Some days, I just don’t feel great -- no physical energy, depressed, whatever. Especially here in Arizona in the summer, when the high for the day may be 117 degrees! Talk about no energy! While there may be any number of reasons for a lack of energy, most of the time, it’s physical and the fix is physical. Two common reasons for lack of energy are dehydration and blood sugar problems. There’s also exhaustion and stress, but we’ll cover them later.
First, dehydration. Did you know most of us don’t drink enough water and are at least slightly dehydrated all the time? I read an article years ago in a martial arts magazine about a gal who donated blood and went into shock because she was severely dehydrated and didn’t know it. She was a champion martial artist, worked out several times a week, and was very fit. But she ended up on an IV after donating, almost ended up in the hospital, because her body was weakened by dehydration. I started drinking a lot more water after reading that. I really began paying attention to my water intake when I moved to the desert of Arizona.
Dehydration doesn’t manifest itself the way you would think. Many of us don’t “feel” thirsty, even when we are dangerously dehydrated. Instead, we feel “punky,” tired, disinterested and lazy. If we are severely dehydrated, we may even feel dizzy and disoriented. Caffeine doesn’t help--coffee and colas dehydrate even further. But often, that is the form in which we consume most of our liquids. Large glasses of plain water (I prefer distilled), no ice, chugged down several times a day is a habit we should all be cultivating.
Put this to the test: The next time you seem to 'crash' for no reason, especially after lunch, try drinking a large glass of water. Keep another glass near your desk and sip it throughout the afternoon. After a few days, are you seeing a difference? When I first tried this, I was amazed at the results. It worked like a charm; I had energy all afternoon and well into the evening.
Second, blood sugar problems. If you haven’t been paying attention to the medical news, you should know that Type II diabetes, caused by weakened insulin, is becoming an epidemic in this country. (Type I diabetes, where the body makes no insulin, is a different thing, although it’s on the rise, too). I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes two years ago. I was not overly heavy or eating crazily. But I was stressed out a lot. Two years of almost-daily anxiety attacks during my divorce didn't help, either. The typical American diet and eating patterns (lots of processed foods and “feast or famine” eating) are probably causing the upsurge in diabetes, too. Whether you have diabetes or not, blood sugar highs and lows affect all of us, and interfere with our energy levels, work, and creativity.
Low blood sugar is easy to detect: you feel hungry, maybe even disoriented and dizzy, and remember that you haven’t eaten for a while. It’s also easy to fix: Eat something. But be sure it’s the right something. No sugary stuff, no soda, no donuts, cookies, cake, white bread or pasta. If it’s white, don’t eat it! These foods may be readily available and appealing, but they are the last thing you need. They cause an initial “high” followed by a drop in blood sugar and feelings of hunger. Then you do the whole thing over again. Instead, grab some nuts, a piece of cheese, a piece of whole fruit (not fruit juice, but actual fruit), some raw or cooked veggies. The nice thing about a lot of healthy snacks is they are easy to carry along with you and/or keep in your office.
We Americans are in the habit of skipping meals and thinking we are keeping our weight down and being more productive. It doesn’t work, folks! Small, healthy snacks throughout the day will keep your energy levels up and your weight down. You don’t expect your car to run with no fuel, do you? And you don’t open up the hood and flood the entire engine with gas, do you? Starving yourself and flooding your system with too much food all at once are equally destructive.
High blood sugar is a little trickier to detect. This is advice from a diabetic who has had to learn: If I want to be productive or even awake and alert most of the day, I have to keep my blood sugar from getting out of hand. Since my pancreas doesn’t work normally anymore, this is tricky. But anyone can learn from what I’ve learned these last two years, diabetic or not.
If my blood sugar is too high, the first sign is a feeling of sluggishness and lethargy--classic symptoms. Since my body does not manufacture enough insulin, or the insulin it makes is inefficient, the carbohydrates I eat aren’t converted efficiently either to be used by the muscles or to be stored for later use. This means the glucose hangs around in my blood stream, making my blood sugar get higher and higher, causing that feeling of sluggishness. This usually happens after a meal or after I’ve snacked on too many carbs.
My first instinct when I feel like this, is to lie down and take a little na-na. Bad move. Instead, I force myself to rev up and move. If I had stairs in my house, I would go up and down them a few times. Since I don’t, I grab some light hand weights and pump them up and down while also doing leg lifts, ten to each side. Just enough to get my heart rate going a little. The results are amazing: Usually within a minute or so, the sluggishness leaves and I feel peppy and normal. This is because the activity causes the muscles to “grab” the excess sugar out of the blood stream, leaving me feeling much more clear-headed. Even if you’re not diabetic, the principle is the same: A heavy meal or excess carbs will make you feel sluggish. A short period of moderate exercise (you do not have to go to the gym and lift the barbells!) will draw the sugar out of your bloodsteam to the muscles, leaving you feeling more alert. And then drink a big drink of water, and you’ll be good for another couple of hours.
The Power Nap. If you are tired for other reasons than a big, carb-loaded meal--stress, illness or just need a little na-na--take a power nap. It’s OK. Set an alarm, cell phone or watch to wake you in 15-20 minutes. We do not have to work or produce all the time. In fact, scientists are now saying that a little nap in the middle of the day is very healthy (but not a 2-3 hour nap). If you can’t actually sleep or are too restless just to close your eyes and daydream, you can read something light or do a puzzle. The mental break will help you go back to your work refreshed.