Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? When you’re dealing with adrenal fatigue and chronic stress, you often wake up feeling like you’ve had enough, right?
I get it. Do you know now many nights I have lain in bed wide awake, exhausted, sometimes painfully so, and I just couldn’t fall asleep? Every morning, I woke up thinking “I am SO tired, but I’ll just go to bed earlier tonight”. Yet, the same insomnia hit me again and again.
If you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, you know what I’m talking about!
Feeling Sick and Tired is NOT Normal
So many women visit their doctor to complain about not being able to sleep, constant fatigue and a slow metabolism. Yet, a lot of women think that it’s just a normal part of aging.
This is so NOT true! Healthy women feel energized when they need/want to. They fall asleep at night and stay asleep. And, they have a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.
Your Symptoms Are NOT Normal
One of the biggest problems with feeling sick and tired and not getting any help is that you usually have a bunch of confusing health symptoms. Most don’t seem related to each other and you try to explain them away by a poor sleep or a hectic schedule.
Do any of these symptoms sound familiar?
- You feel wired and tired at bedtime and can’t fall asleep
- You wake up a 3 AM and cannot fall back asleep, no matter what
- Your weight is creeping up or you simply cannot lose weight
- Little things make you feel anxious or panicky
- PMS, hot flashes, adult acne, and/or heavy or changing periods are driving you crazy
- You feel puffy and bloated after eating
- Your joints and/or muscles ache more often than they should
- You struggle to concentrate and focus throughout the day
- It feels like your brain is foggy
- Your memory isn’t as good as it once was
- You have low thyroid function
- You’re hungry all the time
- Your overwhelming to-do list overwhelms you and you feel like you can’t keep up
- You have almost no energy and you often use caffeine and sugar as a crutch
Poor Advice Won’t Help You
When you’re feeling sick and tired, you might be inclined to jump onto any popular bandwagon. Or, you get bad advice that really doesn’t solve your problem.
“Eat healthier.” (What does this mean???)
“Exercise more.” (But, I’m SO tired!)
“Here’s a 6-week program that I promise will transform you.” (Uh, maybe? I don’t know…)
I get that you want to stop feeling sick and tired. And sometimes these programs and promises seem like the best option. After all, you’re so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired that you’ll try anything…provided it’s not too complicated or it doesn’t take up too much time or it doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out.
Believe me, I’ve been there. Here’s a true story about me: I have bought into a few one-size-fits-all exercise and nutrition programs, only to receive the details, read the meal plan and just want to curl up in the corner and whimper. The recipes confuse me; they require ingredients I just don’t know where to get; the exercise program is outrageous and I don’t know how I’ll fit it in around my job and regular life! AH! I just want to scream!
Yet, feeling sick and tired has become old. I WANT to feel healthier, energetic and clear-minded. So, yes, I give these programs a shot.
And, to no real surprise, they don’t fulfill their promises. Sure, a few things might change but not to the extent that the programs promised.
Take Back Your Health! Stop Feeling Sick and Tired!
Here’s the kicker…when you feel sick and tired, struggle with symptoms of adrenal dysfunction, and essentially don’t feel 100%, you are NOT going to invest in a long program or a bunch of new and crazy recipes. Right? The very thought of major changes simply overwhelms you, making you feel worse.
The good news is that you CAN take control of your health without a lot of change. The key to controlling and reversing your symptoms is to make small steps consistently. Work with what you have and change what you’re capable of at this moment. Add in another change as soon as others feel comfortable and normal to you. You will reach your goal and not even realize it! (It’s kind of like how we zone out while driving to our childhood homes for the 1000th time.)
Where to Start?
In order to overcome your confusing health symptoms and stop feeling sick and tired, you need to pay attention and alter three key areas of your life:
- Nutrition
- Activity or Exercise
- Lifestyle or Stress Management
Nutrition
I’m certain that there are a few foods in your diet that are not helping you. However, it’s often easier to add in new foods than remove old favorites.
So, start by adding one small healthy smoothie to your daily diet. You can replace breakfast with it or you can have it as a snack. It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re drinking it. Just make sure that your smoothie has 1 large handful of spinach, kale, chard or other leafy green. Your body needs the nutrients.
Additionally, include more great foods in your diet:
- An apple a day (preferably organic)
- One tablespoon of ground flaxseed
- Two cups of leafy greens daily (in a smoothie, as a salad, sautéed, your choice)
- Papaya, pineapple or kiwi, about a half cup, daily
- Two to three cups of fresh (or frozen) vegetables daily
Exercise or Activity
I want to clarify something first: Active living is performance of hobbies that keep you moving or taking purposeful steps to move more. So, gardening, raking, parking farther away, or getting up from your desk every hour for a walk fall in the ‘active living’ category. Don’t mistake these activities as exercise!
Exercise is anything that gets your heart pumping, pushes your limits, and strengthens your muscles. Running, a brisk walk, lifting weights, Zumba…these are exercise. Basically, if you don’t feel exertion, it’s not exercise.
Now, when you’re feeling sick and tired, sometimes exercise isn’t a priority. However, we all need exercise, and ideally about 150-200 minutes each week. If you’re already exercising regularly and still feeling sick and tired, you may actually want to cut back and get some rest. Your body can only handle so much exercise before your stress response kicks in. Chronic stress response from too much exercise can be just as unhealthy as no exercise.
However, if you’re not exercising much because you feel sick and tired all the time, you likely do need to kick it up a notch. As a rough guideline, try adding in about 10% more exercise each week than what you’re doing now. You can add more time, up the intensity, or perform more repetitions.
Lifestyle or Stress Management
Feeling sick and tired usually means you aren’t giving yourself enough love.
Constant stress and continuous cortisol release make us feel like crap. And, symptoms like sugar cravings, insomnia, stomach fat, anxiety and extreme fatigue set in. Once we hit this point, it can be tough to bounce back without help.
If you’ve been feeling sick and tired for quite some time, I recommend that you schedule 10 minutes every day for a relaxing activity. Some options are:
- Stretching
- Relaxing and restorative yoga poses
- Deep belly breathing
- Coloring, knitting or crafts
And, if you’re already big into meditation, yoga or other restorative activity, do it every day. Purposeful relaxation of any kind is good for the soul. Clear your mind, relax your muscles and stop your worry. To stop feeling sick and tired all the time, you must concentrate on relaxing more often!
Conclusion
Our everyday stressors take a toll on our bodies and minds. Take action now – you’ve had enough of feeling sick and tired! Don’t believe that your confusing health symptoms are ‘normal’ – they are not!
If you’re sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, use some of the tips I’ve given you to boost your body’s natural ability to heal itself. The right nutrients, exercise and relaxation activities can and will rebalance your hormones and nurture your adrenals. It’s time to stop feeling sick and tired all the time and start feeling like you again!
