Tired all the time?
Feeling rundown and if you could just get some energy you could do the workout, lose the weight, make the healthy meal?
I get that so much.
I struggle with this a lot of days and so I understand the feelings that come with having low energy.
Its draining. And as a busy wife and mom you can feel like it all you can do to just move through the motions of your day. The guilt of not having the energy to play with your kids, make a healthy meal and have sex with your husband can be overwhelming.
Some of us even feel to tired to read this AND do the work to have more energy. It can be a desperate feeling that I know I’ve experienced many times.
As I was doing my research for this I realized that for me, and I’m assuming for a lot of you if you’re reading this, the advice feels general and at times conflicting– eat better, get more, sleep, get less sleep, exercise. And while all those things work sometimes, we just need one small concrete thing we can do that doesn’t feel overwhelming.
Before we get into those 5 things understand that you don’t have to do all of them today or even this week. Pick one that seems the easiest for you to do and start there and just keep adding things as you gain a little more energy.
I put together 5 easy (and small) ways to start.
Drink one glass of water in the morning. A lot of us don’t like drinking water however our body is made up of mostly water (up to 70%) meaning all of our body’s processes need water to function properly. So, suck it up-pun intended- and drink a glass of water with your breakfast.
Eat breakfast. Similarly, to water, our bodies need fuel to maintain energy. You have just gone anywhere from 4-12 hours without food. Eating breakfast is literally “breaking the fast”. If you need ideas for quick and easy breakfasts, check out this post here. I would love for you to eat every meal and snack needed for your day, but I understand that you may just be getting started and thinking about one meal is all you can handle right now.
Move Your Body. You have to. There is no way around this one. And before you give up already, I am not asking for any formal exercise. I’m not telling you to do 30 min of exercise or follow any type of plan. I’m asking you to do one thing for one minute. That’s it. I don’t even care what that one thing is. It could be stretching, shaking your body out, 10 squats, hula hooping( I have no idea why that idea came to me but if you have kids they would love it and it is guaranteed to get you laughing, dancing, whatever! Seriously- whatever! Just do it, you can complain the whole minute if you really want to.
Drink a cup of coffee/tea. As with most nutrition opinions, there is mixed reviews on this. I think if used correctly, caffeine can be a great boost to your energy. I drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, and by cup, I mean 12 ounces. I drink another cup at 4pm. The advice out there I can find from “experts” says that drinking caffeine is fine as long as you don’t due it after 2-3 pm. I am not those people. I can drink a cup of coffee at 10:30pm at night and go right to sleep. On the flip side of this if ALL you are drinking is caffeinated drinks then it is probably affecting your energy. Adrenal fatigue is a real thing and can leave us feeling exhausted if we aren’t careful with our consumption.
Write one sentence. Seems ridiculous right? Journaling always felt like a chore to me. I could never do it. I’d start and be all gung-ho and then inevitably 3 days in stop and never pick it up again. I get it. So just write down a sentence and it can be anywhere. Doesn’t have to be a fancy journal it can be a scrap of paper. Write the first sentence that comes to your mind. If nothing comes to mind write the following down and then answer it. “I’m tired because_________”. You can stop there and clear it from your brain. If it’s something you can eliminate or change, do that. You may find yourself writing more and more and just working to clear out things that are in your mind that are actually causing you to be physically tired.
If you are tired and have the space and time to carve out 15-20 minutes (most of us scroll our social media for at least that much time) for yourself try the following-
Take a bath.
Grab a glass of cold water.
Add ½-1 cup of Epsom salts. (Add essential oils if that’s your thing. I always use mint or lavender, but citrus scents are energizing).
And soak for 20 minutes while sipping your water.
Rinse with cool water.
If Bathes aren’t your thing, try laying somewhere quiet for 20 minutes. Lay down and close your eyes and rest. Focus on your breath. Quiet your mind. I do this in my walk-in closet. I just lay there and if my mind won’t shut up, I literally say over and over in my mind- Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet.
Side note though- as I said above, if I ask my brain to reveal something and it does, I listen. Sometimes you need it to get stuff out. You will know the difference between chaos in your mind and a soft quiet voice pointing out some stuff you need to deal with that you’ve been avoiding.
Energy be gets energy. You know that old principle- in object in motion stays in motion. Add little things each day to your life that speak to you, inspire you and dare I say energize you.
And one last thing – STOP SAYING I’M TIRED. I’m saying this for me as much as for you. The more we say it the more we feel it. Speak life into your words. Simply saying I HAVE SO MUCH ENERGY can bring a little boost!
What is the one thing that helps you when you need energy?