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Welcome back to the Live Life Extraordinary blog! This week I'm going to share the things that I do to have more energy.
To preface this a bit, I'm obviously no doctor and my blogs are never intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or disorder. There can be serious medical conditions associated with chronic fatigue like depression or vitamin deficiencies. So of course give these suggestions a try but if you have further concerns please seek the help of a licensed professional.
With all of that being said, I do feel somewhat "qualified" to speak on this subject because I struggled with chronic fatigue for YEARS. I honestly used to sleep for 10 hours a night (from 8:30 pm - 6:30 am) feel exhausted all day and take an afternoon nap everyday. I no longer require that much sleep and I now feel more energized than ever before, this is what has worked for me:
Getting Quality Sleep
This goes without saying. If you don't sleep well you won't feel refreshed and energized each day. What you may not realize is that quantity of sleep does not equal the quality of sleep.
Even though you may be sleeping for 10 hours doesn't mean you're getting good sleep. Studies suggest that using devices (TV, phone, etc) before bed has a negative impact on quality of sleep.
I recently wrote an entire blog post on how to get the best sleep of your life, you can check it out here.
Prioritizing True Rest
When I was struggling with chronic fatigue I was often too tired to do things like clean my house or exercise. Instead I would "relax" by watching Netflix or scrolling on social media, essentially numbing myself out rather than resting.
Now if I am feeling tired I allow myself to truly rest and relax, sometimes this is by taking a nap, sometimes this is just laying on the couch snuggled up in a blanket and other times it's a meditation or some breathwork.
I've started to learn what types of rest I need, whether it's physical rest or a mental rest or a combination of both. Screen time is not rest and always caused me eye fatigue from blue light exposure that left me feeling even more tired than before.
Eating Whole Foods
This is another seemingly obvious tip but happens to be one of the things that have had the greatest impact on my energy.
I used to find myself exhausted after eating meals, even when I was eating "healthy", I found myself almost immediately needing a nap after meals. This was until I learned about foods that seemed healthy but weren't. I was eating organic hummus that was made with gut disrupting oils like canola oil or "healthy" granola with hidden sugars.
When I cut out sugar, salt and vegetable oils EVERYTHING changed for me. I had more energy, I had less bloating and stomach problems, my mental health improved and more. Gut health is a HUGE factor in overall quality of life.
Drinking More Water
When your body is low on fluids it can cause you to feel weak and tired.
Most of us are not getting enough water each day. We need about 64 oz of water each day (eight 8 oz glasses).
At the beginning of this year, I purchased a half gallon water bottle and found that I was breezing through it each day, allowing me to drink a FULL GALLON of water everyday. This has made a huge difference in how I feel. Last week I drank a half gallon each day and I was noticeably less energized as a result.
If you're interested you can get my water bottle here 👇
Cold Exposure
This is honestly one of the biggest impacts that I've had on my energy levels. You may have seen videos online of people practicing cold exposure by taking an ice bath outside in the winter. While this is true cold exposure, I've found that you don't need to be this extreme in order to gain the benefits of cold.
I experience cold in 3 ways currently, the first is swimming in the pool at my local gym. The second is walking outside (it's about 30 degrees as I'm writing this). And lastly by taking cold showers, I know this sounds absolutely horrible BUT I start by taking a normal shower then turn the water to cold and take 3 deep breaths in the cold water.
Cold exposure makes me feel so alive and invigorated INSTANTLY!
Next week I’ll doing a goals check in to help you stay motivated on your New Years Intentions. I'll be sharing my goal setting method this year as well as things that are helping me stay on track!
See you next week!
Xoxo,
Bianca
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