Tired All The Time? 6 Natural Fixes

Sure, everyone feels sleepy sometimes. But there's sleepy, and then there's chronic fatigue that leaves you not wanting to do anything other than curl up in bed and shut out the world. Unfortunately, this kind of exhaustion can lead to many other problems, from relationship issues, to workplace injuries and even increased risk of disease and health problems.

If you routinely find yourself feeling rundown and struggling to stay awake, try tackling the problem with these six simple, natural fixes:

1. Sleep, sleep, sleep!

Yep, it’s absolutely obvious: sleep helps us to feel more refreshed. We may laugh when someone suggests getting some sleep and think “well, duh." But the truth is that people just don’t get enough. We all know the benefits, we all love it — so why aren’t we getting it? A lot of it has to do with how we approach bedtime.

To kickstart more sleep, start a nightly ritual: around 9:30 p.m. each night, turn the TV off, switch your phone on silent and stop checking Facebook. Make yourself a cup of chamomile tea and dim the lights. Read a book, if need be. The point is that for the next hour you should be signaling to your body that it’s time to wind down. By 10:30 p.m. the lights should be out and you'll be on your way to a refreshing night's sleep.

Try this ritual for a few weeks and you'll soon see the difference in your energy levels.

2. Rethink your diet.

Think of your wonderful body as a beautiful car and your food as the fuel you use to keep the car going. You wouldn’t put dirty, horrible fuel into a nice, shiny BMW. You’d want use clean, efficient fuel so it continues to run smoothly for as long as possible. Why not treat your body the same way?

A diet full of fast food, packaged and processed items and refined sugars is only going to make you feel tired, run down and generally awful in the long run. Instead, fuel your body with fruit and vegetables, lean proteins and fresh water.

3. Keep stimulants to a minimum.

Coffee can actually be good for us in moderate doses. In fact, research links one cup a day to plenty of health benefits, from lowering the risk of cancer to reducing cognitive decline. Still, we're living in a very stimulated world and over-consumption of caffeine is too common nowadays.

Keep your coffee hit to one cup a day and try to consume it before 1 p.m. Stay well away from energy drinks and soft drinks. After all, stimulants like caffeine affect your adrenal glands similarly to stress and lead to thesecretion of cortisol.

4. Make protein your best friend.

Enjoying protein with every meal and snack will help keep you alert, energized and satiated throughout the day. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day — research shows that eating a morning meal high in protein can help you feel more full throughout the day.

Great sources of protein include: lean meats such as chicken, fatty fish like mackerel and salmon, grass fed beef, eggs, nuts and seeds.

5. Stay active.

While exercise has many health benefits, one of the biggest is that it gives us energy. When you don't feel like dragging yourself out of bed to exercise, remember that you'll feel better for it!

Find a form of exercise that you enjoy so it won’t feel like such a chore — staying active doesn't have to mean joining a gym. You can go for a hike with a friend, take the dog for a run, go kayaking or simply do 30 minutes of yoga. It’s doesn't matter — it's all exercise.

6. Check your endocrine system.

The endocrine system is a complex part of the human body with many organs and glands involved. Two glands in particular, the adrenals and thyroid glands, are highly indicated when it comes to severe fatigue issues. The adrenal glands are negatively affected when we're chronically stressed and if the adrenal glands are being affected, the thyroid usually is too. Issues with the thyroid can cause a myriad of symptoms — including fatigue.

Talk to your doctor or health professional about the possibility of your thyroid being under or over active. There are many tests that can measure the activity of the thyroid — and many natural and conventional treatments available.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-20946/tired-all-the-time-6-natural-fixes.html

8 Ways to Banish Fatigue (and Boost Energy) for Good

Strategies to put a spring back in your step

Are you struggling to get out of bed in the morning? You’re not alone. Millions of people face difficulties in jump starting their day. If you feel drained, your energy crisis may be due to anything from a jam-packed schedule to an undiagnosed medical condition.

In The Gene Therapy Plan

(link is external)

, I discuss how diet and lifestyle choices affect our health at the level of our DNA. Poor dietary habits can lead to chronic inflammation and free-radical damage that exhaust our cells and manifest as fatigue and other health conditions like advanced aging, cancer, and heart disease.

