It sounds completely counter-intuitive, but scientists found that, instead dropping on your sofa and grabbing a remote, going for a walk, run or swim might do much more to make you feel refreshed and reinvigorated after a long day of work.
This secret is well known to dog owners. You come from work exhausted, and the first thing you see is your pooch waiting for you by the door with his leash in his mouth and his big trusting eyes saying ” Ëœwalk, walk, walk.” ™ So you drop your briefcase and swap your nice shoes for a pair of running shoes and hit the park. After about ten minutes you completely forget that you were tired. Fresh air, relaxed walk with your best friend, complete distressing, improved circulation, all give us that feeling of well-being that fights fatigue much better than a short nap.
Scientists found that exercise boosts up our energy level by directly affecting our central nervous system and that it does not have anything to do with better aerobic fitness. Our experience tells us different. Exercise increases our strength and endurance and balances our electrolytes. And we should not forget to mention that exercise stimulates production of endorphins, ” Ëœfeel good” ™ hormones.
We do not need scientists to tell us that our modern way life is causing us to burn the candle on both ends. Our society places increased demands on our time. We try to cope with jobs, kids, family, social responsibilities and everything else in between, and the result is chronic fatigue. While some people are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or some other medical condition that makes us feel constantly tired, most of us are making things worse by poor nutrition and lack of exercise.
Obesity is big reason for feeling tired all the time. In part, the reason for it is carrying all that extra weight around. More important part is insulin resistance caused by obesity and inability to process sugar effectively. Losing weight is increasingly becoming an imperative in all aspects of our health, including our feeling of fatigue.
Many super foods are advertised as big energy boosters, but often small changes can make a big difference in how our food supplies enough energy to get us through the day. Starting a day with a cup of coffee is not going to fuel your machine. A cup of oatmeal with some honey and fresh fruit will. Or a bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat yoghurt or milk. Or even good old peanut butter sandwich with whole grain bread and slices of bananas. Skipping meals at one end and then overeating on the other will also leave us drained of energy. Too much coffee or caffeinated drinks puts us on a never-ending cycle. We drink coffee to stay awake during the day and then cannot sleep at night, starting the new day tired because of lack of sleep. So we go for more coffee.
And if we really need a super food to help with our fatigue, chia seeds from the mint family were used by Aztec warriors for thousands of years to help them to keep going. Try sprinkling some chia seeds on your morning cereal, and then take your bike to work instead of your car. The results might surprise you.
Reply