Little things you do, and don’t do, can exhaust you both mentally and physically, which can make getting through your day a complete chore. Lack of sleep isn’t the only thing sapping your energy away.
Here is a list from experts that reveal common toxic habits that can make you feel tired, plus simple lifestyle tweaks that will put some pep back in your step.
Skipping Exercise
Skipping your workout to save energy actually works against you.
In a University of Georgia study, sedentary but otherwise healthy adults who began exercising lightly three days a week for as little as 20 minutes at a time reported feeling less fatigued and more energized after six weeks.
Regular exercise boosts strength and endurance, helps make your cardiovascular system run more efficiently, and delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. So next time you’re tempted to crash on the couch, at least go for a brisk walk, and you won’t regret it.
Worrying
Worry can be the biggest enemy at your present moment.
It does nothing but steal your joy and keep you very busy doing absolutely nothing at all. It’s like using your imagination to create things you don’t want.
Break this negative habit! It is far better to be exhausted from effort than to be tired of doing nothing but worrying. Don’t waste your energy avoiding effort. Go ahead and get it done.
Being A Perfectionist
Striving to be perfect which, let’s face it, is impossible, makes you work much harder and longer than necessary, says Irene S. Levine, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine.
“You set goals that are so unrealistic that they are difficult or impossible to achieve, and in the end, there is no sense of self-satisfaction.”
Levine recommends setting a time limit for yourself on your projects, and taking care to obey it. In time, you’ll realize that the extra time you were taking wasn’t actually improving your work.
Negative Thoughts
Don’t believe everything you hear, especially when it is in your own mind.
Choose to be miserable and you’ll find plenty of reasons to be miserable. Choose to be happy you’ll find plenty of reasons to be happy. Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction.
You need to break this negative habit that is zapping your energy. Talk about your joys, your loves, and your dreams instead. Be funny and creative and ridiculous and joyful all at the same time. It’ll make you feel better and a total energy booster.
Skipping Breakfast
The food you eat fuels your body, and when you sleep, your body continues using what you consumed at dinner the night before to keep your blood pumping and oxygen flowing. So, when you wake up in the morning, you need to refuel with breakfast. Skip it, and you’ll feel sluggish.
“Eating breakfast is like starting a fire in your body by kickstarting your metabolism,” Goodson says.
Goodson recommends a breakfast that includes whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fat. Good examples include oatmeal with protein powder and a dab of peanut butter; a smoothie made with fruit, protein powder, low-fat milk, and almond butter; or eggs with two slices of whole-wheat toast and low-fat Greek yogurt.
Not Able To Say “NO”
People-pleasing often comes at the expense of your own energy and happiness. To make matters worse, it can make you resentful and angry over time. So whether it’s your kid’s coach asking you to bake cookies for her soccer team or your boss seeing if you can work on a Saturday, you don’t have to say yes.
Train yourself to say ‘no’ out loud, suggests Susan Albers, a licensed clinical psychologist with Cleveland Clinic and author of Eat.Q.: Unlock the Weight-Loss Power of Emotional Intelligence.
“Try it alone in your car,” she says. “Hearing yourself say the word aloud makes it easier to say it when the next opportunity calls for it.”
Resisting Change
You must consistently check with yourself and ask: “Am I committed to feeling good, or am I committed to growing?”
Because growth does not always feel good, and feeling good does not always provide growth. Neither is wrong, as long as there is balance. The important thing is to remember that being uncomfortable is important too, and this discomfort often arrives right on time.
Don’t avoid it – embrace it. Channel your energy into progress. All growth begins at the end of your comfort zone. When you’re feeling uncomfortable, know that the change taking place in your life is a beginning, not an ending.
Messy Workplace
A cluttered desk mentally exhausts you by restricting your ability to focus and limits your brain’s ability to process information, according to a Princeton University study.
“At the end of each day, make sure your work and personal items are organized and put away,” suggests Lombardo. “It will help you have a positive start to your day the next morning.”
If your office needs major reorganizing, avoid becoming totally overwhelmed by taking it one step at a time: start by tidying what you can see, then move through your desk and cabinets drawer by drawer.
Alcohol Before Bed
A nightcap sounds like a good way to unwind before falling asleep, but it can easily backfire. Alcohol initially depresses the central nervous system, producing a sedative effect, says Allen Towfigh, MD, medical director of New York Neurology & Sleep Medicine, P.C., in New York City. “But it ultimately sabotages sleep maintenance.”
Alcohol creates a rebound effect as it’s metabolized, which creates an abrupt surge in the adrenaline system, he says. This is why you’re more likely to wake up in the middle of the night after you’ve been drinking. Dr. Towfigh recommends stopping all alcohol three to four hours before bedtime.
Not Enough Water
Being even slightly dehydrated, as little as 2% of normal fluid loss, takes a toll on energy levels, says Amy Goodson, RD, a dietitian for Texas Health Ben Hogan Sports Medicine.
Dehydration causes a reduction in blood volume, explains Goodson, which makes the blood thicker. This requires your heart to pump less efficiently, reducing the speed at which oxygen and nutrients reach your muscles and organs.
To calculate your normal fluid needs, take your weight in pounds, divide in half and drink that number of ounces of fluid a day, Goodson recommends.
Reference: Organic Health;
