How can I increase my energy/stamina please?

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cherys
cherys Posts: 387 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi,

Really hoping some of the super fit and nutrition wise people here can help.

I'm 50 and about 15lbs overweight. (5lbs according to top weight recommended BMI, but 15 according to how I feel and look.)

My ongoing problem is lack of physical stamina. I took up running about a year ago, which I LOVE and went from C25K to running 10Ks. But on training days, even if I've only done 5k I come home and sleep for hours afterwards - my sleep spikes from 8 hours a day to about 12 or 14. I work from home and recently have a big work load. I can manage this pretty well, and am now on top of it, but only by completely ditching exercise. The weight I lost has crawled back on.
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I've had problems with exhaustion for a lot of my life, (thyroid checks show nothing, though I do often have low level anemia).

All I want is to be able to go for a run, put in a day's work and have the energy to be with my children at the end of a day. Nothing too ambitious. But I seem only ever to have the energy for one of those three things in a day.

Any advice?

Thanks so much for reading. Sorry it's a bit long!

Cherys

Replies

  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    How is your nutrition? - I've looked back a few days and you're not logging food.

  • crispsandwich
    crispsandwich Posts: 177 Member
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    you sound exactly like me (im 49) have had blood tests all showing okay, apart from my iron which is slightly raised! I will be keeping an eye on this for inspirational tips (my diet on the whole is good, plenty veg/fruit/carbs and protein)
  • Poods71
    Poods71 Posts: 502 Member
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    I know how you feel. I get low iron as well. Are you on iron tablets for your Anemia. The last time I went to the Doctor he didn't even bother to test my iron levels and just gave me iron tablets. When these ones run out I am going to ask if it is possible just to stay on them as my levels just drop not long after coming off them. Maybe this is something that you need to consider too. It's no fun being tired all the time and feeling like everything is getting on top of you. Hope you can get something sorted out :)
  • MyRummyHens
    MyRummyHens Posts: 141 Member
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    Have they tested you for B12/folate (which is another type of anemia) and vitamin d deficiency? Both of those things can cause artificial tiredness, especially in the active.

    Nutrition wise, are you getting enough variety in your diet? There isn't anything in your diary going back a whole week?
  • cherys
    cherys Posts: 387 Member
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    Thank you for all your replies.

    Crispsandwich - are you also a bit overweight (I'm cheekily guessing from your user name that you might be! :) )

    I need to start keeping my diary again. I am often vitamin B deficient as well. Hadn't realised this could cause tiredness too. So an iron B vitamin supplement might help, to start with? Will log all food for a week and see if it shows up any problems.

    It could be diet. I live with my husband and two teenage boys. The food we eat is very centred on what big men and growing boys want - lots and lots of red meat, chicken, complex carbs and as much veg as I can tempt them with. But I tend to cook for us as a family so eat a far less adventurous range of veg than I would if just cooking for myself. I'd often choose chard or spinach but we never have these as they don't touch them. Tend not to have veggie foods or the kind of light meals that I might cook more often if I had daughters...

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