Do you dread the sound of your alarm, unceremoniously ending your time to sleep? Or, shortly after lunch, do you begin to slow down like a windup toy that’s run out of juice? Is it all you can do to keep your eyes open at the dinner table? Come to “Power Up!” to learn about the most common causes of low energy and how best to end the weary cycle.
Energy is a topic that concerns us all, all the time. Whether it’s summoning the strength to get through your morning workout, or even just to make it through the full day without desperately wishing you could stop for a snooze, energy is the buzzword we can all relate to. But what is energy? How do our bodies create it? There is a great deal of misinformation regarding this topic, and it’s our aim to dispel the myths and help you make choices that will result in your feeling sufficiently awake and ready for the world each day.
The most popular tidbit we hear regarding the production of energy is that one must consume large quantities of carbohydrates in order to give their bodies the energy they require to function well. The body has specific mechanisms for creating energy, and using carbohydrates is only one of them. Most importantly, it’s not the best one. Fun fact: your body can make carbohydrates as needed if the protein supply is adequate. Reducing your daily intake of carbohydrates to 72 grams or fewer will result in more energy at your disposal as long as you eat enough fat and protein. Fat supplies more energy than a comparable amount of carbohydrate, and many organs, including the heart, prefer fat for energy. Furthermore, the cells’ mitochondria use fat for the manufacture of ATP (read: energy). Not all fats are created equal! Ask us for more information regarding some of the best dietary fats in order to properly adjust your diet.
Now it’s time for the unpopular news: sugar positively robs the body of its energy. Sugar is one of the main substances that throws the body chemistry out of balance – out of homeostasis. When the body is out of homeostasis, it cannot heal, and when it isn’t healing (and this is something it should be doing all the time), it is on the path to degeneration. Eating sugar can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, falling asleep after meals, and even anxiety and depression. If you’re feeling too tired to drag yourself through your daily routine, the best thing you can do to improve your own vitality is to eliminate added sugars from your diet. This can be a tricky feat, but we’re here to help you with that. Come to the “Power Up” class to learn more (check here for next scheduled class), then schedule your Nutrition Response Testing® exam or check-up today to begin to really learn how best to feed your own wonderful body, and it will thank you with a huge boost in energy!