Do you often feel weak, your energy levels are in the dumps?

How many cups of coffee do you require in order to get your day started?

After lunch, does your mind wonder around aimlessly? Do you have trouble concentrating? Would you rather not socialize in the evenings?

Have you ever felt faint while exercising vigorously, or get a stitch in your side?

Do you make lame ass excuses about why the hell you feel this way? Maybe it’s because you are too busy or you were born this way…

Let’s consider what is most likely occurring in your body, Feeling tired and fatigued can be the result of a variety of issues, ranging from stress, lack of sleep, or maybe your ass got too drunk last night. It is also possible that you may have a serious condition such as heart disease, depression or anemia. However, the reality is, your diet of sugar laden, highly processed foods may be, or likely is the culprit. Lagging energy levels create a situation that will get you all hemmed up when you are too tired to eat proper foods. Our modern society finds it easier to fill up on cheap and convenient garbage snack foods, which in turn only serve to further contribute to your increasing fatigue. It is a vicious cycle that you can and should break. No matter what your “hangry” mind may tell you, this is not an insurmountable task. Quit making excuses for yourself.

If you are feeling tired and weak most of the time, you need to check how you are fueling your body. You would never intentionally fill your car with bad gas, why would you do this to your body? Your body is a complicated machine that requires quality fuel to operate in a superior manner. A huge mistake that many people make is they will either eat nothing in the morning, or they will have a small breakfast which may or may not be nutritious. Then they will begin craving sweet treats by the middle of the day, and then end up snarfing down anything in sight. Do you recognize this trait in yourself? Do you fuel your body with bad gas sporadically and then wonder why you do not feel good?

In order to operate well, your body needs a steady flow of good nutrition, a healthy mix of protein, fats and complex carbohydrates. Anything less than proper fueling is going to trash your energy levels, especially if you are not in the habit of eating healthy. Our bodies require complex carbohydrates and protein for optimal performance. Our blood sugar levels will begin getting low within four hours after we have last eaten. Therefore frequent small meals are going to be better for you than two or three large meals in order to maintain a constant energy supply. Greek yogurt, a piece of fruit and or a handful of nuts make for a perfect between meal snack in order to maintain consistent energy levels during the day. Where as cookies, chips and cakes are going to only cause your butt to want to drag when you snack on them instead. I will say again, you need healthy foods in order to keep your energy levels up. When you consume carbs, you want them to be complex carbohydrates from whole grains and starchy vegetables. Whole grain breads, rice, pasta, beans and yams are excellent sources of complex carbs as well as great sources of fiber in order to keep from having your blood stream getting a huge sugar dump. These foods are digested gradually because of their fiber content, which allows you to maintain an even blood sugar level during the day which will provide a constant fuel supply for the body and brain.

When it comes to healthy weight loss, a lack of knowledge is what hurts folks the most. People hang on to the latest trends and fad quick weight loss diets which only serve to cause them fatigue and poor moods. Cutting your calories too far will only cause you to feel drained which can and will interfere with your daily routines such as work, exercising or even just being able to enjoy life. Even if you are just trying to maintain your body weight, it is wise to figure your daily caloric needs based on your basal metabolic rate. And once you know how many calories you need each day, then make it a point to eat every bit of them with a combination of protein, carbs and fats. Yes, fats are required for proper digestion and absorption of key nutrients to fuel your body.

Too many people on diets are running essentially on fumes and will not only lose fat, but they will also lose much needed and valuable lean muscle mass. The problem with this lies in that if or when you put weight back on, even if you return to your previous weight, your body fat percentage will be higher than before your weight loss. The goal should always be a healthy body fat percentage over a random sale number!

When you decide to lose weight, you should only want your body to lose body fat and not muscle. Quit obsessing on the number on your scale and concentrate on your body fat percentage instead. The more lean muscle mass your body maintains, the higher your metabolism will be. This is a simple irrefutable fact. More muscle means more fat burning when you are working towards a healthier body. A higher metabolism also means more energy for enjoying your life. Being physically fit and healthy needs to be your life style and not a temporary diet. Weight management is not something you do for a short period in order to satisfy your mind with a random number you have decided you want to see on your bathroom scale. The approach you want to take is to eat healthy foods with zero refined sugars or anything processed, and then exercise like you mean it. Raise your heart rate! Also, if you are trying to lose weight, quit adding up fitness calories from your tracker for cleaning your house and other easy activities you might have been doing before you decided to lose weight. Remember, if that activity did not enable you to lose fat off your waist and thighs before, it is not going to now. Fitness calories not truly earned through an elevated heart rate are worthless as you are likely going to eat more calories than you are burning. Get your heart rate elevated on a regular basis through true vigorous exercise, as this will help boost your energy levels while decreasing fatigue related moods such as depression and despondency.

How do we maintain a desirable weight and stay energized? Simply eat regular, cook light, and mix fiber rich complex carbohydrates with your protein. In order to remain better satiated, divide your caloric needs to 45 to 50% protein, 30 to 35% complex carbs and 15 to 25% fats. Remember, liquid saturated fats from olive and coconut oils, avocado’s and nuts are healthy for you to consume. Fats are good for you. Refined sugars and processed foods that are quick and easy are are usually going to be the source of your fat and fatigue problems.

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