Goal #5- Fighting Fatigue!

You probably thought I forgot about my goals! It's been a while since I mentioned a new one! Nope! I have just slowly been working on them all. With a new year right around the corner, I want to think of everything I can to try to take care of myself and help make 2013 the best year yet!

So that brings me to Goal #5: Fighting Fatigue!

I am ALWAYS tired! It drives me nuts! It seems no matter how much or little I sleep, I am always left wanting more sleep and trying to function while feeling so drained. It really is a downer! I have spent so many days off just sleeping. It's like I seriously can't get enough sleep! I have changed my sleep patterns a bit the past few weeks. I aim to be in bed around 10:30 and I am doing a decent job at it. Sometimes I go right to sleep, other times I play on my phone or my iPad or even read. But it seems that no matter what time I get in bed, I am always hitting snooze when the alarm goes off!

So what could be making me so tired? My lovely friend WebMD had some possible causes. So were health related, but I have already done sleep tests and blood work so I think I can cross them off my list. So here is what I was left with:

Top 3 Reasons
The most common reasons for feeling tired are about daily habits. 

1. What you eat. Reaching for caffeine and sugar can backfire, leaving you more fatigued as your blood sugar levels fluctuate wildly. Instead, go for a balanced, healthy diet replete with fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. "Most people feel like they're less tired if they eat a healthy diet," says J. Fred Ralston Jr., MD, past president of the American College of Physicians. "Eating healthy also means you'll carry less weight, and obesity is a big contributor to fatigue.

2. How much you sleep. You saw this one coming, right? Many people don't get enough sleep. If you're one of them, avoid caffeine and alcohol in the hours just before bedtime, turn off the TV before bed, and keep your bedroom quiet and restful.

3. How much you exercise. This is the biggie, Ralston says. His favorite prescription for plain old tiredness is regular, vigorous exercise. Finish at least three hours before bedtime, so you have time to wind down.
If you think that exercise would just make you more tired, there's good news: Exercise breeds energy. Almost all the studies that have looked at this question have found the same thing: Sedentary people who start exercising feel much less fatigue than those who stay idle. It's one of those surprising truths: move more and you'll get more energy.

Ralston recommends getting 40 minutes of exercise at least four days a week, to get you going.
Do that, and a month from now, you should notice some improvement. Keep with it for three to six months more, and you should feel much better.

If you follow your exercise prescription for at least a month -- and you're also making enough time for sleep -- and you're still feeling lousy, look into other causes, Ralston advises.

So now what? Well, since my goal is trying to fight fatigue then I need to work off of these.

So here is how I will start to fight fatigue: make changes in my diet, devote time to sleep, and exercises!

So what are some of the best foods for fatigue?

1. Foods rich in magnesium- I found women need 310mg a day. Pumpkin, flax, sesame, and sun flower seeds are all rich in magnesium.

2. Foods rich in probiotics- Yogurt!

3. Fiber!- It helps fight fat and also makes you more awake- fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, seeds, whole-wheat, and bran

4. Complex Carbohydrates- whole grains, potatoes, corn

5. Foods with Omega-3 Fatty acids. (Fish, walnuts, flax seed)

6. Polyphenols- dark chocolate! It also is good for the heart and also helps fight depression! (My heart doctor is always telling me that!)

7. Caffeine AND l-theanine- this can be found in tea!

8. Water- this can even be obtained in some fruits like watermelon!

9. Vitamin C- this can be found in red bell peppers, kiwi, broccoli, kale, oranges, strawberries

So that's a start in things to think about! Hopefully with incorporating some of those foods with some walking will make me feel less sleepy! Fingers crossed!