|
Self Magazine
Monday, August 25, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More Energy Now!
By Dana Hudepohl
Sure, you joke about how much coffee you need to get through the day. But it’s getting old. All of it. The bags under your eyes. The I-could-use-a-little-nap yawn. You want to feel like yourself again. Lack of energy is more than a nuisance; it can threaten your health, says Bret W. Bost, M.D. an ob / gyn at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, Texas.
That’s because when you’re wiped out, stress hormones such as cortisol rise and immune function drops, priming you for infection. Worse, over time, elevated cortisol can contribute to ulcers, blood clots, diabetes, weight gain, and depression. And exhaustion is a real problem for women: In a recent survey of ob / gyns by Doctor Bost, doctors reported that about 40 percent of their patients complained of low energy. In fact, physicians are seeing so many women with fatigue, bad moods, decreased sex drive and weight gain that Dr. Bost coined the phrase “hurried woman syndrome” to describe these patients. “It’s a kind of predresssion,” he says, a condition that, left untreated, could develop into a full blown episode. The cause? A jam-packed life.
SELF can’t change your schedule, but we can help keep it from sucking you dry: Scan our tips on shoring up your physical, mental, and emotional reserves. Try one, try ‘em all, but if you’re not feeling better within three weeks, see your doctor; anemia, a sluggish thyroid, or another problem may be the root of your fatigue. Think of each move as a coin in a piggy bank. Contribute regularly, and soon you’ll have a nice chuck of energy change!
GET MORE GET-UP-AND-GO
Pop on a pedometer
Pooped out? Ironically, one way to gain energy is to move more. People who wear pedometers report having more pep on the days they took more steps…
Go for the green
Tea, we mean. It’s a better pick me up than coffee for two reasons: It has only a quarter to a third as much caffeine, so you’ll get a lift without feeling as frantic. You’ll also receive a dose of antioxidants, which may help guard against cancer.
Flake out
In a study at Cardiff University in Wales, people who ate high-fiber Kellogg’s All-Bran and Bran Flakes at breakfast felt more alert all day than those who ate low-fiber cereals. The theory is that fiber releases a fatty acid that the body can use for energy…
PUMP UP YOUR BRAIN POWER
Take brain breaks
The brain accounts for about 2 percent of your weight but requires about 20% of your body’s oxygen. No wonder working at a desk all day can be so exhausting. Frequent breaks are an energizing fix; a new study from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge compared computer workers who took time-outs (performing simple stretches) every hour with those who took them every 15 or 30 minutes. Those who worked in 15-minute blocks with “microbreaks” as brief as 30 seconds were the speediest and most accurate, and had significantly fewer body aches…
Be a single-tasker
When you focus on one thing instead of several, you usually get more done in less time…
Burn a personal soundtrack
Whether you play the Rocky theme before a big meeting or crank up your wedding song when you’re stuck in crushing traffic, listening to your favorite music can get you jazzed, says Jon Gordon, author of Become an Energy Addict (Longstreet Press). Go ahead, let the music move you!
Sleep from six to eight
Hours, that is. A recent study suggest that key repair work happens in the brain between the sixth and eighth hours of sleep. The researchers believe that during this time, burst of electrical activity trigger waves of calcium to enter certain brain cells…
GAIN AN EMOTIONAL EDGE
Connect with those who count
When you’re feeling busy and feeling beat, it’s natural to want to make like a hermit. But nights out with your girlfriends or a miss-it-and-you-cry phone call with your sister can buoy your energy by providing essential emotional support.
Head off a fight
Those first few minutes at home after work can be a potential powder keg, says “Thomas Bradbury, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles. In fact, late afternoon and early evening are prime times for arguments. We’re tired, we’re hungry, our patience is shot. And really, there’s nothing much more exhausting than battling over whose turn it is to make dinner! Instead, refuel on your way home, says Gordon. Eating a little snack will up your blood sugar, giving you extra stamina to transition from work to home.
For the complete SELF article, read the September 2003 edition of SELF Magazine.
|
