Stop Doing These 3 Things if You Feel Tired

 If there's one thing my study of lifestyle medicine taught me, it's that - 

“Our health depends on our daily habits.”

And our energy is directly linked to our level of accomplishment.

How many of us put off making that decision, having that difficult conversation or starting that challenging project because we don't have the energy right now.

This video is going to help you stop self-sabotaging by challenging your current habits and patterns of thinking that could be draining your energy.

Here are the three habits to avoid -

1. Sleep Procrastination

I recently worked with a client who was so stressed with their projects that they were regularly working past 11pm.

The late sleeping had a domino effect, as the science proves. They were eating more indulgent foods because of an increase in the 'hunger gremlin' (the hormone ghrelin), they were more prone to catching colds and they were more likely to lose their temper.

It took a deep dive into their beliefs for them to discover that they were procrastinating rest because they felt rest was lazy.

Sleep procrastination mainly occurs when we don't have any resets in the day. When we should be sleeping, we numb the draining feeling with social media, food and mindless activities.

The solution - create resets in your day with the breath, nature and looking inwards. Listen to your body - it’s continuously in communication with your mind.

2. Mindless Eating

Who knows what it’s like to start chewing but not have registered what you're eating? The instant dopamine hit of food calms us from seeking stimulation.

I recently had a profound insight on a silent retreat - nearly everyone was sleeping significantly more than would be expected.

The retreat leader had a phrase -

“If you feed the restless monster, it only become hungrier.”

You see, when we are seeking stimulation through food and other means, what we truly need is rest.

Try asking three questions:

1. How could I rest in this moment?

2. What are the consequences of eating this?

3. Does this decision feel good in my body?

With these questions, we take control of our unconscious eating habits, our blood sugar and hence our energy levels.

3. All-or-nothing Workouts

You work all day and then you hit the Peloton, that HIIT class or lift heavy weights because it's important for health, right?

Overtraining is a real cause of feeling tired.

Since having my Oura ring I noticed something startling - the health tracker thought I was exercising when I was having a cold shower and when I was cleaning the kitchen.

This reminded me of a study from Shawn Achor’s famous book, ‘The Happiness Advantage’.

In the study, a group of hotel maids were asked if they were meeting physical activity guidelines - they all answered no.

Then half of the maids were given a tracker and the other half were not. The group with the tracker noticed that their regular work was meeting the physical activity guidelines and they experienced a reduction in weight, cholesterol and blood pressure.

Our beliefs are powerful - you are more active than you think. My recommendation is, if you feel tired and you exercise, invest in a tracking device. It will accurately make you aware of when you need to rest and when you could be overtraining.

Move your body, do not abuse your body.

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1 Quote

"Our health depends on our daily habits."

1 Question

How could I rest in this moment?

1 Quality

Zest

Create the vitality in your life by consciously avoiding what drains you.