J.41/ How to improve your energy levels
Suffering from fatigue can be so challenging, no one wants to feel tired all the time! To boost your energy levels, you first need to find out the why, why are you feeling tired. Sometimes fatigue can be caused by certain nutrient deficiencies or unbalanced metabolic or hormone markers, sometimes it can be our sleep quality or stress levels. Once you’ve bought the body back to balance, you’ll then see results.
Wouldn’t we all like more energy levels! I think I can count on one hand the amount of clients I’ve had where they’ve said my energy levels are fine, I feel good, I think majority of people suffer from some level of fatigue. Over time with how busy life gets and age our energy levels do sometimes decrease, which is why it’s so important to stay on top of it and address the issue. If you're needing naps, or wake up feeling tired, or rely on coffee during the day then this blog is for you. We’ll explore possible reasons why your energy levels might be dipping and how to help improve them.
First things first, you need to know the why, as with any health concern there is usually a reason behind the symptom, your body is trying to tell you something. When I am seeing a client for the first time it’s always really helpful if they’ve got recent blood test results so we can go through and check off the obvious reasons. Some common health concerns that are associated with fatigue could be, low iron, thyroid issues, hormonal imbalances, low B12, to name just a few. If it is any of these then we know what we can do to help the body and rectify the nutritional concern.
Sometimes though we get these bloods done and nothing comes back out of line, so we need to look deeper and ask more questions to figure out the cause of the fatigue. Some common issues I find are, stress, lack of good fuel food wise, poor sleep, minimal exercise and a lack of proper rest. It sounds so simple but the life we live now is so fast paced it doesn’t give us a lot of breathing room for the basic needs we have. Sometimes we need to take a step back and look at the basics of what we need, good quality food, sunlight, water, rest and movement. During the initial consultation we discuss all of these areas of your health so I can depict if there’s any areas that need more support.
Stress, lack of down time and sleeping issues sometimes all go hand in hand! It’s great to recognise the pattern and how to change it, stress is unfortunately something most of us experience and it’s often not something we can control. Relying on your support network, finding ways to reduce your stress load or speaking with a professional are some great tools to help keep your stress in check. I also find sleep directly relates to your energy levels, if you’re having problems going to sleep or staying asleep then that’s something we need to work on. Practice sleep hygiene and set yourself for a good night, watch the sunset, limit screens 30 minutes before bed, have a nice shower, dim the lights, eat dinner a few hours before bed, all of this will help you and your sleeping habits. There are also some great medicinal herbs and nutrients to help with both stress and sleep.
It sounds so simple but focus on what foods you’re eating and try to eat as nutrient dense as possible, include protein with every meal and stay hydrated, these tips will all help your energy for during the day. Aim for a range of wholefoods, limit packaged foods, eat seasonally, try to eat a rainbow of fruit and vegetables, this will all ensure you’re getting a good range of nutrients to give your body the fuel it needs. Protein is also very important for energy, protein gives you a sustainable energy source with no sugar peaks like carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are still important but try to choose complex carbohydrates such as sweet potato over white potato, mixing quinoa and brown rice instead of white rice, little changes make a big difference.
Boosting energy levels can be complex, it’s always important to sit down and nut through all the possibilities rather than just grabbing a cheap B vitamin complex off the shelf and hoping for the best. If you’d like to book in an appointment click here and I’ll be able to create a personalised treatment for you and get to the bottom of your energy levels.
