Are you frequently experiencing physical exhaustion as well as emotional fatigue? Do you often find yourself fighting for energy? If the answer is affirmative, then it is time to start making some healthy changes to your diet and charge up your routine life.
Energy Absorbing Demons
Do you know that even some unnoticeable habits like poor nutrition can cause energy exhaustion? “Why I always feel tired?” is one of the most frequent complaints that health practitioners are receiving around the world. Well, the answer is not so complex to understand as it is the direct result of what we eat, do, and don’t do.
Lack of physical exercise, overdependence on caffeine, inadequate sleep, smoking, lack of proper body hydration, and excessive consumption of sugar and alcohol are some of the most prominent reasons for your physical as well as emotional exhaustion.
Energy Boosting Dietary Habits
1. The Science of Wholesome Nutrition
According to Harvard Health Publishing, incorporating a balanced diet is of paramount importance. Nutritionally, your diet should include balanced portions of healthy fats, proteins, vitamins, anti-oxidants, unrefined carbohydrates, and minerals. Choose unprocessed foods packed in vitamins and mineral e.g. healthy oils found in nuts, fresh green vegetables, whole foods, lean meat cuts, fatty fish with higher omerga 3 content such as, salmon, sardines, mackerel, and fresh fruits must be the key architect of your routine diet.
2. Consume Smaller Meals
Eating smart is also the key here. Heavy meals are a burden on our digestive system, but also negatively hamper brain activity triggering a state of fatigue. Our brain demands a steady supply of essential nutrients, and thus, it is helpful to divide your meals into 5-6 smaller portions a day. It not only keeps you charged up, but also improves your mood.
3. Low Glycemic Foods
Our body is slow to absorb sugar from low glycaemia foods, which helps in preventing energy lag and reduces energy highs and lows. Energy levels are more consistent and constant. Increasing consumption of foods with low glycemic index such as nuts, high-fibre non-starchy vegetables, whole grains like oats, lentils, whole wheat, and healthy oils such as olive oil.
4. Timing Is Crucial
People are known to skip their meals thinking that it will make no difference. As per nutrition researcher and professor of nutrition, Dan Benardot, PhD, RD, FACSM, “Never let your tank get on empty,”. Our body demands fuelling from time to time as it is biologically adapted to receive food at regular interval. It is imperative to have your breakfast, lunch and dinner around your routine time. Skipping meals or having them at irregular time lowers down blood sugar and depletes our energy level.
5. Energy Boosting Foods
To keep you charged up throughout the day, include following energy boosting foods as much as possible. Foods to include more in your diet are salmon, tuna and other fatty fish, bananas, sweet potatoes, apple, whole eggs, avocado, quinoa, yogurt, oatmeal, lentils, beans, strawberries, oranges, green tea, nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc.) and seeds (flaxseeds, chia seeds, etc.) These foods have shown to facilitate energy production within body cells.
6. Caution with Deprivation Diet
If you are following any health diet that encourages you to deprive yourself of food, then it is time to rethink. Staving yourself, no matter what health goals you are trying to achieve, reduces metabolism, which encourages our body to preserve as much energy as possible and shuts down energy release mechanism. It leads to the feeling of lethargy and physical exhaustion. A better option would be to reduce the volume of food you eat but be clever about what you eat. In this way you will still consume the much needed proteins and carbohydrates but also the essential vitamins and minerals.
7. Body Hydration = Energy
This seems like the most obvious tip, yet millions of people face energy drain due to improper body hydration. Even mild dehydration can deplete your energy level. When our body is ideally hydrated, it ensures that all essential physiological functions are carried out optimally. It maintains ideal energy level and promotes better mood. Ensure that you are drinking at least 2 litres or 8 (8-ounce each) glasses of water every day.
Apart from effective nutrition for the body, therapies like acupuncture and massage are also a potent solutions to regain your lost mental energy level and feel charged up. They can de-stress you, enhanced your blood circulation, promote better sleep, assist in rest and healing and facilitate positivity in your mood.