I'm feel tired and sleepy all the time although I haven't been doing much. I want to do more...like clean the house, exercise more and walk my dog often. Do you know any energy boosting tips?
Stay well hydrated, get the right ammount of sleep (not too little or too much), protein throughout the day, and exercise! It actually will give you an energy boost once you're out there doing it!
keep an eye on your intake of processed foods...... i always feel lethargic when i've had a bunch of processed food during the day. i feel much better eating natural, whole foods. that's usually where my lack of energy comes from. otherwise i lack energy because i get the wrong amount of sleep (too much/too little, like denise said)... and sometimes i'm just exhausted. take a look at what you've been doing lately and make sure you're not setting unrealistic expectations for yourself!
i have to agree that even when you have no desire to exercise, if you do, your energy level will be much improved and you'll feel an even greater sense of accomplishment b/c you worked out when you didn't want to.
I def have had days when i've been a lazy slug... a million things to do, no desire to do any thing. Not once have i regreted forcing myself to work out. If i know i'm incapable of making myself exercise, I'll call a friend and suggest an activiy that involves physical activity, thus forcing me to move.
Stay well hydrated, get the right ammount of sleep (not too little or too much), protein throughout the day, and exercise! It actually will give you an energy boost once you're out there doing it!
This may be a dumb question but what is the "right" amount? I've heard 4 hours and I've heard 8. That's a LARGE difference
I might be sleeping to much..since I am sleepy all the time. lol. I have to force myself tomorrow. When I'm too lazy I only do 20 mins. cardio. If I'm in the mood I do 1 hour. I'll just have to do it.
How do I get protein throughout the day. I think I only get it at lunch when I eat fish or chicken. The rest of the day I only eat fruits, vegetables or yogurt. Sometimes cereals and milk.
Do you guys know a particluar food which can boost energy? Peanut butter? Banana?
Kitty - do you know how many calories you are eating throughout the day? If I only have 1200kcals I never have enough energy to work out properly.
For (lean) protein you can try - cottage cheese, egg whites, fish, chicken, lean pork, turkey, deli turkey meat is portable and tasty. Also, a smidge of peanut butter/any nut butter will help since it has good fats in it. LF cheese is also a source of protein, not so much yoghurt/milk products since they are mainly quite carby. Another good source of protein is unsweetened low fat soya milk. If tastes horrid but it's good in shakes and bearable on cereal!
You also want to make sure you're eating little and often throughout the day that way your energy intake is spread out evenly through the day so you don't experience highs and lows.
Try to avoid "simple" carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, some fruits, sugar, sweets, cakes. As someone else said, whole foods like you would find in nature are your friend for providing the most nutrients for your calories... Try 10 pecan halves with 10 dates for a nice snack. Also make sure your bread is whole wheat, that breakfast cereal is either Kashi or oats (breakfast cereal is a very refined carbohydrate) or another whole grain.
That may be it. I eat 1200 cals a day since that's what my *********** profile says.
I had no idea I am a carb addict. I mostly eat carbs the whole day. I eat yogurt and drink milk. And I just can't keep off rice. I just have to have it during lunch. I'm trying organic rice now. Also, I just don't like the taste of whole wheat bread and whole grain cereals. I mean, I want to cry everytime I eat those. I'm not kidding. Is oatmeal okay then? Thanks so much for your help.
Kitty- oatmeal is great for you, I eat it in the morning then need another snack a couple hours later. Like 2frustrated said, snack on a few nuts or piece of turkey lunchmeat or lowfat cheese a couple times throughout the day (this will also help you be less hurgary at meals). I think for most people, an ideal amount of sleep is 7-8 hours, of course this varies person to person. I've never heard of 4 hours being enough
I've definitely never heard of 4 hours being enough sleep, either. Heck, on a really lazy day, I can probably nap for a total of 4 hours
I would try to include some protein in your breakfast. I know a lot of people feel more sluggish throughout the day if their breakfast is primarily carbs. Try having some eggs (or egg whites or egg substitute), turkey sausage, protein pancakes (there are recipes for these all over 3FC)...I make a smoothie with some vanilla protein powder for my breakfast each morning. If you really have issues with carbs/blood sugar, starting out with carbs for the day can only make things worse because you're immediately setting yourself up for a carb crash!
Oatmeal is great--even instant oatmeal is still a whole grain. Just be careful you don't choose a super-sugary type of oatmeal.
I get at least 100g of protein a day, and here's how I do it: many small meals throughout the day. I don't snack on typical "snack" foods. Every time I eat, I get some protein. The lowest-protein mini-meal I have is a yogurt, but it still has some protein in it. Skim milk actually has 8g protein per cup, too, so that's not all too bad, but I would still combine it with another food that is more protein/fewer carbs. Anyway, as for the mini-meals, I might have:
5 small breakfast turkey sausage links
a pbj sandwich made with all-natural peanut butter (not the sweetened, fat-added crap most of us use) and no-sugar-added fruit preserves (on whole-wheat, of course--if you have it in your area, I beg you to try Nature's Own whole-grain no-sugar-added bread...it's so good even my super-picky boyfriend eats it without complaining!)
a small whole-wheat pita with sandwich meat and cheese
a small bowl of homemade turkey and potato chowder
some marinated skinless chicken tenders w/fruit
chicken cooked w/salsa, black beans, corn, and cheese
I still eat brown rice or pasta with dinner most nights. I don't limit carbs; I just increase protein. I also do my exercise first thing in the morning before work because I will come up with a million excuses NOT to do it later in the day
8 hours of sleep is the recommended amount, but it really does vary from person to person. I would say most people need 7 at minimum, but a lot of people don't get even that. I sleep 8 hours per night, and it has really helped me. Before starting my helthy lifestyle, I was an insomniac and depressed. But eating healthy, exercising, and taking vitamins has really helped me. I get more sleep and feel better!
I tried oatmeal the other day. I looked for the with the least amount of calories and sugar. I loved it!
Jill, do you have a blog so I can look at the food you eat throughout the day? It seems that you are good in planning meals. That's my downfall, I guess.
I sleep 8 hours a day. Sometimes even more...partly because I feel so lazy and partly because I'm still depressed because of a break-up.
Jill, do you have a blog so I can look at the food you eat throughout the day? It seems that you are good in planning meals. That's my downfall, I guess.
I keep a log of everything I plan to (and actually do) eat right here on 3FC. In the "Support" section, we have daily planning threads (here is today's: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100113 ). I tried blogging for a while, but I just feel so repetetive since I already log everything I eat in my Fitday (which is another place you can look at, but that's probably more confusing since I often list ingredients instead of actual meals, so you don't know exactly what goes with what ), then I log it in the Support section here, then I also often log on another forum I belong to.
I rarely get 8 hours of sleep a night. Maybe on the weekends, but not typically during the week. I have to get up around 4:15am in order to get in my workout and shower before my boyfriend gets up (can't wait till we hopefully buy a place next year with 2 bathrooms!), and we usually go to bed aroun 10:30, so that's less than 6 hours of sleep (assuming I actually fall asleep right away when I go to bed, which sometimes is not the case). On the weekends, I usually have difficulty sleeping later than 7-7:30am. I do often end up napping on the couch during the day, though
Low Energy :-(
I have to force myself tomorrow. When I'm too lazy I only do 20 mins. cardio. If I'm in the mood I do 1 hour. I'll just have to do it.
