Energy Levels...

Topher1978
Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Over the last 2 or 3 weeks, my enery levels have been horrid. I need more than 8 hours(9 or 10 to feel rested enough), when 7.5 to 8 is usually enough to have me ready to go. I am eating very well, but need to find an energy boost, preferably a nutritious one. I cannot do large amounts of caffeine as it has an adverse affect on my heart beat. I am thinking more and more about starting to juice regularly again, but am not sure if I can pull it off financially at the moment. How do y'all deal with this in a nutritious way?

Replies

  • bellabeer
    bellabeer Posts: 4
    There are a lot of things that could impact your energy level.

    Has it been very cold lately where you are? Are you working out too hard or too often? What are you eating? Are you not eating enough, or do you need to eat smaller meals more frequently? Anything changed in your life that's impacting you emotionally?
  • Treewud
    Treewud Posts: 12
    Well if your getting the wrong fat / protean / carb ratio that could do it. You should be getting 30/25/45, your body turns carbs into energy most efficiently also eating complex carbs. They dont break down as fast itll give you energy for a longer period throughout the day. Another way is exercise, if u exercise about 30 minutes after you wake up your body will start prepairing itself while sleeping knowing that it's about the exercise and your wakeup much easier with more energy.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Well if your getting the wrong fat / protean / carb ratio that could do it. You should be getting 30/25/45, your body turns carbs into energy most efficiently also eating complex carbs. They dont break down as fast itll give you energy for a longer period throughout the day. Another way is exercise, if u exercise about 30 minutes after you wake up your body will start prepairing itself while sleeping knowing that it's about the exercise and your wakeup much easier with more energy.
    I may start working out earlier. As for my calorie intake, I am pretty sure it is pretty darn good. My diary is open, and completely accurate for food, water and exercise. I have been logging every day since before Christmas. It has been quite cold here. And overcast as well. Temps have been getting down to the single digits. I do work out a good bit, but over the last two weeks, not as much as I had a cold. I feel like I need something, like I am lacking something. I was taking a ton of vit C, and have backed off a bit... not sure that Vit C would give me as much energy as I seem to lack right now.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    Seasonal Affective Disorder comes to my mind. I am craving sunshine right now and just haven't been getting enough. It has been cold and cloudy where I live as well. If I could hibernate, I would, at least until the days get longer.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    Seasonal Affective Disorder comes to my mind. I am craving sunshine right now and just haven't been getting enough. It has been cold and cloudy where I live as well. If I could hibernate, I would, at least until the days get longer.
    That could be it. I moved from the WA last year because of the way that overcast affects me. That may be it!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Hate to say it but this happened to me when i overdid the exercise and you do a lot of exercise and often have large deficits because of it. It does catch up. The body is not infallible.
  • jlohcook
    jlohcook Posts: 228 Member
    It could be some or all f the following.

    1. Winter, tend to suck up all energy.
    2. High carb diet, noticed you take quite a lot of carbs from rice, tortilla, change them out to some protein, carbs like these tend to make you sleepy....
    3. Vegetables, don't see a lt of green vegetables, it's energy booster plus all other nutrients.
    4. Over exercised? One day u burnt 6000 cals? That's a lot. Body need time to rest.
    5. Enough rest days between your workout? That helps
    6. Breathing - this i find useful when energy level is low.
    7. Mid day nap, take a quick 10-15 min nap in the afternoon, sometimes it helps.

    Body has a way to adjust according to its needs, so listen to it. Perhaps you do need that 8 hr sleep. It's pretty healthy.
  • Topher1978
    Topher1978 Posts: 975 Member
    It could be some or all f the following.

    1. Winter, tend to suck up all energy.
    2. High carb diet, noticed you take quite a lot of carbs from rice, tortilla, change them out to some protein, carbs like these tend to make you sleepy....
    3. Vegetables, don't see a lt of green vegetables, it's energy booster plus all other nutrients.
    4. Over exercised? One day u burnt 6000 cals? That's a lot. Body need time to rest.
    5. Enough rest days between your workout? That helps
    6. Breathing - this i find useful when energy level is low.
    7. Mid day nap, take a quick 10-15 min nap in the afternoon, sometimes it helps.

    Body has a way to adjust according to its needs, so listen to it. Perhaps you do need that 8 hr sleep. It's pretty healthy.
    I am not high carb, really. The rice is a wild rice mix, and the tortillas are 100 calorie tortillas which are 120 to 140 less calories than regular tortillas. I am hitting 45c 30p 25f as well as I can. And the carbs that I am getting are high quality. I have been eating the same. I did re-introduce coffee into my diet again recently, and was wondering if that was the change…

    As for large calorie burns, I do have some large ones, like days I go on hikes. I tend to eat 3000-4000 calories on those days, even though it leaves me in a huge deficit. Though that is not the norm. I usually do my hiking on Saturdays and Sundays are my rest days. I was so full of energy for the last month, insanely so, with the same regimen. The only real difference I made was upping my calorie intake. I went from 1650 to 2060 as net. It would seem to be counterintuitive that that would be the cause, though. I think...

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