Just Say No to Fatigue: Simple Solutions for Your

Energy Crisis
Rupina Meer
March 1, 2012

If you're feeling exhausted all the time, and the thought of getting out of bed makes you want to yawn and roll
over, you're not alone. Whether you're a committed yogi looking to get more out of your practice, a corporate
citizen or a multitasking supermom muddling through an energy crisis, use the below checklist as a tool to
manage the energy drainers in your life by: (a) recognizing where they are; and (b) being mindful of how much
you choose to pick from the energy-giving plate versus the energy-sapping one. These small diet/lifestyle
tweaks will do more for your mojo than a 7 a.m. cup of joe ever could.

1. Sleep--is truly the foundation of your energy, so check in if you’re getting enough. In Ayurveda, sleep is
recommended between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am. The liver detoxifies between the hours of 11:00 pm – 1:00
am, so if you’re up during those hours, it’s like the janitor comes in to clean the building, but leaves without
doing so as there are still people up and about. If you're upast 10:30, your body thinks there’s an emergency and
you get that boost of adrenaline and cortisol to keep you going. However, if you’re not getting the right quality
and quantity of sleep and you’re constantly relying on fake energy boosters to pull you out of the woods of
weariness, you’ll develop a chronic energy deficit. Try going to bed just 15 minutes earlier each day and see
how that impacts your energy.

2. Movement--when I worked in the corporate world, my energy would almost always crash around 3 pm. It's
akin to your computer going into screen saver mode when you don’t move the mouse for a while. Our bodies
are meant to move. And get this: expending energy on exercise actually creates more for you to use. You don’t
want to equate movement with only the one hour you spend at the gym, but try to incorporate movement
throughout your day. Do quick stretches, like seated chair twists, that will bring fresh oxygenated blood to your
organs and re-energize you.

3. Avoid Fake Fuel-- the two biggies are: a) caffeine and b) sugar. Why do I call them fake? Because they give
you a sharp spike, but there’s an equal and opposite low soon after, and they actually deplete your body of its
natural energy reserves. Caffeine taxes our adrenals (that help us produce energy) and when we use fake
stimulants to excite them, they get dependent on those and don’t do as good a job at giving us natural energy,
and we go into adrenal fatigue. Sugar cravings often run deep. When we feel stressed out, we typically turn to
our favorite sweet, but often we are not craving a particular food, but the emotion it creates. Maybe you were
just looking for some Vitamin L (love) or a hug or someone to hear you out as opposed to drowning your
emotions in a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia.  

For starters, I’m not asking you to go cold turkey and ditch the caffeine. Green tea with a touch of honey or a
small piece of dark chocolate, all of which contain caffeine and sugar, are perfectly legitimate "energy Band-
Aids" when you need a lift in a hurry. The trouble comes when you rely on them daily. Spiking and plunging
blood-glucose levels create an unhealthy cycle of energy highs and lows. What's more, the fluctuating glucose
leads to mood swings and murky decision making.

4. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate—caffeine and alcohol deplete your energy but water can increase it. Our
bodies' signals for dehydration often masquerade as hunger, so reach for water throughout the day (aim for ½
your body weight in ounces) and you'll keep hunger at bay and stay energized.

5. Go Ga-Ga for Greens--dark leafy greens, such as kale, collard greens, swiss chard, spinach, arugula, and
dandelion greens are the #1 food missing from most diets.They're chock full of vitamins and nutrients and great
for improving circulation, lifting the spirit, purifying the blood and strengthening the immune system. A greens
smoothie with some raw cacao is a great way to get a lift-off in the morning (see recipe below). You'll feel good
about starting the day on such a nourished note and you'll enjoy sustained energy throughout the day.

6. Evaluate your protein intake--eating too much meat, dairy, chicken and eggs can lead to low energy. So
can eating too little. It all depends on your activity level, blood type, metabolic rate and genetic background.
Experiment. Select foods that feel good to your body both as you eat them and long after the meal is over.
Respect your bio-individuality and through the joy of exploration and unfolding curiosity, you can continually
rediscover your own individual path to optimal energy.

7. Embrace Your Spirituality-- if your typical fix for end-of-day exhaustion is to plop down on the couch for a
dose of Seinfeld reruns, you're not alone. But according to a recent study, watching TV can be tiring, and the
older you get, the fewer and fewer stress-reducing benefits you get from a session with the boob tube. Instead of
numbing your mind as a way to rejuvenate, stimulate it. Take a walk along a scenic trail.  We are spiritual
beings in a material world, so find ways for those two worlds to intersect, be it through spending time in nature,
meditating, dancing, or drawing.

8. Get rid of relationships that drain you--evaluate your relationships just like you periodically evaluate your
wardrobe. Chances are you'll find a few people from your past who don't belong in your present just like you
have some clothes in the back that don't quite fit. Maybe they're ex- lovers or people whose lives are always in
crisis requiring large amounts of time or energy from you and they never return the favor. It doesn’t mean that
they're bad, but it's good to notice who drains you and why. See if you can transform those relationships by
communicating and setting boundaries, or end the relationship.

If the thought of depriving yourself of the foods you currently enjoy doesn’t sit well with you, then simply add
more greens to your diet and don’t change anything else. Make additions rather than deletions to your lifestyle
at the start. You can and will wean yourself from the stuff the real energy is not made of once you begin to
incorporate nutrient-dense, energy-supporting alternatives into your life.

Go-Go Greens Smoothie Recipe

This chocolate infused greens smoothie is guaranteed to perk you up without the jitters. Word of caution: The
raw cacao is like rocket fuel, so you don't want to take it in the pm as it may interfere with your sleep. Bonus:
Cacao is also an appetite suppressant, so you'll feel satiated hours later.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Serves 1

Ingredients:

8 oz unsweetened almond or coconut milk

2 cups organic spinach (or any greens of your choice) 
2 tablespoons organic  raw Cacao 
1 frozen banana 
3-4 strawberries or any fresh/frozen berries
Touch of raw honey as needed for sweetness
2 ice cubes

Directions:
Put all the ingredients into a blender and mix on high till it's creamy and smooth. Drink up to nourish your body
and spirit. Enjoy!

 
Rupina Meer is a Board-Certified Health Coach who received her training from the acclaimed Institute for
Integrative Nutrition (IIN). Rupina's mission is to help her clients get radically honest with the relationship
between what they eat and how they feel so that they can look and feel great from the inside out without diets,
deprivation or dogma. Visit http://zen-trition.com/ to get instant access to a free eReport and discover the Top 5
Health Myths That Are Keeping You Fat, Fatigued & in a Funk.

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About the Author

Rupina Meer, Certified Holistic Health Coach (CHHC) received her training from the acclaimed Institute for
Integrative Nutrition and is ...

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