What Is My Problem? Lack of Energy.

It could be any number of things. You could have thyroid problems or you could be anemic. Either of those can be ruled out by a simple blood test. It could be that you need some sunshine.

Hope you feel better soon.

Barring any health conditions that need medical attention, have you considered a good multi-vitamin? I have noticed an improvement in myself over the last six months since I started taking Oligo for women.

Ever notice how EVERY single "energy" product gets pulled after a couple years because of class action lawsuits following massive organ damage and death? New ones keep coming on the market, however, because they can be called a health and beauty aid and skip out on FDA regulations.

Go to the doctor... fatigue is a symptom of MANY different medical problems ranging from infection, to hormones, to depression, to parasites, to nutritional deficiency (which can be fixed with diet, supplements, or even SUNSHINE), to anemia, to cancer, to diabetes, to, to, to, to....

5 hour energy is not the answer! Getting back to your exercise routine will help, the endorfins help boost your metabolism and energy level. Exercise in the morning if you're tired out in the evening. Be sure you're eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies (frozen are good too to save on prep time) and lots of whole grains. You can't replace the benefits of a good diet to your overall health.

Playing with your kids will be energizing as well. I'll bet they'll even behave better with some extra attention (I know mine do). The cheerfulness will rub off on everyone.

BUT. You have to commit to starting. You won't FEEL ready to jump in and do it, but you have to just do it. Get someone to hold you accountable, a friend so its not seen as nagging, or even to come exercise with you. Spend a day getting your meals for the week organized, shop for ingredients, and then do the prep for as many meals as possible so that you can just pop it into the oven or onto the stove when you get home. Crock pot meals are the BEST too. Soups and cornbread, or a simple sandwich/salad are awesome meals that can be so easy to have ready ahead of time. Use time bake, a rice cooker, crock pot, etc... to have your meal hot when you get home.

Best wishes! Its hard to get out of the slump, but just commit to starting!

I'll echo the others: call your doctor. You need to know if your body is working for you the way it should. Ask for a thorough checkup and then follow your doctor's instructions. Ask, also, about that five-hour energy thing - I've seen that advertised, too! As you know, a product doesn't have to be GOOD to be advertised, and I'm afraid you'll be wasting your hard-earned money.

Does the new year have anything to do with your feelings? Some people don't handle "low-light" months well, but many others just have a letdown after Christmas. Is this something that usually happens to you?

There are a couple of things you can do before your checkup (although I hope you'll call for an appointment today):

One is to journal - yes, write down - everything you eat and when you eat it. You want to make sure you're giving your body the fuel it needs. It's easy for busy women to sacrifice nutrition for "more important matters" - but when we don't take care of ourselves, our productivity always suffers.

The other thing to do is to smile whether you feel you have the energy to do it or not. No joke. Lavish smiles on your husband and your children. Look for things to smile or laugh about - a nice remark from a co-worker, a pair of squirrels running up a tree, something one of your kids does, a pretty doodad in a store window. I know this sounds as sappy as a maple tree in Vermont, but smiling can help your energy level. It does NOT replace a physical checkup, mind you, but it can help you keep going! And it's free.

I have to second thyroid along with the others. When I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and started taking meds for it, it completely changed my life! Another thing is check your vit D level. Even with my thyroid med making a HUGE difference, low vit D levels weren't allowing me to have the energy I should have had. I started taking supplements. It wasn't a life-changing difference like the Synthroid, but it was still another big difference. It suprised me how much of a difference it really made.

For me it was me not being regular, as soon as I focused on that with a high fiber diet and deleting a lot of the sugery foods that I cook and eat that has done wonders for my energy. I did have my thyroid check and it was fine, just do a process of elimination.

Hi B.---I too, feel that energy products are not the answer. You must get to the underlying condition, whether it be post holiday let down, lack of exercise, lack of help in the house, need for sunshine (the lamps are fairly cost effective) or maybe a medical issue. All of these situations can be helped by a couple of things, but most importantly, your diet.

Eating an optimal diet allows the body to take care of itself. By that I mean that if there is a thyroid problem, your diet can help the body to improve the health of every cell in your body. We need food not only for fuel, but for the body to repair and protect itself. Supplements may help in the short term if you are deficient in anything, but after proper levels are achieved your diet will maintain those levels. If you take supplements when they aren't needed, they actually cause damage in the body, which leads to degeneratived disease.