To reinvigorate your day, here are 8 things you can do to get your energy level back on track:

1. Get adequate rest.
   Although you may be asleep, your cells are working hard to replenish all the energy you used throughout your day. When we sleep, chemicals like enzymes and hormones work to repair and revitalize the body. Sleep is the time when the body promotes growth, repairs tissue, bolsters immunity, and restores energy. The better rested you are, the better equipped you’ll be to move through your day feeling refreshed and energized.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast.
   Breakfast sets the tone for our day. If you eat a doughnut, or worse, skip breakfast altogether, you're going to feel cranky and hungry. Why? When you don’t eat in the morning, or eat processed foods like sugary cereals, you cause irregularities in your blood glucose levels. Try a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal, which packs lots of fiber that will keep you feeling full longer. Another good option is Greek yogurt which contains healthful bacteria to promote gut health. It's also a great source of protein, which your gut takes longer to digest.
3. Choose wholesome snacks.
   Between meals, avoid sweets, which cause your blood sugar levels to spike, giving you a temporary jolt of energy. Poor glucose control will cause cells to become insensitive to insulin, the hormone released by the pancreas when the body “senses” glucose molecules in blood after we eat a meal. When you feel like having a snack, nuts and seeds are great choices. They contain protein, minerals, and vitamins that won’t trigger sugar spikes and that crash-and-burn feeling. Try almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts.
4. Bolster your digestive health.
   Our number of bacterial cells outnumber human cells 10 to 1. Studies show that the bacteria in our gut is linked to our immune system and brain chemistry, so it's in our best interest to eat foods that boost healthy gut microbes. To foster wholesome gut ecology, try kimchi, kefir, yogurt, kombucha, or tempeh.
5. Exercise.
   Many people say that they are too tired to exercise. But exercising gives us a much-needed reboot, especially after a stressful day. Through exercise, we recharge tired cells by getting more oxygen to them. Physical activity that helps to build muscle strength also improves the efficiency of the mitochondria — the cellular powerhouse for energy. By working out, we help our bodies make the energy that helps keep our cells healthy.
6. Supplement your health.
   Various compounds like vitamins and enzymes help to make energy and sometimes our bodies are depleted of these energy-boosting substances. The production of energy in the body requires certain key players like vitamin B12 and antioxidants like L-carnitine and coenzyme Q10. While these fatigue fighters are available as supplements, seek the guidance of a medical professional before you begin taking any over-the-counter pills.
7. Don’t stress.
   Everyone faces stress in their lives: We all have looming deadlines, mounting tasks, and daily obligations. But stress is disease-promoting, and when we’re stressed, essential health habits like exercise fall to the wayside. We also don’t sleep well.
8. Visit your doctor.
   Sometimes our schedules may appear to cause of our fatigue. But if you feel tired a lot, there could be a medical explanation for your loss of energy. One possibility may be a thyroid condition. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ that sits below the Adam’s apple and plays essential roles in maintaining a healthy metabolism, regulating weight, and controlling energy. Other conditions like depression, vitamin D deficiency, iron deficiency anemia, or diabetes could contribute to fatigue.

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-genetic-destiny/201506/8-ways-banish-fatigue-and-boost-energy-good

These People Live Longer Than Anyone. Here Are 9 Things They Do

The people of Okinawa, an island southwest of Japan's main landmass, are known for their longevity. Having studied the habits of particularly long-lived people, I've taken nine lessons from the Okinawans that I believe help them live long, happy lives.

1. Embrace an ikigai.

An ikigai is one's reason for being, or one's purpose in life. Older Okinawans can readily articulate the reason they get up in the morning. Their purpose-imbued lives gives them clear roles of responsibility and feelings of being needed well into their 100s.

2. Rely on a plant-based diet.

Older Okinawans have eaten a plant-based diet most of their lives. Their meals of stir-fried vegetables, sweet potatoes, and tofu are high in nutrients and low in calories. Goya, with its antioxidants and compounds that lower blood sugar, is of particular interest. While centenarian Okinawans do eat some pork, it's traditionally reserved only for infrequent ceremonial occasions and taken only in small amounts.

