Do you need to prioritise what you are doing because you feel too tired too often?
Does your tiredness get in the way of doing the things you love to do?
Do you feel you could show up much better at work or in your business if you weren’t constantly tired?
Perhaps you are – like many people – going through the day and doing everything you need to do, but there comes a time in the afternoon when you just want to lie down. Or by the time evening comes around, you are exhausted, and all you want to do is stay on the sofa, watch TV and eat whatever is there. The last thing on your mind is cooking from scratch or going for a walk. A glass of wine sounds much more tempting.
Maybe, like many women and men over 50, you would prefer to lose a bit of weight, or at least not gain any more.
But despite your best efforts of not to eat as much anymore as you used to, or avoiding junk food, you are still not able to shift those extra pounds.
Have you ever thought of the connection between lack of energy and gaining weight?
Yes, most people focus on CALORIES (because they are energy after all) and most people would follow the model of “Energy in – Energy out”.
So the natural thought is: “I just need to eat less (put less energy into my body) and I will loose weight.
However, that lack of calories can lead to a lack of energy – and can have the opposite of the desired effect.
Let me go into more detail where the energy that we have actually comes from:
ENERGY – Why don’t I have as much energy as I used to?
I am not talking about energy that is fuelled by coffee or adrenaline. I am talking about a natural sense of having plenty of energy the moment you wake up in the morning until feeling pleasantly tired in the evening.
This type of energy is actually produced INSIDE of our bodies!
It is produced inside our cells by the Mitochondria – the powerhouses of our bodies where we produce ATP. And those reduce as we age and become less efficient. However, there are things you can do to stop or reduce this process.
Now, I am not suggesting that everyone over 50 is tired all the time, because that certainly isn’t the case, but many people do notice that their energy levels aren’t quite what they used to be. And they simply put up with it!
Of course, there can be medical reasons and these need to be certainly checked out. I would always recommend a visit to the GP and a general blood test for this. If this doesn’t show anything that needs to be addressed medically, then it’s time to look at your diet and lifestyle.
And that is where you can do plenty to keep your mitochondria healthy and stop their ageing and decline.
When you are tired, you naturally do less
This seems to be obvious – but it is still worth being reminded:
When you have plenty of energy, you probably don’t think twice about going for a walk, taking the stairs, doing some gardening, meeting a friend for a walk or going to your exercise class. You just do it.
But when you are tired, even the things you normally enjoy can suddenly seem like hard work.
You come home and sit down. You have a cup of tea. Perhaps you watch some television.
And before you know it, the evening has disappeared and you haven’t moved very much at all.
You are so tired that either you just can’t think about going for a walk or to the gym – or you simply cannot face doing anything. Your body naturally wants to conserve your energy. This is a protection mechanism that goes back to our cavemen times, and we cannot override this with willpower.
If this happens day after day, your overall activity can gradually decrease without you really noticing it. You are not lazy or lack willpower – you are simply tired! And the worse thing you can do is to give out to yourself on top of it!
The one thing that gets forgotten is that MOVEMENT creates energy!
Our mitochondria stay healthier and work better once we move. Lack of movement causes them to reduce in numbers as well. So, the paradox is, the less we move the less energy we have.
Do you know what it can feel like after a walk, how exhilarating that can feel? Or sometimes you come home from the gym and you are buzzing!
Our “cavemen” protection mechanism suggests that we are tired and need to conserve energy, while in fact we actually need to move more! A simple easy and relaxed walk is always better than sitting on the sofa.
Yes, you need to override that desire to chill and just create a habit or fit it somehow into your day to be moving as much as possible.
You don’t necessarily need an hour in the gym, but rather getting off your office chair for example every 30minutes and do some movements. And keep moving throughout the day.
When you are tired, you may eat also differently:
This is another part of the story that I think we often overlook.
When you are feeling energetic, preparing a healthy meal doesn’t seem like such a big deal.
You might cook some vegetables, prepare some fish or chicken, make a salad or put together a meal that you know is going to leave you feeling good afterwards.
But when you are exhausted, cooking can feel like another chore.
So, you choose something quick that’s readily available – or you might even skip meals altogether.
Maybe you even think that because you’ve been moving less, you might simply eat fewer calories and that way it won’t affect your weight?
What you eat could be comfort food, something that is easily prepared, easy to digest and easily available. Things like toast, sandwiches, take-aways. I know I definitely prefer a sandwich to a salad when I’m tired.
Even the thought of chewing food can feel tiring!
Feeling tired all the time can not only lead to under-eating, but also to over-snacking. Tiredness and boredom are the most common reasons why people snack all the time.
Quite often, eating something sugary can also suggest that it will give an energy boost.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with any of these foods occasionally.
The problem is when quick-energy foods become the solution to being tired every single day.
And this is where you can end up in a rather frustrating cycle of an unbalanced blood sugar. And anyone who has been following me for a while knows that the first thing I help people with is balancing their blood sugars.
It’s this vicious cycle of quick energy boost (and insulin spike) that then leads to a drastic drop in low blood sugar that leads to cravings (and release of stress hormones)
You are tired → you reach for something that gives you quick energy → you feel better for a while → your energy drops again → you reach for something else.
In my consultations and my online course, I explain how you can keep your blood sugar balanced and how this keeps your energy levels balanced throughout the day.
