
When we are exposed to sunlight our body produces Vitamin D. It is a super important Vitamin. Estimations show that as many as 1 billion people might have a Vitamin D deficiency. Check out the article here. Especially the last decades vitamin D deficiency has become a common health issue, as we spend mor time inside at the desk.
Since it always rains in my home village…
Scientists found out that the darker the skin color the higher the deficiency. As melanin reduces the skins ability to produce Vitamin D from sunlight.
Solution:
– Take walks outside
– You can get your Vitamin D level checked.
– If there is no sun you might take supplements. Do only take the recommended doses and speak to a doctor or a pharmacist.
Here is a list of Vitamins that boost your energy.
6. Anemia
A common cause of tiredness for women (especially if you have a heavy period or are pregnant!) is anemia caused by iron deficiency. Women need about twice as much iron as men. For men anemia is a little less common, but possible. Anemia in men can for example be caused by ulcers. Read more about iron deficiency caused anemia here.
Ask yourself the following questions:
How do I feel before, during and after my period?
Do I feel weak? Is my skin pale? Do I often get headaches?
Solution:
- Get your iron levels tested by a doctor. A simple blood test can show if you have an iron deficiency.
- Eat iron rich foods, such as spinach, dark chocolate and oysters. You can find a list on high iron foods
- Avoid eating foods that hinder iron absorption at the same time you eat iron rich foods, such as milk and cheese. According to an article by the International Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Technology you should have a 2-hour span in between. You can find a list of foods that impair iron absorption
- If you are a vegetarian keep in mind that plant-based iron, called non-heme iron is less easily absorbed by the body as meat-based heme iron.
- In severe cases your doctor can prescribe you iron pills
! Too much iron can cause an iron overload leading to vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness, and fainting.
7. Depression
Depression doesn’t only lead to emotional symptoms such as anxiety and sadness it can also lead to tiredness. Especially these days, due to Covid-19, many of us are lonely. We miss our family. We are isolated. Please get professional help or talk with a friend or family member if you continuously feel low.
You can find further information on depression and depression symptoms here.
8. An Underactive or Overactive Thyroid
The thyroid is a gland that regulates your metabolism. When it is underactive you might feel tired, gain weight and get depressive.
Depending on how strongly your thyroid dysfunctions you can get medicine prescribed by your doctor.
Here you can find an interesting article on a recommended diet in case of a thyroid disfunction.
9. Overweight
If you are overweight, you have to carry around extra kg. Tasks, such as walking up the stairs, or walking get harder. You need more energy to move your body around.
As a solution try to start with simple exercises every day. Consciously decide to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Also change your diet. As a first step cut out sugary drinks or at least reduce them.
10. Bad Eyesight
Did you know that you can get super tired if you keep on overexerting your eyes? I was wearing my old glasses really long. After long workdays my eyes were bloodshot at times and I was always super tired.
Changing my glasses was a huge energy booster. If you constantly feel tired and your eyes are itchy get your eyesight checked. Chances are you have a bad eyesight.
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What to Read Next:
- Here is a Daily Summer Routine to Stay Fresh and Productive during Summer.
- Try this Self-Care Night Routine so you can Destress and get rid of your brain fog. Plus the Morning Routine to start your day relaxed.
- You might want to take a peek at how to worry less
- Learn how to Create an Action Plan here (plus a free Template).
- Here are our best Focus Tips when you are overwhelmed.
Conclusion:
There are three different types of personal energy. Mental Energy, Physical Energy and Emotional Energy. Today we learned about 10 common causes of low physical energy and how to battle them.
Causes include:
– Lack of Sleep or Poor Sleep
– Poor Diet
– Stress
– You aren’t active enough
– A Vitamin D Deficiency
– Anemia
– Depression
– An Underactive Thyroid
– Overweight
– Bad Eyesight
Over the next day’s try to write down, what drains your energy and what gives you energy? Are you overworking? Don’t you eat enough?
Last but not least we update once a week. So, it would be great to see you again. Also, for updates follow us on:
Love from Germany,
Julia and Carina
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