3. Get gardening.

Almost all Okinawan centenarians grow or once grew a garden. It’s a source of daily physical activity that exercises the body with a wide range of motion and helps reduce stress. It’s also a near-constant source of fresh vegetables.

4. Eat more soy.

The Okinawan diet is rich foods made with soy, like tofu and miso soup. Flavonoids in tofu may help protect the heart and guard against breast cancer. Fermented soy foods contribute to a healthy intestinal ecology and offer even better nutritional benefits.

5. Maintain a moai.

The Okinawan tradition of forming a moai, or a gathering of people, provides secure social networks. These safety nets lend financial and emotional support in times of need and give all of their members the stress-shedding security of knowing that there is always someone there for them.

6. Enjoy the sunshine.

Vitamin D, produced by the body when it’s exposed on a regular basis to sunlight, promotes stronger bones and healthier bodies. Spending time outside each day allows even senior Okinawans to have optimal vitamin D levels year-round.

7. Stay active.

Older Okinawans are active walkers and gardeners. The Okinawan household has very little furniture; residents take meals and relax sitting on tatami mats on the floor. The fact that old people get up and down off the floor several dozen times daily builds lower body strength and balance, which help protect against dangerous falls.

8. Plant a medical garden.

Mugwort, ginger, and turmeric are all staples of an Okinawan garden, and all have proven medicinal qualities. By consuming these every day, Okinawans may be protecting themselves against illness.

9. Have an attitude.

A hardship-tempered attitude has endowed Okinawans with an affable smugness. They’re able to let difficult early years remain in the past while they enjoy today’s simple pleasures. They’ve learned to be likable and to keep younger people in their company well into their old age.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14305/these-people-live-longer-than-anyone-here-are-9-things-they-do.html

Change Doesn't Happen Overnight, It Happens in 5 Stages

Mentally strong people don't expect immediate results.

Although circumstances may change in the blink of an eye, people change at a slower pace. Even motivated people who welcome change often encounter stumbling blocks that make transformation more complicated than they’d originally anticipated. 

When two psychologists, Carlo DiClemente and James O. Prochaska, studied people who were trying to quit smoking, they discovered five stages that can be used to assess a person’s readiness to make change. Their ideas about the stages of change have been applied to people who are changing a variety of habits.

Trying to change before you're ready isn't likely to be productive. For example, most New Year’s resolutions don’t last because people spring into action without being prepared for the work it's going to take. Forcing change based on a date on the calendar, rather than a true readiness to transform, can be a set up for failure.

These five stages of change can assess your readiness to create behavior change:

1. Pre-contemplation - If you’re pre-contemplative, you won’t recognize any need to change. Other people may express concerns, but you’ll deny that a problem exists. Unless someone raises your awareness of the problem, you likely won’t choose to do make a change.

For example, a doctor who says you have high cholesterol may tell you to change your diet. Unless you believe that your health really poses a risk, you aren't likely to change your eating habits.

2. Contemplation - When you’re in stage two, you will recognize the potential consequences of not changing, but you won’t yet be fully committed to making a change. Instead, you'll spend some thinking about the pros and cons of staying the same versus changing.

For example, you may recognize that you have a health problem, but you may be hesitant to commit to giving up the fatty foods you enjoy. Moving to the next stage requires recognition that the benefits of change outweigh the risks of staying the same.

3. Preparation - During the preparation stage, a plan for change is established. In keeping with the diet change scenario, this is where you'd plan your menus and think about what foods you must avoid in order to change your eating habits.  

Resist the urge to move through this stage too quickly. Devote plenty of time and energy into creating a good plan that will set you up for success.

4. Action - The steps created during the preparation stage get put into place during the action stage. It’s where your behavior changes begin. If you were committed to improving your health, this is the stage where you'd start eating a healthier diet.

5. Maintenance - During this stage, it’s important to monitor your progress and plan ahead for possible problems and pitfalls that could cause you to resort to your old behavior patterns. While it may be tempting to declare victory after a few successful days, a failure to plan for the future could leave you unprepared for the obstacles you'll likely encounter.