Sugar does not give you sustainable energy! It robs it!
The other problem is that many snacks or comfort foods do not give you the nutrients and energy you need!
You can eat plenty of food and still not be properly nourished.
There is a big difference between filling your stomach and giving your body what it needs. As I always say, the calories don’t matter alone, it’s what nutrients the foods have that counts!
As we get older, getting enough protein becomes particularly important for maintaining muscle, but protein also keeps you fuller for longer – and gives you sustainable energy, because it keeps your mitochondria healthy.
Fibre (from wholegrains and vegetables) keeps you fuller for longer and gives you the nutrients you (and your mitochondria) needs. Fibre also provides foods for your gut bacteria – which in turn produce substances that give you energy!
Sugar and many processed foods, on the other hand, not only promote an unbalanced blood sugar, but also destroy your healthy gut bacteria and your mitochondria.
It can be like a vicious cycle – You feel tired, you move less and eat foods that make you even more tired!
Another aspect of eating and moving too little (because of tiredness) can be Loss of Muscle.
Muscle not only helps us stay strong, mobile and independent, good muscle strength is also liked to better cognitive health and to healthier mitochondria. Also, having more muscle helps improve overall metabolism.
So, simply having good muscle strength makes it much easier to continue doing all the things we enjoy – and this gives our energy a boost.
However, when you are too tired, often protein is the last food you might fancy eating – and this is exactly what you need.
Being able to get up easily from a chair, carry the shopping, climb the stairs, get down on the floor to play with the grandchildren, go for a long walk or enjoy a holiday without feeling completely exhausted are all things that contribute to a good quality of life.
Another viscous cycle to break:
Less energy → less movement → less strength → even less energy to move.
In my consultations and my online course, I show you how to break those vicious cycles!
The one further nutrient that gets often overlooked or even demonised is FAT.
Yes, most people who want to lose weight avoid fats as they are higher in calories. However, our mitochondria and our cells need fats to stay healthy (and produce energy) – of course, not the type of fats in deep-fried chips or crisps! These are the ones you might crave when tired, but these are the ones that destroy the mitochondria!
The ones the support them are fats from olive oil, oily fish (sardines, salmon, mackerel), avocado, nuts and seeds. And those are also the ones that keep you fuller for longer and keep your blood sugar balanced
Maybe Weight loss shouldn’t be the goal – maybe the goal needs to focus on keeping your energy up!
The Weight Loss will happen – when you get your energy back!
I know that when people come to me wanting to lose weight, that is usually what they want to talk about.
They want to lose a few pounds.
They want their clothes to fit better.
They may want to get back to the weight they were 10, 20 or even 30 years ago.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight. But don’t do it by counting calories or forcing yourself to the gym.
What if you stopped dieting and started nourishing yourself?
What if you stopped dieting and started fuelling your energy?
What if you stopped thinking “calories in/calories out” and started nutrients that feed energy?
This is why I am not promoting another “diet” but instead helping people create habits that help keep the energy up. Because only when you have energy can you lose or maintain your weight!
Other lifestyle factors
Food and movement are only 2 aspects of how you can keep your energy levels up. In my programme, I also look at sleep, stress and social connections.
The stress many people are experiencing these days can be enormous and can affect how we move and eat as well, but it can also have an impact on sleep. Lack of quality sleep is of course, a major contributor to lack of energy. But both sleep and stress can be influenced by what we eat and how we move.
So, it’s really all connected. Once you realise this, you won’t be looking at tiredness anymore in isolation.
You can see that your tiredness is not simply from getting older, going through the menopause or a stressful period.
Your tiredness is the symptom of poor sleep, not enough downtime, and insufficient nutrients and movement.
But you do not need more willpower to sleep better, have less stress, eat better and move more – you need to fuel yourself and mind yourself.
Once you realise this, you can stop “blaming age, menopause and stress” – and your new mindset will say “Yes, there is something I CAN DO NOW!”
Think about the next 20 or 30 years!
If you are in your 50s or 60s, you could have another 20, 30 or even 40 years ahead of you.
How do you want those years to look?
Do you want to spend them worrying about your weight and going from one diet to the next?
Or would you rather concentrate on becoming stronger, healthier and more energetic so that you can actually enjoy those years?
Because healthy ageing isn’t just about preventing illness.
It is also about maintaining your ability to live your life.
To get out and about.
To travel.
To meet friends.
To enjoy your family.
To walk without worrying about whether you can manage the distance.
To have enough energy at the end of the day to do something you actually enjoy.
And that is why I think we need to change the way we think about weight loss after 50.
So rather than simply asking: “How can I lose weight?”
perhaps it is time to ask: “How can I have more energy?”
How can I nourish my body better?
How can I maintain my muscle?
How can I get stronger?
How can I sleep better?
How can I move more?
And how can I create a lifestyle that I can actually maintain for the next 20 or 30 years?
Because when you feel better, moving your body becomes easier.
Preparing good food becomes easier.
Making healthy choices becomes easier.
And perhaps, rather than trying to force your body to lose weight, you are giving it what it needs to function well.
And isn’t that what we really want as we get older?
Not simply to be lighter.
But to be healthier, stronger and full of energy for all the years ahead.
