Okay, cool. We’ve identified the factors associated with fatigue, including stress, improper diet, and lack of exercise, to name a few. And also we’ve decided that we should not deal with energy loss by seeking quick fixes like energy drinks and caffeine.

So let’s figure out what we CAN do to help ourselves in the long and the short run. I’ve comprised a list of ideas that can get you started, and hopefully give you the motivation you need to get started… you’ll see it’s not as mystical and
unattainable as it might seem!

DIET:

Without listing a bunch of rules and do’s and don’ts, just remember this: eat fresh. Refined foods contain too much sugars and artificial crap that don’t do your body, especially your digestive track, any good. They also don’t usually contain the types and amounts of nutrients that your body so desperately needs. Green stuff is great – the darker the green the better.

I make a lot of soups. Soups are great because you can make a ton of it and eat it for days. Check http://www.barnesandnoble.com for a cookbook I love called, oddly enough, Soups, published by Barnes & Noble Books.

I also try to eat many small meals a day. My lunchbox for work might look something like this:

• Yogurt
• Slim Fast or Carnation Instant Breakfast shake
• Lean Cuisine frozen meal
• Banana or apple w/ peanut butter

And for dinner if I don’t have leftovers from soup, I’ll do something like steam broccoli or mixed vegetables and fix couscous or rice. Or perhaps sauté some asparagus topped with crushed peanuts. Some days it’s a mixed greens salad and baked potato. It doesn’t have to be something big, but make it as healthy and fresh as possible.

EXERCISE:

This is the awful truth of the matter: In order to get energy to exercise, you first have to exercise; yes, energy begets energy. Ridiculous isn’t it? But there it is. Exercising doesn’t have to be a task. I run, because… well, I don’t really know why I run except, ironically, because I’m lazy; I just want to pound the pavement for a few miles and get all the benefits of aerobic activity, and I want to do it all in one shot and get it out of the way.

Your approach doesn’t have to be so automaton. Try an activity you enjoy:

• Dance (For a crazy spin, try BELLYDANCING!)
• Yoga/Pilates
• Tennis
• Swimming
• Racquetball
• Weightlifting (low weight, high reps)
• Power Walking
• Jogging
• Martial Arts
• Video Games (yes… there are workout videogames!)

Whatever your preferred method, do it! Make it routine, work it into your schedule, whether you wake up early, hit the gym on your lunch break, or schedule a class after work, do it consistently at least 5 times per week. According to one study, 90% of the participants reported higher energy levels after regular exercise than their non-exercising counterparts (WebMD stats). The hardest part is getting started. Once it’s routine, you’ll feel guilty if you miss it. Vary it. Find a friend to keep you accountable, reward yourself. Whatever motivates you, just get out and DO IT.

HYDRATION:

Not much to say here but drink LOTS OF WATER. Tons of it. 75% of the population is dehydrated. Most people mistake dehydration for hunger pains. Dehydration leads to all sorts of medical and health complications, you simply wouldn’t believe the importance of water in your life.

If you’re on a diet, drinking a full glass of water 10 or 15 minutes before you eat will actually cause you to eat less because chances are that you’re body is talking to you and it’s not talking chicken.
Dehydration actually leads to fatigue. Honestly. Drink water. Especially as you begin your exercise regimen since you’ll be sweating like a polar bear in the Sahara.

SLEEP:

If you’re like me, you have too much you want or need to do in a day to get your full eight hours each night. Some nights I get four or five hours of sleep. During periods of high stress in my life, I am absolutely drained at the end of a day, and I can become emotional and make many silly mistakes.
Listen to your body.

Sometimes, you’re just going to have to leave the dishes undone. You’re going to have to tell the kids to order a pizza, you’re going to have to tell the world around you to get along on it’s own for a while… and take a nap. I’m not talking this 15 minute power nap mumbo jumbo, I’m talking kick off your shoes, toss aside your pants and flop onto the bed until the rooster crows.
Seriously, your body will let you know when enough is enough. If you find that you’re exhausted and your energy is at a dangerous low mid-week, put aside your responsibilities for a little while and sleep.

This unscheduled sleep will get you through the rest of your week, with a newfound vigor that will make you much more useful at work, at home, and you will be able to cope with new stresses in a more productive manner.

BE GOOD TO YOURSELF:

You Time is underrated.

I know you have responsibilities, schedules, yadda yadda, blah blah, so on and so forth. But if you don’t cater to your own emotional needs periodically you will be become burnt out, and lack of desire to continue on will directly translate itself into lack of energy. Not everything about energy is physical. Ask any hypochondriac about the physical effects of a sick thought.

Tell the spouse to take care of the kids while you relax in a bubble bath, read a book, watch a movie, go to a movie, go dancing, etc. Tell the boss you need a sick day. Go to the beach, go to the park, write some poetry. Whatever it is you enjoy, do that, at least twice a month. Schedule the time if you have to, but make it work.

I really believe that in order to live a full and meaningful life, you have to be healthy enough to pull it off. For so many people, an entire lifestyle overhaul is what’s really needed, but most of us can only take small amounts of change at any given time. Make a plan. Take it in tiny baby steps, otherwise you’re in danger of becoming overwhelmed.
Only you know yourself well enough to plan a change. And if you’re always wanting to do more but always lacking the energy to act upon your desires, you need a change. You deserve a chance to see what you’re capable of achieving when you’re working at your peak.

So why not, give it a go! I guarantee that you will find the you that you remember being before the kids, before the career, and before the mortgage.

Viva!