Are these 3 things stealing your energy?
Minute for your health #53
Most people feel tired most of the time 🤯 and the things we do to feel more energy might be the things that keep us feeling tired.
In this month’s email I’ll break down 3 energy stealing processes for you, to help you build habits that truly give you energy.
1. Rest
The natural remedy to tiredness would seem to be rest. But think again because resting might actually keep you feeling tired.
Physical inactivity (or rest 🙈) can lead to de-conditioning of your muscles, cardiovascular system and bones.
This means your muscles are weaker, the cardiovascular system is worse at getting oxygen to your cells and your bones are more vulnerable to damage.
The result is that you feel tired more quickly and are more likely to get injured when you are physically active - leading to more rest.
What to do instead:
Get out of breath with a pumping heart at least 3 times a week (even if it’s just for 10 minutes) to strengthen muscles, your cardiovascular system and bones. Try:
Jumping rope
Dancing
Climbing stairs
2. Sugar
Our cells use ‘sugar’ as an energy source - which is why we often crave sugar when we are tired. The problem with eating sugary foods is that they lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar - so rapid that it can cause damage to our cells.
As a result the body releases a high dose of insulin in an attempt to rapidly lower the blood sugar. So we end up with even lower blood sugar and even lower levels of energy.
High blood sugar levels also cause inflammation, which is a key cause of low energy.
What to do instead:
Make sure to combine sugary snacks with protein, fibre and healthy fats. Try:
Dark chocolate with nuts
Toast with peanut butter, banana and hemp seeds
Greek yoghurt with berries, honey and walnuts
3. Caffeine and coffee
Coffee and energy drinks are the socially accepted answer to a bad night’s sleep.
In some ways this makes perfect sense - caffeine increases the effect of mood boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, it increases adrenaline levels which improves alertness and it results in the release of sugar stores for extra energy.
The problem is that the caffeine that keeps you awake during the day also keeps you awake at night. So you have more nights bad sleep and end up needing more caffeine.
More caffeine can lead to jitteriness and caffeine dependance - where your body depends on caffeine to be able to respond appropriately to serotonin and dopamine (which is why caffeine withdrawal feels so horrible).
What to do instead:
Stick to one (or max two) cups of coffee a day and avoid drinking after 12pm. Try other foods that can give a more gentle caffeine boost:
Dark chocolate
Raw cacao
Green tea
Read more about how to improve your sleep here.
Summary:
Tiredness affects many of us and our strategies to cope may be making it worse. Avoid resting too much, too much sugar and too much caffeine. Instead move daily and get your heart rate up a few times a week, combine sugary foods with protein and healthy fats and stick to one cup of coffee per day.
Leave a comment to let us know how you handle tiredness.
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Links and references:
http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2009/03_1/professor/01/
Douglas Paddon-Jones, Interplay of Stress and Physical Inactivity on Muscle Loss: Nutritional Countermeasures, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 136, Issue 8, August 2006, Pages 2123–2126, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.8.2123
Distefano, G., Standley, R. A., Zhang, X., Carnero, E. A., Yi, F., Cornnell, H. H., and Coen, P. M. (2018) Physical activity unveils the relationship between mitochondrial energetics, muscle quality, and physical function in older adults. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 9: 279– 294. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.12272.
Kramer, A., Gollhofer, A., Armbrecht, G. et al. How to prevent the detrimental effects of two months of bed-rest on muscle, bone and cardiovascular system: an RCT. Sci Rep 7, 13177 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13659-8
Booth FW, Roberts CK, Laye MJ. Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases. Compr Physiol. 2012 Apr;2(2):1143-211. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c110025. PMID: 23798298; PMCID: PMC4241367.
Wesensten, N.J. (2014), Legitimacy of concerns about caffeine and energy drink consumption. Nutr Rev, 72: 78-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/nure.12146
Mantantzis, K., Schlaghecken, F., Sünram-Lea, S.I. and Maylor, E.A., 2019. Sugar rush or sugar crash? A meta-analysis of carbohydrate effects on mood. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 101, pp.45-67
In Season:
Rhubarb is in season from April to September in the Western Hemisphere.
One of the first fresh vegetables to be in season after the ‘hunger patch’ is rhubarb - and what a joy that fresh, summery flavour brings after all that winter cabbage 😅
Rhubarb is a good source of vitamin C, K1 and fibre. In China it has traditionally been used as a medical food because it can have a mild laxative, antibacterial and anticancer effect.
An easy way to include rhubarb in your diet is to peel and chop the stalks before simmering them with a little water, cinnamon and dates. When the stalks are fully soft blend the mixture and use as a compote with your morning porridge or musli.