Feeling Exhausted All The Time? Learn How To Beat Fatigue Naturally
How To Beat Fatigue Naturally: The holiday season can be quite chaotic and bring about more stress than usual. Chemical, physical, and emotional stressors are the foundation of fatigue, which can strike particularly hard during the holiday period. Today we will explore the top ways to beat fatigue naturally, with a combination of taking out the ‘bad’ and putting in the ‘good.’
Take Out The Bad
This section focuses on some of the top energy drainers. By reducing your exposure to chemical, physical, and emotional stressors– you’ll allow your body to recuperate. The holiday period can sometimes be difficult when it comes to taking out the bad, and if so, you can focus on bolstering your body by putting in the good. After the holiday chaos, try to recalibrate and cut back on the main stressors to indeed re-establish your natural energy levels.
It’s important to understand that our bodies are incredibly resilient and can withstand a high amount of stress. Acute stress is a hefty dose of stress, followed by a period of rest. With waves of anxiety, the body has a chance to detoxify and recover. When stress is chronic, even if the levels are low, it continues to build up until your proverbial cup overflows.
Beat Fatigue Naturally: Chemical Stress
Chemical stress can take the form of many different toxic chemicals that do not support our health as humans. Chemical stress can be ingested, applied to the skin, or environmental. Some of the most common chemical stressors include:
- Shampoo/ conditioners
- Soaps
- Body cream/ oils
- Toothpaste
- Shaving cream/ gel
- Hair dye
- Hair sprays
- Household cleaning products
- Conventional cookware
- Pesticides
- Herbicides
- GMOs
- Hybridized foods (like modern wheat/ gluten)
Beat Fatigue Naturally: Physical Stress
Physical stress can be good for the body, but when combined with chemical and emotional stress– it can also be the cause of an ‘overflowing cup.’ When it comes to physical stress, the key is balance. Too much or too little exercise, for example, can be just as harmful as the other.
The other key to managing physical stress is variety. You have probably heard that ‘sitting is the new smoking,’ but in reality, any stagnant, unchanging position becomes problematic for the body. Whether it be too much sitting, too much standing, too much running, or too much weight lifting– an ideal fitness regimen is one that takes advantage of the full range of human movement. Cross-training, and ensuring there is enough rest in between sessions to recover properly.
Emotional Stress
Emotional stress is generally the most overlooked form of stress because it can’t be measured in the same tangible way that chemical and physical stress can. Although emotional stress is rooted in mind, its impact on the physical body is just as real.
Emotional stress can come from any range of negatively perceived emotions, from anger, fear, frustration, heartbreak, anxiety, or depression. Although these feelings are all standard in isolated instances, it’s essential to realize when they become chronic and to address the underlying cause. Whether it be a toxic relationship or an unsuited job– it’s vital to examine our emotions and use this line of communication with our body to navigate us into more positive or manageable situations.
During the holidays, the emotional stress of being around big crowds or family can bring on these bouts of emotional stress– but be mindful that this time of year comes and goes. Striving to stay zen can be helped by some mindfulness practices like meditation, yoga, breath work, or directly carving out enough time to be alone and recharge.
Put In the Good
Managing stress can be challenging during the holidays, but there are a few good habits you can incorporate to help support your body.
Beat Fatigue Naturally: Food
Try to stick to as many organic and nourishing whole foods as possible is a great way to support your body through stressful times. Eating well during the holidays can be hard, so having some easy-to-grab whole food options like chopped or roasted veggies waiting in the fridge is vital! If you’re going to dinner, aim for the 80/20 rule– filling yourself up with 80% ‘healthy’ foods, and surrender to 20% of the rest.
Remember that holidays are a notoriously challenging time, so embrace the chaos and don’t be too hard on yourself if the spread isn’t totally in line with your regular diet. Adding the mental stress to the chemical stress only compounds the problem!
Beat Fatigue Naturally: Fasting
Fasting is the secret weapon during holiday periods and can enable you to get through to the new year without losing track of your health goals. There are a few ways to fast during the holidays:
- Intermittent fasting: Intermittent fasting refers to a constricted feeding window, daily. Depending on your lifestyle, this could mean skipping breakfast or skipping dinner. During holiday periods, it could be ideal to skip breakfast in favor of larger shared brunch/ dinners. The key isn’t eating less; it’s eating less often.
- Meal diversity: meal diversity can range from one, two, or even alternate day fasting. Generally, the fasting days aren’t back to back and are also paired with refeeding days (higher carb, higher-calorie). This process is particularly useful during holiday periods—you can time a day of fasting before a big holiday feast.
Supplements
You cannot out supplement a bad diet or a chronically stressful lifestyle– but a good supplement (or two) can help bridge the gaps during necessarily stressful periods like the holidays.
Qualia
Qualia nootropic energy is a premium nootropic supplement made of nine potent ingredients that work synergistically together to support the body’s natural energy processes. With ingredients like saffron extract, l-theanine, alpha GPC, coffeeberry, n-acetyl-l-tyrosine, and American ginseng– Qualia nootropic energy is an excellent alternative for a morning energizing ritual without the adrenal taxing of regular caffeinated beverages. Apart from being naturally energizing, Qualia nootropic energy also has been shown to have brain-boosting cognitive enhancing abilities. Goodbye, brain fog!
Vitamin D
Nothing beats getting out in the sun, but vitamin D is such a crucial part of health that if you’re not getting enough time in the real thing– consider supplementing. Vitamin D is known to combat everything from osteoporosis and heart disease to weight gain, seasonal depression, and even cancer. These benefits are especially important if you’re in the northern hemisphere, and your holiday period is happening in the middle of winter. An ideal vitamin D supplement will come combined with vitamin K2, and can be taken sublingually for maximum bioavailability. Wild fatty fish (like mackerel and salmon), and pasture-raised beef liver and egg yolks are also great natural sources of vitamin D.
Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes can be particularly useful during holiday times when overeating or eating unusual foods is a common occurrence. If your neighbors Hanukkah brunch or aunty’s Christmas dinner means eating the types of food your body isn’t used to digesting (or simply eating too much), digestive enzymes can be the extra support your body needs to kick start digestion.
Digestive enzymes boost your body’s natural enzyme count, which are the tiny molecules that break down our food into absorbable nutrients. Enzyme production starts with chewing, which is why properly chewing your food is always important– but by taking 1-2 digestive enzymes prior to a large or unusual meal, you can easily enhance digestion too.
References:
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- “Effectiveness of a Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program in the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders.” American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 149, no. 7, 1992, pp. 936–943., doi:10.1176/ajp.149.7.936.
- Ganesan, Kavitha, et al. “Intermittent Fasting: The Choice for a Healthier Lifestyle.” Cureus, Sept. 2018, doi:10.7759/cureus.2947.
- Grossman, P, et al. “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Health Benefits: a Meta-Analysis.” Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies, vol. 8, no. 4, 2010, pp. 500–500., doi:10.1111/j.2042-7166.2003.tb04008.x.
- Je, Sang Hyeon, et al. “Vitamin K Supplement Along with Vitamin D and Calcium Reduced Serum Concentration of Undercarboxylated Osteocalcin While Increasing Bone Mineral Density .” Journal of Korean Medical Science, vol. 26, no. 8, Aug. 2011, doi:https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2011.26.8.1093 .
- Karmin, Michael A. Pesticides Profiles: Toxicity, Environmental Impact, and Fate. CRC Press, 2019.
- Steinemann, Anne. “Volatile Emissions from Common Consumer Products.” Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, vol. 8, no. 3, July 2015, pp. 273–281., doi:10.1007/s11869-015-0327-6.