Fatigue, Your Body’s Alarm

 

Fatigue is your body’s SOS.   It is one of the first red flags that the body is trying to grab your attention and seek cooperation.

Our typical response to the body’s request for rest is to drown it out with caffeine or sugar for the temporary bump in energy.

The over achievers tend to treat the body like a workhorse; they demand over exertion through exercise  and working harder at home and at work in hopes of quelling the fatigue.

Check.

I’ve been there, done that.  I’ve covered my ears and eyes to my body’s message center and eventually burned  out the electrical conduction of my precious heart.

Burned once.  I won’t be burned twice.

My intentions were good and well meaning.  I called it motherhood, professional goals and saving children.  Worthy causes but at the end of the day, I simply asked too much from my body and it said, now, you bow to me because I can no longer cooperate with your demands.   I believe I’m in good company because I witness women every single day over commit, demand too much, it’s never enough, one more thing, one more commitment, one more text however, one more of anything is too much IF your body is tired.  

In honor of Women’s Health and Fitness Day, I would ask that you pause and pay attention to your beautiful body.

What is it asking of you?   This may feel awkward.  We aren’t accustomed to conversations with our body.  But the body talks.  It has sign language like fatigue, thirst, hunger, desire, orgasm.

The body prefers a balanced state, therefore, it is designed for self-correction when needed.  However, if the demand for self-correction is on overdrive,  the systems that made the body function smoothly begin breaking down.  Flags are flown to catch our attention.

Do you have the courage to pay attention to the physiological signs and symptoms?

Don’t be satisfied with simplistic solutions that are temporary band aids.  These will inevitably end with  downstream consequences that are far more complicated to unwind than fatigue.

If you’re tired.

Take a break.

Rest.

Experiment with a quiet time or rest period.

Nothingness can be a beautiful invitation for fine tuning your ability to hear your body clearly. 

You may be reading this and your mind has a running list of symptoms you’ve been ignoring.

Take a deep breath.  You are right where you need to be.

Review the basics of stress, rest, nutrition, hydration and movement.

Make a list of your symptoms.

Each one of us will face challenges.   Our stress level is determined by how we adapt and process those daily demands.   Adaptability is a state of mind.  Your thoughts determine your emotions and from your emotions, the body responds.  If stress plays a major role in your life, pay attention to your level of fatigue and excitability.   Stress management strategies are vitally important in today’s dynamic culture.

How’s your sleep.

Are you hydrated and fueled with the nutrition your body needs?

Clean up your diet.

Are you moving regularly throughout the day?   Do you exercise and stretch?

Visit your primary care physician for a physical with your list of symptoms.

Consider talking with a Health Coach.

Health coaches are able to work in collaboration with primary care physicians to intricately think into your symptoms and strategize about what else may be going on or connect the dots of your past history to your current symptoms.

It’s a powerful process that empowers you to be a well informed advocate for your health and wellness.

Don’t burn out your own battery because you are the most important variable in the equation of your life.

I believe healing our fatigued bodies starts with what we’re filling them up with. And so in closing, I would like to leave you with a few of my go-to nutritional favorites to boost your energy, nourish your system and heal your fatigue from the inside out:

Eliminate sugar, limit caffeine and simple carbohydrates.  Add a bounty of greens and colorful vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats like avocados, coconut oil, butter and ghee, Omega 3s (wild caught salmon, flax seed, chia seeds, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, kale)