4 EASY Tips for a Fatigue Free Day!

 

It has become such a common complaint everyone thinks its just normal. I’m so tired. I need more coffee. I need a nap even though I haven’t done anything today.

 

People load up on energy drinks, reload their Starbucks card, anything to just get through the day with one less yawn.

 

It doesn’t have to be this way. You can have completely stable energy levels throughout the day and it all starts with your morning.

 

I’m going to share 5 tips that have helped me completely transform my life. And I say transform my life because I hated feeling tired.

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I hated feeling tired because it's literally a drag and everything is harder. Then on top of that I felt guilty! I would say to myself, you’re in your early 20s why are you so tired all the time this isn’t normal. Get over it!

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Unfortunately there were a lot of things I was putting into my body that were making me tired, as well as stuff in my overall routine that was adding to my exhaustion mid day.

 

#1

So lets start with wake up time. You wake up and you immediately grab your phone. This first tip isn’t food related but its so so important.

Your body has essentially been in recovery mode for the last 7- hopefully 8 hours of sleep and what it needs now is a signal that its time to wake up. No your alarm clock and Instagram scrolling are not that signal your body needs.

 

Your eyes need sunlight. 15 minutes is what I generally aim for in the morning. And not through a pane of glass in a window. Go outside. When sunlight hits our retinas it signals to our internal clock that its time to wake up and it helps to set our circadian rhythm.

 

If you wake up and stay inside all day, probably because most of yall are work at home, so you really are getting zero sun exposure, this throws off your bodies whole natural process. You need that sunlight first thing in the morning to normalize and regulate your sleep and wake cycle. This is why people say to stop using computers or tv several hours before you go to bed. The light that the screens emit interfere with your bodies ability to produce melatonin. Melatonin is that sleep hormone that helps us feel ready for bed.

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#2

The second tip I follow to have a totally energy filled day is to wait to drink coffee until i've been awake for one hour. This one is really important.

 

Let me explain. You see, when you wake up your bodies cortisol levels rise, this is a hormone that is necessary to wake you. Cortisol is normally highest in the morning, but it takes a little bit of time to rise. Now if you drink that coffee the first thing you wake up, when your cortisol levels are already high, the caffeine goes into your system and can further increase those cortisol levels.

 

Waiting until after your cortisol levels have decreased (60-90 minutes or best even later in the afternoon) will have a smaller impact on further spiking your cortisol levels.

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To put it another way, if you drink coffee when you first wake up, when your cortisol levels are already at their highest for the day, you are less likely to notice coffees caffeine effects.

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#3

The third tip that I follow that has literally transformed my life is to reduce blood sugar spikes. To keep it simple, when you eat something, your blood sugar rises, carbohydrates such as oats, breads, pastries make your blood sugar rise very fast. When your blood sugar rises, it eventually has to come down and your late morning afternoon fatigue is likely cause by this blood sugar ‘crash’ from your morning pastry or breakfast sandwich.

 

The key that I have found most essential to feeling energy throughout the whole day and completely ditching afternoon fatigue is making sure my blood sugar remains stable. This means foods that are rich in good fats and quality protein. These foods breakdown much slower, reducing the risk of your blood sugar rising rapidly and then falling rapidly (spike, crash = fatigue).

 

A really good way to reduce those sugar spikes is to watch what’s going into your morning coffee. Go on over to your refrigerator, and look at the label on the creamer in there. What’s in that creamer?! Creamers are notorious for having total junk ingredients. They aren’t only slowing you down, they are messing with your gut bacteria, all of those emulsifiers and thickeners in there its lab made ingredients!

 

Check out my creamer recipe in a recent blog post here.

 

#4

The fourth tip is practical easy breakfasts that I love to eat every morning. These breakfast ideas keep my blood sugar stable and keep me from feeling super tired in the afternoon. Keep in mind good breakfast foods don’t have to be what you think of as a breakfast food. That’s all marketing, and its not doing you any good! The gluten in pancakes, and in that breakfast sandwich is causing issues with your gut, and the carbohydrates are slowing you down, with that spike and dip in blood sugar. Follow the recipes below or just keep these tips in mind:

1. Fat is the most important to start your day

2. Protein is a strong second

3. Skip the low quality carbohydrates.

 

If you cant let go of the idea of a breakfast sandwich or toast in the morning there are a few really goof breads out there that don’t use what flour. My favorite is base culture. I think one or two of their varieties has xanthan gum, which I recommend against, so check the label. But they make a great tasting bread texture is spot on! To make this an energy friendly breakfast, pair it with a fat and protein, try eggs, and some type of meat. Or you could do avocado toast, salt pepper, red pepper flakes and an egg, yum!

 

Egg muffins. There are delish and a snap to whip together, freeze well and are the perfect substitute for those egg bites you might see at your big coffee chain. Did you know those are full of manufactured ingredients leading to that sluggish feeling: potato starch, canola oil, natural flavors, locust bean gum, carrageenan, guar gum, natamycin [mold inhibitor]) !

You can easily make your own and feel 100%.

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Egg muffin recipe:

• 6 eggs

• 1 half red & half green bell pepper

• ½ onion

• 4 bacon strips or 4 sausage patties (optional, and look for nitrate free!)

• ½ cup cashew milk

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise (Primal kitchen is the best right now, made with avocado oil)

• 1 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 1 teaspoon sage

• ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
   

• Dice vegetables and meat, if using. Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Mixture will be a little lumpy as the mayonnaise will not fully incorporate, but will as it is baked.

• Pour into muffin tin lined with muffin wrappers. Alternatively, you can pour this into a glass dish and cut into squares. If baked this way, you can use these egg squares for egg sandwiches.

• In a 350 degree oven bake until set, about 20 minutes.

• These freeze well. Wrap in parchment paper and foil and warm in a 375 degree oven while you are getting ready in the morning. They will be ready in 25 minutes!

 

Sweet potato hash with eggs and ground chicken.

This is a great one to prep ahead of time for the week. It can be heated before you head off for the day and can be eaten ‘bowl’ style.

• 3 large sweet potatoes

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 red onion, diced

• 2 bell peppers, any color, diced

• 1 pound ground chicken

• 1 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper

• Eggs to serve, any style

 

• Dice sweet potatoes into small cubes and boil until just shy of fork tender.

• In a 375 degree oven, bake sweet potato cubes on a sheet tray drizzled with avocado oil, until crispy about 30 minutes.

• Meanwhile in a skillet, heat ½ teaspoon oil, and add ground chicken, cook, breaking up into small bits. Add seasonings.

• In the same skillet, just before chicken is fully cooked add onion, garlic, bell peppers, cook until softened.

• Mix in potato.

• Divide into portions and if you wish, cook eggs to your style liking at this time. You can put eggs on top of each sweet potato has portion and then bake at 375 in the morning to reheat.

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Chia seed pudding – Mix 2 tablespoons chia seeds, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons maple syrup and ½ cup milk. I love cashew milk here, or coconut milk. Let sit for 3 minutes. Mix. Let sit for another few minutes and keep mixing every so often to prevent clumps until the pudding begins to gel. You can leave out the maple syrup and mix in fresh or frozen fruit. Blueberries are my choice- cancer fighter!!