So, an optimal diet consists of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes/beans, nuts and seeds. Minimize animal protein and eliminate dairy (go to www.pcrm.org and put dairy in the search box) as too much of these promote disease. They are hard to digest as well, which takes a lot of energy. I could go into a lot more detail, so feel free to contact me if you would like to know more. I am happy to help. I am taking a series of wellness classes taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition so I have access to lots of great info. I do want to add that, even tho I have discouraged the use of ISOLATED, MAN MADE vitamin supplements, there are a few whole food based supplements available. I truly believe that we need help with our food so one of these might be useful. I can share info about one that is backed by over 20 independent studies, made of food powders of 17 different fruit and veg. Good luck with your search...a lot can be accomplished by just thinking differently, knowing that this is a temporary situation and giving yourself credit for working toward a solution. The glass IS half-full, and will get fuller because there are no other options. Take care of yourself...D. PS. Don't try to be a superwoman and then you won't be disappointed when life won't allow you to be ;).

Who wouldn'be exhausted with that schedule!? I know it's a normal mommy schedule, but it still is exhausting (some days more than others). You sound like a great, caring and involved mom.

Couple of things to try - acupuncture. I was not a believer but trying to conceive at 42 with invitro, the research indicated acupuncture could significantly boost my success. Besides getting pregnant, I then had an easy pregnancy, a happy baby and I felt more balanced/grounded. I have contined to do acupuncture pretty regularly (about 1 x per month) and can keep up with my spirited, active 3 year old while running a successful leadership consulting business.

One more thing to try is something fun, for YOU! Exercise doesn't count, that's like saying brushing your teeth is your fun activity. For some moms, being mom is plenty to feed their soul - much as I "adore/would give my life for" my daughter, I need more. Thankfully I do love my work, but you gotta have a little whimsey in your life too! My friend scheduled a nite at an improv for us last month. It was really fun and made me realize, I need to sprinkle more adult "fun" into my life.

Most important. - Please stop judging yourself so harshly! You are NOT lazy in the least.

Best to you and your 'lucky to have you" kids!

B.:

It sounds like it COULD be a lot of different things.

1. Depression? Overwhelmed with the rigors of every day life (we ALL go through this!!) especially when we are running around - our schedules are packed and we really do want to do the best for our families and stretch ourselves too thin.

2. Weather? In MI you've had a lot of snow and cold weather. Possible you want it done? When I lived in Belgium, I had a GF who NEEDED sunshine in order to be "up"!!! Talk to your doctor about the 'sunlight lamp'...it might give you the boost you need!!!

3. Pregnancy? I know at the beginning of my pregnancy, I just wanted to sleep all the time!!!

4. Iron deficiency or Vitamin D deficiency. Set up an appointment with your PCP and ask him/her to do some blood work - iron, Vitaman D, Thyroid, pregnancy, etc. and make sure he/she spends more than 5 minutes with you. Tell them WHAT is going on - lack of energy - write it all down so you don't miss anything - or forget anything!

I've personally not tried the energy drink. I know people who have. Some have "loved" it, others felt that it didn't much for them. Check the ingredients before you take it - too much caffeine on an already stressed body could send you into overdrive....who knows!!!

Try scheduling the classes at the Y over the phone. Ask your husband to do it. it's OKAY to delegate chores out too!!! I'm not sure how old your kids are - ask the kids to start the laundry - gather it and separate it, maybe even start it. if they are old enough - have them start dinner. Pull the meat out of the freezer, get the table set, etc. my kids set the dinner table every night and pour the drinks. my kids also bring their laundry to the laundry room. They KNOW how to separate it - they don't always do it - but they can.

Make a menu for each week - this will help you stay organized. Use your slow cooker so you don't feel so overwhelmed when you get home from work. If you can afford it - have a cleaning company come in every two weeks or even once a month - that will take some of the pressure off you too!

Good luck!!!

B.,

I've been feeling this way too. Below are the two suggestions I have started implementing in my own life and they have been helping immensely.

1. Daily Vitamin D pill - 500 units
Vitamin D is created by our bodies when our skin is exposed to sunlight. In the summer we make all the Vitamin D our bodies need to work properly. But, in the winter we are not exposed to enough sunlight. Even milk fortified with Vitamin D does not provide enough for our bodies. Taking this pill each day will slowly help your body to recover and gain more energy.

