THE ENERGY DRAIN: HOW TO BEAT IT!

EXHAUSTED MUCH?

 

We all have that certain time of the day where we fall down the "energy drain", so to speak! No matter how much rest we get at night, there seems to be a certain time of the day ( usually between 1-3pm ) for all of us that the energy tank starts to point towards empty.  I know this is so true for me when the clock reads somewhere in the neighborhood of 2:30pm!  At this time I know I need to start doing things to combat my fatigue so I can gear up for my evening obligations.    And for those of you that work full time, and your workouts don't fall in the early morning or lunchtime hours, getting that workout in can be ROUGH to say the least.

AT 2:30PM, I SORT OF LOOK A LITTLE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.........

WELL, NOT JUST LIKE THIS, BUT YOU GET THE PICTURE RIGHT?

So, what can we do to combat this???

1. Certain experts say that the feelings of exhaustion we tend to feel toward the late afternoon/evening hours could be all in our head.  In a recent Welsh study, cyclists who felt mentally fatigued stopped pushing themselves sooner than those who felt refreshed did, even though both groups' cardiovascular and muscular responses to exercise were the same! When you hear the saying, your mind is the obstacle not your body, well it's true.

BEAT IT:

Cue up the iPod! Cranking your fave tunes can do more than just motivate you, it can increase exercise performance.  Lift your spirits and your performance!! If you workout in the evening, throw that iPod in the gym bag, it will get you through a tough workout when you just aren't feeling it.

2. Another study shows that cortisol levels (the get up and go hormone) are higher in the morning but then drop toward the afternoon,  as melatonin (the sleepy time hormone) levels start to rise. AHA! And there is your 1-3pm slump!   If you are like me, you TEAR through your to-do list before lunch, and then by afternoon you can barely type your keyboard.  

BEAT IT:

Go get some sunlight!! Go outside for a bit, walk around and get some fresh air! This really does work

Bottom line is YOU WILL NEVER REGRET GETTING YOUR WORKOUT IN! So, no matter what time of day you feel that slump, if your workout happens to fall into that time, JUST GO DO IT! You will always feel better when you do.