Tired of Being Tired. Part 1
Working full time, raising a family, juggling responsibilities can be overwhelming and a recipe for exhaustion. It is understandable that when we are constantly juggling roles we will feel tired, but don’t let this be your new normal.
In this two part series about fatigue, in Part 1 we will be looking at strategies and priorities. Often not making enough time to cook and plan can lead to a disaster. We all know what it feels like when we are not eating the right foods for our bodies. We feel sluggish, overweight, unmotivated and tend to continue to eat the wrong foods for our bodies. When we have a plan we take the stress out of our daily lives. By making use of online shopping, impromptu shopping, batch cooking and planning meals around your activities can make a big difference.
Here are a few strategies to help you make the most out of every hour of the day.
Create a work/life balance - Before I hear all the exclamations it is important to prioritise your jobs. Which ones need doing today and ones you can put off till later.
Create those lists using whatever medium you prefer. For instance, spreadsheets, notes or calendar’s and remember to break down your tasks into achievable pieces to help you feel in control of your life. I personally love calendars. I use google calendar and place all my appointments and commitments sharing to the relevant people.
Make cooking and shopping a priority - For health you need to cook. Your health directly correlates with the foods that you choose to eat. We should be aiming to eat foods that are seasonal, diverse and an array of colours. Avoid any processed foods, vegetable or seed oils, anything that comes in a packet or has words or numbers that you cannot pronounce.
Once again, this involves a little planning. Sitting down once a week and planning your meals around your families activities. Once you have worked out your meals for the week, create some online shopping lists for home delivery. My favourite online delivery services are Harris Farm, Doorstep Organics, One table, Honest to Goodness and I will use Coles and Woolworths for some basic products.
Secrets to success are:
Factor in some downtime - It can be hard to unwind, finding ourselves in a constant state of stress, pushing ourselves to the limit and beyond. To help our bodies get out of this flight and fight state,(sympathetic nervous system) studies have identified the benefits of deep breathing to stimulate our rest and digest nervous system (parasympathetic nervous system). Practicing deep breathing every day has been shown to lower blood pressure and your pulse rate, breaking that pattern of constant stress.
Sick of being tired? Try to incorporate these few strategies into your daily life and find the time that you never had. It is never simple, but by prioritising your activities, smart shopping, meal planning and eating well, plus incorporating some downtime into your everyday can make a massive difference to how you feel.
Part 2 is about the nutrients that we need for our bodies to thrive. Make sure that you drink plenty of water throughout the day, eats your veg, protein and good fats. Fuel for your mitochondria!
Read Part 2 here
In this two part series about fatigue, in Part 1 we will be looking at strategies and priorities. Often not making enough time to cook and plan can lead to a disaster. We all know what it feels like when we are not eating the right foods for our bodies. We feel sluggish, overweight, unmotivated and tend to continue to eat the wrong foods for our bodies. When we have a plan we take the stress out of our daily lives. By making use of online shopping, impromptu shopping, batch cooking and planning meals around your activities can make a big difference.
Here are a few strategies to help you make the most out of every hour of the day.
Create a work/life balance - Before I hear all the exclamations it is important to prioritise your jobs. Which ones need doing today and ones you can put off till later.
Create those lists using whatever medium you prefer. For instance, spreadsheets, notes or calendar’s and remember to break down your tasks into achievable pieces to help you feel in control of your life. I personally love calendars. I use google calendar and place all my appointments and commitments sharing to the relevant people.
Make cooking and shopping a priority - For health you need to cook. Your health directly correlates with the foods that you choose to eat. We should be aiming to eat foods that are seasonal, diverse and an array of colours. Avoid any processed foods, vegetable or seed oils, anything that comes in a packet or has words or numbers that you cannot pronounce.
Once again, this involves a little planning. Sitting down once a week and planning your meals around your families activities. Once you have worked out your meals for the week, create some online shopping lists for home delivery. My favourite online delivery services are Harris Farm, Doorstep Organics, One table, Honest to Goodness and I will use Coles and Woolworths for some basic products.
Secrets to success are:
- Always cook more than you need so you have leftovers to take to work the following day.
- Spend a couple of hours over the weekend batch cooking some meals to have in the fridge or freezer.
- Buy what's on special and plan your meals around these
- Aim for one vegetarian night per week and one family roast over the weekend
Factor in some downtime - It can be hard to unwind, finding ourselves in a constant state of stress, pushing ourselves to the limit and beyond. To help our bodies get out of this flight and fight state,(sympathetic nervous system) studies have identified the benefits of deep breathing to stimulate our rest and digest nervous system (parasympathetic nervous system). Practicing deep breathing every day has been shown to lower blood pressure and your pulse rate, breaking that pattern of constant stress.
Sick of being tired? Try to incorporate these few strategies into your daily life and find the time that you never had. It is never simple, but by prioritising your activities, smart shopping, meal planning and eating well, plus incorporating some downtime into your everyday can make a massive difference to how you feel.
Part 2 is about the nutrients that we need for our bodies to thrive. Make sure that you drink plenty of water throughout the day, eats your veg, protein and good fats. Fuel for your mitochondria!
Read Part 2 here