2. Take some time for yourself each day. Even if you can only take two minutes - find a place where you can think about or do something that you love. And no, doing something for your kids doesn't count. I know you love them, but you also need time to love yourself or you won't be able to mentally recover from each busy day. You have needs as well and if you don't acknowledge those needs and address them daily, then over time you will not be the mom or wife your family needs and deserves.

Don't feel guilty about taking time for yourself. You are important too.

I hope you start to feel better soon.

C. J.

You sounds just like me! You should read one of my last questions!
I am absolutely drained by the time I get home from work everyday. I have been to the doctor and had everything checked. The only thing I was low on was vitamin D. I am taking Os-Cal. The holidays drained me too and I wasn't good about taking the vitamin, but I am getting back on track...we'll see how well it works.
My doctor told me I am tired because of my "lifestyle". Great. Because of working full time I am tired??? I am hoping to get a part time job later this year because I can't take it anymore!

Are you sleeping well? Are you eating properly? Are you depressed? You can do a lot of things besides the energy drinks, and I'd try other things first. If it's just January blahs, it will pass. Do something fun to try to break this pattern. Talk to your kids about it so they know it's not their fault. Be pro-active and you'll get past this.

Since this has kind of come on your versus you've always been low energy, it could just be a phase. Have you been able to take a morning to sleep in as much as you want? You may just have a sleep deficit you need to fill. One day could help a lot. If not, getting off wheat and dairy helped my energy A TON. You could be tested for intolerances.

Well two things one are you pregnant??? Second maybe its just the winter blues alot of us have them it was so nice over the holidays and now we all have the itch for spring and summer. Maybe thats what it is and do you have help maybe if you can get your hubbie to help more things will get you more energy have him pick the kids up every other day and than you can have some you time i think you need you time more.

Yep have your thyroid checked. #1 culprit in women. (I'm hypothyroid, too.)

Also, check your diet. It's it's sugar/fat heavy, that will drag you down as well.

B.,
If you truly want to feel better, I can help you with some supplements.
You may also need to get your thyroid checked by an endocrinologist.
Victoria

I wouldn't try and 'energy product' unless it was something that was going to address one of the problems that the mommas suggested below. Many of them are not good for you long term. They are a stress on your heart. Your body is tryiing to tell you something. Slow down, or increase your gasoline! ;) I also have a crazy schedule, and while I still love my morning cup of coffee, I no longer rely on the caffeine to get me thru the day. I take an awesome supplement that I FEEL the difference in my life and energy. Some of my friends say that they feel like they drank and energy drink. I know it seems like a little thing- but it has changed our lives!!! I also make sure I eat good and add some black strap molasses to my milk each day to make sure I am getting all my B vitamins and iron! Try not to slack on the exercise. The right kind can supercharge your metabolism and give you more energy. If you feel you are depressed with the weather, try to go for a walk the next sunny day! Or get together with your girl friends for some tropical drinks and girl talk! ;)
HUGS
B.

thyroid, thyroid, thyroid!

have you heard of SAD (seasonal affective disorder)? You could just need a little more light in your day. I agree completely with Marta W but would add some light therapy to your life too.

I definitely about going to the doc and having some things checked out. What you wrote about lack of energy describes what I am also feeling. I will be making a doc app very soon. Weather also plays a role in how we feel, especially during cold, snowy months. As hard as it may seem, exercise will give you more energy and help you feel better overall. Have your kids exercise with you, go swimming, skating, walking (indoors if possible) or whatever other things you would all be interested in. I know when i go to our indoor walking track, I feel better about myself for taking that time for my health. Also do some research on how chemicals and toxins in your everyday products can affect your health.

S.
www.LiveYourDreamsAtHome.com

You should see the doctor and get your thyroid and your heart checked. A change in energy levels may very well have a medical reason. Also-if you diet isn't clean you should clean it up. Processed food and simple carbs like white sugar rice and bread can sap your energy as well. Careful with the energy products also-can be hard on your heart.

How's your diet? Is it balanced and are you getting enough protein throughout the day? Eating a good breakfast? Are you drinking water? First sign of dehydration is feeling tired or lethargic. I would try that first before trying any energy drinks.

Good luck to you!

Been there, done that. Not fun stuff. I recommend a high quality multi-vitamin over the 5 hour products. It is way more cost effective. If you would prefer a B boost, I suggest an Isotonic product rather than a pill. I've posted in the past how they are superior in bioavailability. If you would like, I can suggest some great products. I work in the industry.

S.