Thursday, May 27, 2010

Be Happy – Fatigue can be overcome easily

Fatigue is a feeling of tiredness, exhaustion, or lack of energy. You may feel mildly fatigued because of overwork, poor sleep, worry, boredom, or lack of exercise. Any illness, such as a cold or the flu, may cause fatigue, which usually goes away as the illness clears up. Most of the time, mild fatigue occurs with a health problem that will improve with home treatment and does not require a visit to a doctor.

You know! A stressful emotional situation may also cause fatigue. This type of fatigue usually clears up when the stress is relieved. Fatigue is one of the problems of our busy modern lifestyles and many people complain of having low energy levels. This means that although they can get through the day they rarely have energy left over to be able to lead an active lifestyle. But the fact is your energy levels are a good indicator of your current fitness level.

But how can you have a good fitness level if you don't have enough energy to be able to exercise? Well, the whole cycle need to be reversed and slowly strength and fitness recovered and increased over a period of time. It is important to have lots of energy to fit everything we want into our life. When we have this natural energy we find we feel happier, more energetic and more enthusiastic about everything in life. We also become more motivated to want to be active on a regular basis. If we are often tired and feeling sluggish this can lead to apathy and the blues which is not helpful to getting the most out of life.

Energy is not something that is tangible. You cannot get it or find it and is not something that you can see or touch, but you will surely know if you don't have enough of it. But to get more of it you first have to create the conditions under which it is possible to show up in your life.

If your health, strength, fitness, attitude are all aligned in the right way, there is nothing else for you to do but to feel energized. It is the natural "side-effect" of a fit, healthy life - it just comes with the territory.

If it is not happening for you some changes are necessary. By adding a proper exercise program into your life and starting slowly but consistently you can get back to where you should be quite quickly. It is important that you do not waste your precious little energy on ineffective exercise that will not give you much in return.

Low intensity type activity like walking, jogging or cycling needs to he done sparingly as too much can further eat into your energy stores but not give you any 'bang for your buck'. You need a proper program with strength building exercise that will recover lost strength and speed up your metabolism (your body's engine).

This type of exercise program will energize you throughout the day by building back your strength. Your better conditioned muscles will make every task in your day so much easier and save some of the energy drain. Exercise will also increase oxygen flow to the brain making you feel good, more mentally alert and you will have an overall happier disposition.

To support this exercise program it is important to try and eat better. Shoot for 5-6 small meals spread throughout the day. Each meal should have a protein source as its base; add lots of raw or cooked vegetables and a small amount of complex carbohydrates (rice, pasta, grains etc). If you are a busy person, you will need to organize your meals the night before and then take them with you wherever you go the next day.

Although this all sounds easy, it will not just happen overnight. Like all of us it is a journey and we can only aim for improvement not perfection. Each week the goal should be just to do a little better than the week before. These good choices will not only give you your energy back but rejuvenate your whole life. Whenever I felt some fatigue, I took some steps and felt energized again. If you feel so, you may try them.

Firstly, you may get extra rest while you are ill. Let your symptoms be your guide. If you have a cold, you may be able to stick to your usual routine and just get some extra sleep. If you have the flu, you may need to spend a few days in bed. You may return to your usual activities slowly to avoid prolonging the fatigue. Be sure to drink extra fluids to avoid dehydration.

If generalized weakness and fatigue are not related to another illness, you may listen to your body. Alternate rest with exercise. Gradually increasing your exercise may help decrease your fatigue. You should limit medicines that might contribute to fatigue. Tranquilizers and cold and allergy medicines often cause fatigue. You may take action with due consultation with your health care taker.

You may improve your diet. Eating a balanced diet may increase your energy level. Do not skip meals, especially breakfast. You may reduce your use of alcohol or other drugs such as caffeine or nicotine, which may contribute to fatigue. Cut back on watching television. Spend that time with friends, try new activities, or travel to break the fatigue cycle.

For remaining fresh throughout the day, you need to have a good night's sleep. This may be the first step toward controlling fatigue. For sound sleep, you must eliminate all sound and light disturbances. Do not eat just before you go to bed. Use your bed only for sleeping. Do not read or watch TV in bed.

Based upon my personal experience, I feel that if you too go through the above process, you may have some lesser fatigue than before. Slowly, you can overcome this syndrome finally.

Be Happy – Fatigue can be overcome easily.


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