Energy

Here for every energy level

women feeling energetic on a cold morning looking to the sky

Energy

Here for every energy level

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Top tips for reducing fatigue

“This depends on what time of year it is. During the end of summer and start of autumn when the nights are drawing in, this is when seasonal affective disorder starts to kick in. I would suggest:

getting a light box or an SAD lamp – as soon as you wake up expose your face to it to support your circadian rhythm
trying to get outside during the day – especially if you've got a very indoor life, you just simply don't get enough light throughout the day to keep your energy levels going and you’ll feel fatigued
exercising – if you're moving your body and you're getting oxygen around your whole body and your brain, you're going to feel less fatigued. If you don't do regular exercise you’ll actually feel more fatigued
good quality sleep – if you're going to bed late and you're not sleeping very well, you’re more likely to have more shallow sleep and will still feel tired in the morning. So try to have no screens an hour before bed and get into a similar bedtime routine each night
keeping the high-sugar products to minimum
taking vitamin D – this is a major issue over the winter. Even all year round about 1/4 of us are vitamin D deficient and then during winter that can actually go up to four in ten people being vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is very much linked with your perception of energy and fatigue. So make sure you’re taking a minimum of 10 micrograms a day during winter”

How to beat the afternoon slump

“Stay off the carbs during lunch and try to go outside for a walk, even if it’s just to the shop or around the block. Try eating plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables throughout the day, as they’re high in polyphenols and can help your vascular function by getting more nutrients and oxygen around your body. Also, take plenty of breaks, especially if you’re working from home, as we’re less likely to be moving as much.”

“Another big one is alcohol, as it can affect you for about 48 hours. So, before heading for alcohol on a weeknight, think about what type of week you’ve got coming up. As the next day you're going to feel quite sluggish, particularly in the afternoon.”

“Don’t reach for a high-caffeine drink in the PM. It's better to drink slightly lower-caffeine drinks like green tea, herbal tea or black tea. If you drink a lot of coffee and notice you’re fatigued in the afternoon, it could actually be caffeine withdrawal because you’ve become accustomed to it. So try to limit caffeine.”

The best ways to eat your fruits and vegetables

“Try making yourself a smoothie using frozen berries, apple juice, banana, and even a little bit of spinach. Crushed powders that are made of berries are also a great option too. “

How to get the most out of exercise

“With physical performance, it all depends on what you're doing. But, the basics of all exercise is getting the right fuel at the right time. If you want to see performance benefits, you need to get yourself a proper exercise programme rather than just running on the treadmill for half an hour.”

“The minimum that you should aim to train is three times a week, with the ideal being five to six. The benefit from going once a week will be minimal, as you’ll just end up with sore muscles and the cycle will continue to repeat. You want to make sure you take a rest day as this is when your muscles start repairing themselves”

Which is the right supplement for me?

“To know this, you need to look at your diet gaps. If you look up the EatWell Guide, you can check your diet against the foods that are in the guide and ask yourself ‘do I really eat something similar to that?’, ‘where are the gaps in my diet?’ and ‘what am I needing more of?’”

“We can’t replace a healthy diet with supplements but we can help plug the gaps. A good starting point if you're really not sure what you need is to have a multivitamin and if you don't eat fish at all, then definitely have a fish oil supplement and or an algae alternative.”

“The final thing about supplements is if you have digestive troubles then it’s worth making sure you’re getting plenty of fibre in your diet. We actually need 30g of fibre a day, which hardly anybody is eating, so you might find it quite useful to take a fibre supplement”

Carrie Ruxton

Dietitian

Ask an expert:

What will help me relax ?

“Sleep is very much a diet and lifestyle combination. Starting with diet, consider winding down in the evening with high-carb foods like bananas and cereals.”

“On the lifestyle side, be aware of:

limiting screen time – it’s too much stimulation before bed
avoid a heavy and rich meal before bed
limit alcohol – alcohol actually makes you very tired, but it impacts the quality of your sleep, which is why you can quite often wake up hot and bothered because your body is trying to rid itself of the toxins
try reading a book, having a hot bath or listening to relaxing music, and keep the lights down nice and low in the last 15 minutes before you go to bed”

Why am I low in energy?

“For me, energy is three things:

it's about the food you're getting in your diet to fuel your body
then there's function because energy can be perceived as how active your brain is. Ask yourself are you fully engaged in tasks or have you got brain fog? Magnesium is important for supporting energy levels which you can get from nuts, seeds, dairy foods and whole grains, or as a supplement
finally, you've got mood and perception. You could be full of energy but then have a really disappointing or frustrating day and all of a sudden you start to run out of energy”

“If you're running out of energy, think about having a more balanced diet and meal routine. If you’re skipping breakfast, you might find you’re having that energy slump mid-morning and then reaching for more sugary food like biscuits.”

“Also, if you’re a person that menstruates, checking your iron levels is important. If you find that you’re always running out of energy and having shortness of breath when you climb stairs or exercise, it's worth actually asking your GP for a blood test to check your iron levels.”

What can I eat to give me more energy?

“You want a balance of the following:

carbohydrates and protein-rich foods like meat, fish, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds
healthy fats like olive oil, vegetable oils and dairy, keeping saturated fats low

Having protein three times a day and high-fibre carbs at every meal is what you want to aim for. So, your day might look like this:

breakfast – wholegrain cereal
lunch – root vegetable soup with a big chunk of bread
snacks – nuts and seeds or a yoghurt
dinner – red meat or veggie alternatives like spinach, kale, beans, pulses and lentils”

How can I manage stress?

“Stress is very much about perception and resilience. When you have low resilience, you'll find you get stressed very easily and aren’t able to cope with things well.

“So, I would actually start with the lifestyle. It's about your mindset and not taking on too much. A lot of people I know get stressed because they’re constantly rushing around trying to please everyone. If you find you’re taking care of too many people and not actually not taking care of yourself, carve out time for you.”

“Some of my tips are:

don’t head straight for the TV, go outside and have some time in nature
have an in-person chat with somebody rather than texting them
from a diet perspective, make sure to keep it balanced
drink plenty of fluids, especially as a lot of us work from home now and are sat at our desks all day, we can get slightly dehydrated and that can increase stress. If you’re not a fan of water, try flavoured water sachets that you can just add to your bottle”