What’s Making You So Tired? Energy, Is Good
If you can’t seem to muster the energy to workout, eating based on the type of fatigue you feel could see an uptick in your energy levels.
Beating fatigue in your 40s doesn’t have to be tiring.
THE BRIEF
Time to read: 3 minutes 10 seconds
Time to action: How long does it take to eat lunch?
Mantra: Eat more, feel better. Win!
Main message: Right food, right time makes for a perfect 40+ energy boost
Stat: 62% say extra energy to do ‘what they wanted to do’ would be a source of great personal happiness
If you’re old enough to remember a time when greed was good, you’re almost certainly also fighting feelings of fatigue and an inability to mobilise your motivation regularly. Energy, is good. We say go large on it. It all starts with recognising what type of fatigue is fighting off your energy.
Your body (and mind) can feel three fundamental types of fatigue: physical, hormonal, and mental. Proper nutrition will go a hell of a long way to create energy where the apathy currently sits. It’s one of those wonderful issues that you should eat your way out of. Not that we’re saying greed is, in fact, good, but extra energy - let’s just say we’d choke that one down all day long.
PHYSICAL FATIGUE - IS THIS YOU?
Fatigue often comes about through too much commitment and not enough time to fulfil it. Fight-or-flight kicks in and refuses to leave, which, in turn, is also exhausting. If you get to exercise, you’re optimistic initially, but you quickly reach your limit and perform under your norm.
Fighting physical fatigue - the food
Avoid simple sugars and combine proteins with carbohydrates wherever you can to stabilise your blood glucose.
As unusual as it might sound, for breakfast, go protein-rich with soup or vegetables or, more traditionally, an omelette. You’ll get all the necessary nutrients without the sugar. At lunch, eat plenty of vegetables and some fish or white meat. Dinner means protein and complex carbohydrates after an evening recovery workout (it will help, ironically). Quinoa is ideal because it contains both.
Containing protein and complex carbs, Quinoa is great for fighting fatigue
HORMONAL FATIGUE - IS THIS YOU?
Your endocrine system - responsible for your hormone production - is messed up. You need cortisol in the morning to wash away the sleep hormone melatonin, but your cortisol value isn’t high enough. You feel drowsy. You’re unable to turn off your stress mode completely, so you keep it on standby. You need to act fast if you don’t want to come to a complete standstill.
Fighting hormonal fatigue - the food
If your cortisol levels are high, you might not feel hungry. However, don’t wait to eat until you have a sugar dip because then your body converts proteins to sugar, leading to elevated blood glucose. Timing is critical.
Start your mornings with breakfast around 10 am to align with your body's natural cortisol rhythms, if you can. It’s a good form of intermittent fasting that will serve you well. Think of a bowl of oatmeal topped with nuts and seeds, providing a sustained energy release without spiking your blood sugar.
For lunch, opt for a colourful salad loaded with leafy greens and lean protein like grilled chicken, fish or tofu, ensuring a balanced intake of essential nutrients without overburdening your system.
For dinner, a light meal like grilled fish with roasted vegetables offers the right mix of protein and fibre, aiding your body's recovery while you sleep. The key is to choose foods that support hormonal balance without causing stress, so opt for whole grains, lean proteins, and a rainbow of vegetables.
Grilled fish contains protein and fibre to help combat hormonal fatigue
MENTAL FATIGUE - IS THIS YOU?
Suppressing your emotions stimulates your adrenal gland, which produces stress hormones. You might be short-fused and have delayed recovery from exercise, which can make you more likely to get sick or feel forgetful. Even a 20-minute exercise session should be shorter. If you have a low or dropping blood glucose, are irritated, forgetful, depressed and have trouble concentrating, this may be an answer.
Fighting mental fatigue - the food
The aim here is to try to keep your blood glucose levels constant. For breakfast, start your day with an omega-3-rich smoothie, crucial in improving communication within the brain, supporting cognitive function and concentration, and reducing mental fatigue. At lunch, enjoy a salmon and quinoa salad, and at dinner, try Stir-Fried Tofu with Vegetables. These meals incorporate omega-3s, vitamins B1, B2, B6, folic acid, B12, and C, plus minerals for stable blood glucose and essential nutrients to combat mental fatigue and minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Monitor the fluid balance and the brain’s electric circuit. For dinner, try a chickpea and spinach curry. Chickpeas provide essential B vitamins and magnesium, which support cognitive function and help reduce feelings of fatigue. Spinach is rich in folate and iron, vital for brain health and preventing fatigue. Spices, such as turmeric, contain brain-boosting properties.
Omega 3 rich foods help fight mental fatigue
ENERGY RABBIT
Not simply a life coach, but an award-winner in the wellness sector with over a decade of experience. Rabbit specialises in the accessibility of information. If there is a theory worth exploring, Rabbit will work out how easily it can be integrated into your everyday life.
ANTHROPOLOGY ANTELOPE
Sociology might have been ‘that degree’ in the way back when, but can you honestly think of a time when we needed to understand our society more than we do today? Antelope is a respected and published author of numerous theses on the human condition and the nature of human interactions.