If you wanted to maintain your healthy diet, you'd need to consider potential pitfalls—like how you're going to handle an invitation to a restaurant. Being prepared to handle challenges and recover from mistakes can help you maintain a change over the long haul.

Implementing the Stages of Change

Mentally strong people don't shy away from change nor do they expect immediate results. Whether you want to exercise more often or you're hoping to become debt-free, real change happens in stages. Slow and steady progress is great—as long as you're taking steps in the right direction.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201504/change-doesnt-happen-overnight-it-happens-in-5

3 Hacks to Be a Better You

    

We should always work to be better people. We have the tools, and they shouldn’t be wasted. How you decide to become a better person is up to you. It may mean being a better spouse, parent, sibling, son, or daughter. Perhaps it means being a better provider, a better employee, or a better employer. No matter what it means to you, it means work. One should not shy away from the work that it takes to improve as a person. With that said, if you need a little direction then here are 3 hacks to be a better you:

1. Diet and Exercise

Are you tired of hearing this? There’s a reason that you see and hear it everywhere. It works. No one says that you should look like a perfect genetic specimen, and no one expects you to. Being in good physical condition, however, is one of the biggest keys to being a better you. It helps you to feel better about yourself. Not only does it boost your confidence, but you feel better physically and mentally. Of course there are the numerous health benefits that come from diet and exercise too.

“Diet” doesn’t mean that you have to go on some crazy fad diet where you cut out solid food and implement a liquid-only diet, or that you have to eat only 200 calories a day until you starve yourself into a size 0 hospital gown. It means maintaining a balanced and healthy diet. Half of it is common sense, really. Don’t eat that half pound slice of German Chocolate Cake. Reach for the yogurt instead. Have some fresh fruit instead of those greasy potato chips. Don’t eat before bed. The simplest things can make such a big difference.

In that same vein, “exercise” doesn’t mean that one has to train for a triathlon. It simply means that people should stop spending so much of their free time on the sofa. Do some aerobics or yoga, go for a jog, or do something to remind your heart that sometimes it needs to shift gears before it forgets how to.

2. Focus on Fulfillment

Many people use such a variety of empty ways to pass time. They waste their time on so many things that don’t matter. I don’t think that I really need to give examples here, but a few things come immediately to mind, such as reading celebrity gossip and channel surfing the television.

Focus on activities that make you feel fulfilled. If you have kids, spend time with them, and make some memories. If you don’t have kids, why not plant a garden? Perhaps learning a new skill might interest you. You could learn to paint, cook, golf, ski, kayak, surf, or one of so many other options. The point is, find something to spend more of your free time doing that will create a much deeper sense of accomplishment and fulfillment within you, rather than being concerned about which celebrity just entered rehab, or which A-list couple just separated.

3. Visualize What You Want to Do

Visualization can help you achieve things by getting you in the proper mindset to do so. First, figure out exactly what you want to do in life and what you want to be. Do you need a career change? Is there a specific job that you want? Perhaps it’s something else, like you want to be a better parent, or you want to have more influence with your friends and family, at work, or in your community.

Whatever the case may be, determine what it is that you want, and visualize it. Not just once, but visualize it all the time. Every chance you get, and every time you think of it, visualize everything that you want. Visualize yourself doing, being, or getting that thing which you desire. Visualize yourself driving the new car that you’re going to buy after you land that new job. Visualize yourself living the lifestyle that you want after you make that career change. Visualize yourself being a better parent or having more influence, and the potential results of those. An excellent example of this (and I do not take credit for this – it has been used before, but it’s a very effective example), is to recall a time when you put a puzzle together.

When you visualize not only the end goal, but the results and provisions that will come from it, it will help motivate you to start working toward that goal. Your thoughts and actions will begin to calibrate and align with that target, and you’ll be on your way to achieving it. Often, the only thing holding a person back… is that person. Don’t let that be you. Go after whatever it is that you want. You deserve it. But you should start by visualizing it!

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/3-hacks-to-be-a-better-you.html