Recently, making it through the day has been a struggle. I can barely get out of bed, I'm falling asleep in class - and as for working out, forget it. All I think about is how long I have until I can flop right back into bed and tune out the rest of the world. Hardly amazing, right?
Well I'm sick of it! I need to take control of my schedule again and chase out those bad habits that are making me so tired all the time and, if necessary, develop some new, better ones to replace them. Here are some habits that are definitely doing more harm than good.
Junk food.
Oh, junk food...is there anything in the world quite as delicious as you? That first bite always hits like a wonderful punch to the taste buds. If only you didn't make me feel so...GROSS after.
True fact: I started trying to clean up my diet last year, slowly switching over to a mostly macrobiotic diet, and was amazed at the difference I felt. Clearer skin, more energy, less bloating and cramping...and yet, there's nothing wrong with junk food - in moderation. But the sad truth is, the more tired I get, the more likely I am to just shovel a pizza into my gut and call it a day. Coming off of Thanksgiving, the American ode to food, no wonder I find it so hard to break the junk food binge-sleep-binge cycle and get back onto my healthy eating high horse.
If you're feeling tired or sick, try cutting out some of the junk food in your diet. See what can be improved or substituted. Junk food lurks around every corner...for example, one large blueberry muffin has 384 calories, while a chocolate chip muffin has 364! CRAZY.
TV watching.
Stop me if this seems familiar...it's been a long day of work, classes, what have you. You're done for the night and you just want to turn your brain off, so you plop down in front of the computer, click on over to Netflix (the best and worst thing to ever happen to me), and start watching Parks and Recreation or Buffy: The Vampire Slayer or something else. Three hours later, the night is gone and you're passed out in bed.
I used to watch almost five hours of TV a day. Oh my god, say what??? My mom would yell at me for wasting so much time, I'd fire back that it was actually really productive because it made me feel better and I was in fact actively engaging with the narrative so it was really good for my imagination and my creativity, she'd respond by telling me that I should go actively engage with my friends in an imaginative and creative fashion for once, etc etc. Yeah...I was full of it, and my mom was totally kind of right.
I love TV! It is one of my favorite industries. I even love commercials in a weird way. But when I'm tired, TV does nothing to recharge my energy levels or reset the clock. In fact, it just makes me feel more tired and even groggier than before. Even taking a break to watch TV for half an hour can derail my workflow enormously.
I need to go back to making TV a special occasion, something that I do with friends rather than by myself in my room in the dark.
These are the two big culprits for my recent bouts of tiredness.
But it's easy to focus on the negatives - this is what I shouldn't do, this is what's messing me up, this is why my life sucks. So what SHOULD I do?
Stay hydrated.
In these dry winter months, staying hydrated is ultra-important. I prefer green tea over water because not only does it have a mild flavor, but it's one of the eight big superfoods, reported to help boost your metabolism and burn body fat. Plus...it contains small amounts of caffeine, making it my favorite zero-calorie pick-me-up.
But hey, regular old water is just fine too! When dehydrated by as little as 5%, most people will experience a 25-30% loss of energy. Dehydration can cause headaches, grogginess, mood swings, and can contribute to loss of motivation and over-eating. (Hey...doesn't that last one sound familiar?) Not to mention the all-important issue: fatigue! So next time you start feeling woozy, grab a liter bottle and start chugging away over the next hour, and see how you feel then.
Catnaps.
Still feeling tired? It may be time to head back to bed for a quick catnap. Felines know how it goes - they can sleep anytime, anywhere. I've found that the best way to avoid oversleeping is to nap somewhere outside of my room, like on the bus on the way to class, in a chair in the library, etc. Anywhere that's comfortable, but not too comfortable.
I've found that 20-30 minutes is the magic number. Any longer or shorter just makes me want to sleep more! So the next spare half hour you've got, lean back and close your eyes. You don't even have to fall asleep all the way, just enough to relax and let your brain recharge for a bit.
Like I said...stay out of your bed for this one! Last time I napped in my bed, it turned into a 3-hour snoozefest.
Snacking.
Tell me the truth, guys...how many of you make it to all three meals every day?
Yeah, well, no judgment here - a lot of the times, I only make it to one meal out of three a day, and sometimes not even that. Snacking is key here - healthy, low-calorie snacks that give me a slow energy boost throughout the day. I know, I know, this sounds nauseatingly healthy, but really, just keep a granola bar on hand and you'll be good to go. I love Nature Valley, but for the gluten-free and health-conscious, Larabars are fantastic. I have a desk drawer devoted to snack foods and I always just keep one bar stored in my bag at all times, then break off pieces throughout the day to keep my stomach from growling embarrassingly loudly. Fruit is also a great option, though one I tend to avoid because everything gets squashed in my bag.
Plus some light snacking will help stave off hunger cravings, meaning you'll be less likely to overeat during the meals you do make it to, meaning you'll be less tired...
Work out a little bit.
When will this crazy girl shut up about exercise? We get it, we get it, exercise is good for you, blah blah blah.
But no really, exercise is super good for you! I'm not saying that during lunch you need to go sprint a mile, but if you're getting worn out from sitting at your desk or cramping up from studying, stand up, stretch, and do some jumping jacks. Run in place. Do some crunches. Whatever it is you do, get your heart racing and the rest of you will follow. Not to mention, it'll break up the monotony of your day or study routine, it'll help you keep those pounds off, and there are no downsides to it at all! (Except maybe looking a bit silly if you do this in a public place, but everyone should look a bit silly now and then.) You don't even have to do something that regimented - a friend of mine turns on her ipod and dances in her room for forty minutes, just headbanging and rocking out.
What's making you tired? What do you do to fix it?
