6 Reasons You’re Tired All The Time

Our lives are so busy these days most of us feel exhausted when bedtime comes. But if you feel constantly fatigued during the day for no obvious reason, the cause could be a medical condition such as hypothyroidism, sleep apnea or undiagnosed diabetes. If your doctor clears you of those afflictions and you still feel tired all the time, the choices you make during the day may be the culprit. Being tired all day doesn’t just affect your energy level—it’s a common cause of overeating, which can work against your weight loss goals. Are any of these choices sapping your energy?

1. Skipping breakfast. You may not feel hungry when you first wake up, but a morning meal powers up your body when it has not been refueled for 10 hours or more. If you start your day with just a cup of coffee, you can be in an energy deficit for hours afterward. Solution: Eat a small meal or at least a snack each morning. An energizing breakfast includes whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats. If eating doesn’t appeal to you early in the day, sip a smoothie made with low-fat milk, peanut butter and fruit.

2. Eating simple carbohydrates. Refined sugars, processed grains and other simple carbs can produce rapid spikes in your blood sugar, which invariably are followed by steep drops. Low blood sugar feels a lot like exhaustion. Solution: Keep your blood sugar levels steady by eating whole (unprocessed) foods, especially when snacking. Fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, or plain yogurt are smart options when hunger strikes between meals.

3. Lack of iron. Your body relies on iron to help carry oxygen in your blood to your organs and muscles. A persistent lack of iron in your blood is known as “anemia,” a condition that your doctor can treat. But anyone not getting enough iron may feel tired, sluggish, or just unable to focus. Solution: Be sure to include iron-rich foods in your daily diet. Eggs, lean beef, kidney beans and dark leafy green vegetables are all healthy sources of the mineral.

How to Drink More Water

4. Dehydration. When your body doesn’t have enough water, your metabolism slows down, your blood thickens (reducing the oxygen and nutrients that are supplied to your organs and muscles), and your energy level declines. Even before you start feeling thirsty, your body’s water supply may be below the optimum you need to stay alert and active.
Solution: Drink water and other fluids continually throughout your day. The recommended daily intake for women, according to the Mayo Clinic, is about nine cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day, for men it’s about 13 cups (3 liters).

5. Caffeine and alcohol. If you rely on coffee or soda to perk you up during the day or if you drink a nightcap to help you fall asleep, you may find that they have the opposite effect than you expect. While caffeine acts as a stimulant for most of us, an article published in the journal US Pharmacist reports that too much actually causes fatigue in some people. Alcohol, on the other hand, does act as a sedative, but it creates a “rebound effect” as it’s metabolized, stimulating a surge in adrenaline. That’s why you may wake up during the night after you’ve been drinking. Solution: If you’re feeling fatigued during the day, try drinking a glass of water rather than a second or third cup of coffee. And stop drinking alcohol at least three hours before bedtime.

How to Cut Back on Soda

6. Insufficient sleep. The average person needs around eight hours of sleep each night, but many of us are not getting it. According to a 2013 Gallup Poll, 40 percent of Americans get slightly fewer than seven hours. Up to 26 percent of us get no more than six hours. Studies show that people who sleep less than seven hours a day tend to gain more weight than those who get seven hours of slumber. Sleep-deprived people often have reduced levels of leptin (the compound that makes you feel full) and increased levels of ghrelin (the hunger-stimulating hormone). Solution: Keep your bedtime as consistent as possible to be sure you get no less than seven hours of sleep. By the way, use of electronic devices (such as smart phones and tablets) just before bed stimulates your brain and can keep you from falling asleep. Set aside the distractions before you settle in so you can easily drift off to a healthy, refreshing snooze.

The post 6 Reasons You’re Tired All The Time appeared first on The Leaf.

How to Make a Healthy Charcuterie Board

There’s no question that charcuterie boards are currently all the rage. While it’s certainly not a new idea—in fact, charcuterie style eating dates back to the 15 th century in France, according to TimesColonist.com—social media has blown this trend up. Whether for the holidays or just an everyday get-together, a classic charcuterie board is a great way to entertain. While these delicious spreads are a ton of fun, they’re not necessarily known for being terribly healthy. After all, Oxford Languages defines charcuterie as “cold cooked meats.” A charcuterie board is traditionally known for featuring a wide variety of cured meats and cheeses. But that’s not to say that you must be resigned to certain choices. There are certainly ways to boost the nutrition power and make a healthy, low-calorie charcuterie board with ingredients that you and your guests will still love. Here are a few of our best tips. 5 Delicious Mocktail Recipes You’ll Love Read More Step 1: Make wise low-calo

What is Ranch Water? The Summer Cocktail You Need to Try

Losing weight in the summertime can be tough. From unhealthy picnic food to drinks at the beach bar, it can be hard to resist the warm weather temptations that try to sabotage your success. However, with a little planning and some simple swaps, you can stay on track with your weight loss goals while still partaking in some summer fun! All you need is some healthy recipes for the grill , some summer-inspired sweet treats and a go-to, weight loss-friendly cocktail that you can sip on all season long. For us, that cocktail is Ranch Water; the refreshing beverage that’s easy to make, easy to enjoy and easy to incorporate into your weight loss plan! What is Ranch Water? In short, Ranch Water is the trendy summer cocktail that’s perfect for chilling out and staying cool in the summer heat. It’s a super simple drink that only requires three ingredients to make: Tequila Lime juice Topo Chico Mineral Water 1 Never had Topo Chico? This refreshing water is a naturally carbonated minera

Here's when calories really matter

The divide continues to grow between those who swear by the “calories in vs. calories out” method and those who tout that body composition changes will come by following a nutrient-dense whole-food diet. When counseling clients, starting out many of them have these types of pre-conceived beliefs on how they should be losing weight or making changes to their body composition overall. Acknowledging calories continue to be a hot topic of conversation, we’ll dive into the science of calories, the complexity of them and when they really matter. What is a calorie? A calorie, as we often see it on a nutrition label, is actually a kilocalorie. To make it simple for consumers, it became a Calorie with a capital C, and since then has been used so often without the capital C that we just use calorie. The true Calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of the energy required to raise one kilogram of water one degree Celsius. Originally, the calorie value of a food was determined by burning it, b

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