Tired?

Glenn Karisch

ISSA Certified Youth Fitness Trainer

Sunday, January 31, 2010

 

"I am so tired."  Have you heard that lately?  Has there been a day when you did not hear "I am so tired"?  It seems like this statement is as common as "Good morning" or "How are you doing?".  These words may have even been spoken by you.

 

In rare circumstances, feeling tired all the time could be caused by illness, disease, or psychological issues, but for the most part this feeling is a symptom of our busy lifestyle including our own spoken words and lack of physical activity.

 

Work, homework, cooking, shopping, team practice, cleaning, household chores, driving, school, sports, friends, are all partial list of the issues that families deal with daily and which quickly consume our waking hours before we realize they are gone.  We find ourselves setting the alarm earlier each morning, our head hitting the pillow later and later each evening, and our caffeine consumption becomes as common as breathing.  The net result? "I am so tired."

 

Even as we proclaim these words, we receive no sympathy.  Others tell of their schedules and in comparison to ours are far more time consuming and exhausting, as if it is a contest.  In the process, we tend to "enhance" our own tales so that we can lay claim to the "most tired" prize.  Yet these conversations do more harm than good.  As our statements become centered on being tired, busy, or fatigued in an attempt to become more convincing to those around us, we inadvertently "convince" ourselves.

 

A Mayo Clinic article dated May 30, 2009, notes that the personality traits, optimism and pessimism, can affect many areas of health, well-being, and stress management.  The conventional thought is that personality traits are the characteristics of our personality coupled with our life experiences and thus permanent and unchangeable.  This is true to a point.

 

The Mayo clinic article notes that positive thinking and positive self-talk can make a person more optimistic.  We all have heard of positive thinking, glass half full, but what is self-talk?  "Self-talk is the endless stream of thoughts that run through your head every day."  Typically, pessimistic people have negative self-talk and optimistic people positive.  As we convince others that we are tired, we are "self-talking" ourselves into being tired.  And conversely we could turn around this reaction by altering how we think and what we say.

 

I am not saying that if you tell two people you are not tired suddenly you will have a burst of energy as if downing a Red Bull or 5 Hour Energy drink.  I am saying that you can help your situation over time by keeping an optimistic attitude, by positive self-talking, and avoiding the "I am so tired" parts of conversations and thoughts.

 

Lastly, exercise.  A LIVE Fitness article is not complete without me touting the benefits of exercise on the topic at hand.  I can hear the comments now, "I am too busy", "I work too hard at my job", or "I am too tired", or "How the @#$$#% does exercise help me be less tired?".

 

A WebMD Feature notes - "In a study published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 2008, University of Georgia researchers found that inactive folks who normally complained of fatigue could increase energy by 20% while decreasing fatigue by as much as 65% by simply participating in regular, low-intensity exercise." Not high intensity, not now-and-then, regular, low-intensity exercise."

 

The feature also noted...."Contrary to popular belief, exercising doesn't make you tired -- it literally creates energy in your body. Your body rises up to meet the challenge for more energy by becoming stronger," says nutritionist Samantha Heller, MS, RD, a nutrition advisor for the Journey for Control diabetes program.

 

Now doesn't this make sense?  You are tired, so you should exercise to feel more awake. I can hear the Lee County German readers saying "If you are not tired you're not working hard enough" or "If you have time to exercise your are not working enough".  Actually no.  Just because you exert effort while you work you are not necessarily "exercising".  This will be the topic of a future article, but for now on with the current topic.

 

All body functions need fuel and as the body moves it must create energy to do so.  This energy flows throughout the body ready to be utilized where ever needed while exercising.  Then afterwards the energy continues to be created and available.  For best results eat some fruit just before you start exercising.  Fruit being a natural form of carbohydrates (sugars), will give you energy during AND after your workout.

 

Next time you see a child running, jumping, climbing, and playing endlessly as if they have unlimited stores of energy, ask yourself is this because they are young or does their constant movement create energy that continues to fuel them?

 

Fight fatigue and being tired by practicing positive self-talk and avoiding conversational topics that dwell on being tired or too busy.  Add regular, low-intensity exercise to your daily routine reducing stress and boosting energy.  And finally, work on your diet to reduce fats and increase vegetables, fruits, and complex carbohydrates.

 

My advice is not a magic pill, or a Monster energy drink.  Exercise, positive self-talk, and a healthy diet is the way to naturally reduce fatigue and boost energy.  It does take effort however, but be honest.  What would you give to have more wakeful days and additional energy.

 

Until next time,

Glenn Karisch

ISSA Certified Youth Fitness Trainer

The views and information presented in this article do not reflect the opinions of Lee County Live or its advertisers.  They are the creation of the author and are presented for entertainment and informational purposes only.  You should consult your doctor before you begin any exercise or training activity, change your diet, begin a sport, or consume any dietary supplements.