5 Ways to Sabotage Your Energy (and no, that’s not good)

Ways to Sabotage Your Energy!

Yes, I said it. We complain that we have no energy, that we wake up tired, that we are dragging ourselves through the day and YET…we sabotage that energy production day after day without even being conscious of it.

A lot of it comes down to metabolic health. Our metabolism is responsible for both breaking down our food into the building blocks we need for basic functions but also for building things like muscle and bone.  In the process of the breakdown energy is released AND the micronutrients needed to make MORE ENERGY, NEUROTRANSMITTERS, HORMONES and much more are also released.

5 ways you are sabotaging that energy!

1.      Not eating enough or regularly enough. So, this seems like a no-brainer but it’s surprising how many people skip meals unintentionally because they are too busy to look after their energy needs.

Irregular, unpredictable meals lead to dysregulated energy levels and this affects mood as well. Some brains are particularly sensitive, the term Hangry is very real! The idea is you eat before that point because if you are ‘hangry’ your body is already depleted and craving some not so great foods.

Quick fix: Eat 3 good meals a day to avoid the snacking. This allows your insulin levels to return to normal and blood sugar to regulate. It keeps your energy steady provided each meal is a good mix of carbs, protein and good fats.

2.      Stress reduces digestive capacity meaning you aren’t getting the nutrients you think you are. This is almost unavoidable in today's world, but it becomes even more important to create stress resilience.

When we are stressed our ability to create HCl in our stomach to cleave apart proteins is compromised. This means we don’t get the full benefit of the micronutrients in the protein like zinc, amino acids and B vitamins amongst others. Not only are they needed to make energy but they are needed for neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

Quick fix: There is way more to this than I can put here, but very basically you need to build that stress resilience by prioritising time out in nature, meditation or mindfulness, slowing down, putting the phone down, sitting to eat meals with loved ones and creating a life you love instead of one that is rushing from one place to another.

3.      Not pooing regularly leads to a toxic build up. This can leave you feeling sluggish and tired as your body tries to deal with the extra toxins it thought it was eliminating. It will create inflammation in the gut that allows the toxins to flow back in the body putting a greater strain on organs like the liver and kidneys, ultimately causing fatigue, brain, fog, inflammation…all the things that will make you feel exhausted.

Quick fix: Keep your stool regular with fibre like psyllium husk, linseed, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and a small amount of wholemeal grains. But above all increase your digestive capacity by eating protein regularly, creating stress resilience and actively working to reduce stress in your life.

4.      Lack of sleep dysregulates cortisol leaving you tired when you should be awake and awake when you should be asleep. We live in a society where sleep simply isn’t valued. I am guilty of wearing a shirt in my teens saying, ‘Sleep when you’re dead’. Needless to say, my attitude has dramatically changed lol!

If you don’t prioritise sleep your body never gets the chance to properly repair or build muscle or digest food properly or make more energy. It’s too busy living in flight and fight and just surviving.

Quick fix: Prioritise sleep above all else and create a sleep routine that will have you nodding off like one of Pavlov’s dogs every time you even think of it! Keep it simple like a warm shower, a cup of herbal tea, 20min reading a good but not too exciting book and then lights out. No phone, no TV, no blue lights….

5.      Eating too many carbs and not enough protein and quality fats and oils creates volatile energy levels. Carbs are like kindling to the metabolism. It burns fast. Protein then fats are the longer burners but if you put on too much kindling you burn bright but really fast leaving you with now energy really quickly unless you start adding the big logs, protein and fats. These give you sustained energy for much, much longer.

Quick fix: Make sure you add either animal or plant protein to each and every meal. Meat, eggs, cheese, yoghurt, lentils, chickpeas, navy beans, tofu, are all great sources of protein. Good fats include extra virgin olive oil, avocado, linseed oil, walnuts, ghee, coconut oil and so on. It’s not hard once you get started!

If that all seems like it’s too much, too hard or you just don’t know where to start then book on in using the button below. We can uncover the reasons you feel like this and devise a plan to have you feeling energetic and alert. It is possible and I can help you!