Tired of being tired?

We've all had those days and all you can say is, "I'm just tired."
It can be exhausting (pun intended) saying that.

Gone are the days as kid where you just pop up in the morning, are ready to play all day, then sack out for a good eight hours and do it again the next day... BEHOLD! Those days don't have to be gone forever.

A few things can really mess with your energy and sleep. My personal experience and through discussions with others, diet and irregular sleep schedules affect how tired I may or may not be for one or more days following my poor food choice or extra late night.

1. Diet: I don't see this as a fad, all the different diets that are out there. The word "Diet" has a bad wrap. It really is just a certain way you choose to eat. "My diet consists of, blah blah blah." However that feeling you might get after you eat a big bowl of pasta and you just want to nap; yeah, that pasta DID make you sleepy. There are certain foods that will energize you. Change up your eating habits, you don't have to go cold turkey and cut out grains, do what works best for you.  
2. Irregular sleeping schedules: How often do you go to bed and wake up at the same time despite the fact that it's a Friday night? If you often switch up your bed and wake times, you'll be in for a tired week. Avoid caffeine at least six hours before bed, it's tempting you, but don't look at your iPhone, tablet or whatever Smart-object you have, the lighting messes with your brain (the light suppresses sleep-inducing hormone). 

If you're curious of your sleeping pattern, I enjoy the app, Sleep Time, it determines when you're awake and sleeping the deepest and more. It'll wake you up at just the right time so you feel rested during the day. 

Available in the App Store. "Sleep Time"
CC: screenshot

Tired of being tired?

If you don't NEED coffee, don't get it. 

Sometimes with those awesome movies, and TV shows, making time to hang out with friends, or just finishing up work, it's hard to not feel tired all the time. Even though you've had a good nights rest, you wake up still sleepy and head over to the nearest coffee shop to grab a morning jolt. Plus, it's tough to keep up a daily coffee run, it all adds up! Opt for some tea if you like to have a morning drink, you can easily buy some of your favorite tea's and brew some up in the morning, and save yourself a few dollars.

A few reasons we get tired:

 Irregular sleeping schedule: waking up and going to bed at different times all the time can throw off our bodies. I've read that this type of sleep schedule can make our bodies think it's changing time zones, like when we travel and get jet lag. Solution: Try to get on a normal time schedule by waking up and going to bed at the same time.

Over-training yourself: We all love a good workout in the mornings or at night, it's a good pick me up and a way to feel confident and good about yourself. Raise that self-esteem! But, remember, if you over train, your body will go into a mode where it feels the need to survive. You'll be even more tired and will come to a stand still in your get fit routine. Solution: If you plan to workout, do it when you aren't already exhausted, workout when you're feeling good and awake.

Sugar: The wonderful product we all have a love-hate relationship with. The old tale of getting a sugar rush than crashing??? Really think about how sugar makes you tired...How much sugar is in everything we eat, that's why after eating a doughnut we get so exhausted, aside from the mass amount of carbs that were just inhaled. Solution: Try to stay away from foods and drinks that contain heavy amounts of sugar. You'll feel better and lose some of that weight...sounds kind of nice right? Stick to a whole foods, clean diet. Read the labels and be sure you're not buying foods masked in sugar.

CUT BACK

So, how many of you may think about dipping those carrots, or celery sticks into some yummy ranch or blue cheese dressing? A nice way to dress up those bland orange sticks huh?

Well, I know that sometimes I do get tired of eating plain tasting carrots and like a dip every now and then. Those vegetables are good right, add that into your daily servings of veggies. But keep in mind that if you dip and eat, you're getting a heap of fat, salt and the terrifying -- calories.

Certain foods you eat make you crave those sugars, fats and salts. Of course the more sugar you consume, the more addicted you will get, and it'll be harder to say no when making a menu selection.

Relief is here, it's possible to stop those crazy menu decisions. You just need to know what you're looking for.

Dopamine is triggered in your brain when eating foods high in fat, sugar and salts, according to Prevention.com 

1.) Ask what some of the ingredients are
2.) if you see sugar substitutes, don't get excited, it's just as bad as regular sugar, if not worse.
3.) If you're grocery shopping, read the nutrition labels. It'll help put your mind in perspective after you see what makes up the food you wanted to put in your body later.

Give it a try, start to detox your body of those chemicals and bad things in it. Decrease your sugar intake and you'll feel more energetic.