How to Beat Fatigue

Do you feel like you haven't slept a wink when you wake up in the morning? Are you dragging your feet by 10 am? Food induced coma after lunch? No energy to cook dinner after work, so you grab a bite to eat on the way home, plop yourself in front of the computer or television to relax? Most of us feel like this at least some of the time. The great news is fatigue is entirely preventable. With these few simple guidelines you can increase that youthful energy you once had.

1. Exercise

Believe it or not, a sedentary lifestyle increases fatigue. Don't you always feel better after you actually get up and go to the gym in the morning versus when you vegetate on the couch all day watching reruns of Bonanza? Exercising gives our bodies energy, increases feelings of well being and helps you to keep that excess weight off that can also cause fatigue. Make sure you're getting at least 30 to 60 minutes of scheduled aerobic exercise per day.

2. An Active Lifestyle

It is time to go beyond the gym. I applaud you if you are working out already, but don't you think your body needs more than an hour of movement each day?

If you have a desk job, you have a sedentary lifestyle for the most part. You are required to sit for half of your waking hours everyday. That doesn't include the drive to work and the two hours you plop yourself in front of the television at night to rest from all that sitting. Find as many ways as you can to add a little movement to your day. Park your car further from the front door of the office. Give up the hour long chats online for a brisk walk with a friend instead. Take note of your hobbies that do not require you to move and either ditch them, do them a bit less, or make up for all that sitting by adding some time at the gym.

3. Stress

Everyone has daily demands on their time that can push them to losing just enough sanity and tact that minor infractions turn into reasons for stress to rear its ugly head as anger, depression, and even fatigue. I mean, how dare that person pull out in front of you? Do they not see that you are in a hurry? Doesn't anyone know what sort of day you have had?

It's time to press down on the brakes, breathe slowly and count to 10. You're taking away years of your life by allowing stress to take hold of your daily routine. Find a little bit of "you" time everyday where you can focus. Focus on what, you ask? Think through your day. Set out your plan of attack. Perhaps you could think to yourself, "People are going to pull out in front of me today. It's inevitable. There are 300 million people in the US. Perhaps I should just relax and not worry about that 30 seconds I could have been to work earlier".

4. Planning

While we're on the subject of racing to work, we should touch on planning. I know, you're starting to think, "This is getting more Pollyana by the minute", but hear me out. When you are running late for work it is because of a lack of planning. When you shove that junk food down your mouth on your break it is from a lack of planning. When you can't find anything to wear to work; lack of planning. When you just don't know what to make for dinner so you run to the closest fast food joint for heart clogging fare; LACK OF PLANNING.

A little planning can go a long way and save you a lot of stress. Take a couple of hours, one day a week, to run through your schedule for the week. You will save yourself a little bit of stress this way. Also, by planning meals and snacks ahead of time you will not only save money at the grocery store but save a few pounds from sneaking their way onto your backside.

5. Eating right

"Eat right" is what everyone touts, but what is eating right? It seems subject to interpretation these days; more protein, less protein, less calories, less fat, more fish, no sugar, you name it. But if you look real closely at almost all of the top diets, including the ADA's food pyramid, you will see some important similarities.

The produce department is your friend. If your grocery cart only has a head of lettuce and some oranges in it, you are not eating "right". It's time to load up on that produce. Fruits and vegetables have so many wonderful qualities to them, on top of giving your body the energy it needs to function. Junk food produces stress and fatigue on the body. A good rule to follow is if the food in your cart could survive nuclear fallout, it's probably not good for your body. Get rid of it.

Most nutritionists and fitness trainers, including fitness guru Bob Greene, say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Not only is it important to eat breakfast, it's also important to make sure it's healthy. Make sure to add a bit of protein into a complex carbohydrate meal to keep a steady supply of energy on hand for the morning hours.

Don't forget your 6 - 8 glasses of water a day either. A dehydrated body not only functions inefficiently, but will also send false signals of hunger and stress.

6. Posture

You can probably remember Mom telling you to sit up straight. There is wisdom in that. Correct posture prevents fatigue on the back, increases balance and helps the rest of your body align so that each part of you is functioning properly.

7. Sleep

Are you having a hard time sleeping? Do you crawl into bed exhausted and turn the television on hoping to fall asleep soon, only to no avail? Perhaps you have even used sleep aids as a last resort and you think to yourself, "Why can't I fall asleep? I'm exhausted!" I'll tell you why. You haven't been doing all of the other things listed above.

If you exercised and had an active lifestyle, your body would be physically tired. If you had tried to relieve your stress, your mind would be ready for rest. If you had eaten right, your body would not be suffering from the effects of too much caffeine, sugar, alcohol, or junk food.

If you are still having difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, the American Academy of Family Physicians recommends not eating large meals two to three hours before bedtime, using your bedroom only for sleeping and sex in order to relieve your mind of the day's stresses, and to eliminate or decrease the use of nicotine and consuming alcohol and caffeine.

By following these seven guidelines, you should be on your way to increased energy, renewed vitality and sweet slumbers within a couple of weeks.