If you work your butt off during a Zumba class, you THINK you’re going to walk away exhausted but it’s quite the opposite. Yes, immediately after the workout you’ll be depleted, out of breath, and might need a hot bath! Lol
But the next day, and the day after that, you should see an improvement in your energy levels. Almost all of the studies suggest that there’s an association between physical activity levels and a reduced risk of experiencing feelings of fatigue and low energy.
20% of people go through their day-to-day with low energy levels. Exercise can help! But it’s not the end-all-be-all to your chronic fatigue. It’s important to recognize what’s causing it in the first place.
Common Causes of Fatigue and Low Energy
Dehydration
#1 most common cause of fatigue
Lack of protein intake
A low-protein diet leads to muscle loss.
Less muscle = weak muscles = low strength = low energy
Low levels of vitamins & minerals
VERY common post-op bariatric surgery
Missing out on key nutrients will cause fatigue and low energy
It is dangerous to work out if you’re malnourished
Poor sleep
Clearly, if you don’t sleep well or get enough sleep, your energy levels are going to be depleted.
*I must mention: If you’re chronically exhausted, not sleeping well and it’s affecting your eating, your hydration, your stress…You must take it slow. Exercise is a stressor on the body and if you do too much, you can definitely burn out and cause even MORE problems for yourself.
So if you are someone who’s exhausted, stressed, not eating well, not sleeping well, not taking care of your body in the ways you know you should be - start with the littlest amount of movement. Do NOT jump into high-intensity workouts.
On the other hand, if you’re someone who just feels kind of tired from working a long day, exercise can be very helpful for you. BUT!!! If you do not take care of all 4 other components above, you probably won’t feel the result. For example, no matter how much you work out, if you are deficient in iron or vitamin b12, exercise will NOT help. You must fix the nutrient deficiency first.
But anyway, let’s get down to the facts:
How does exercise improve energy levels?
#1: Improves oxygen flow and blood flow in your body which allows your body to function better. When your blood is flowing and you have fresh oxygen moving throughout your body, you’re going to feel better and have way more energy.
#2: Increases specific hormones which act as energizers. Specifically endorphins. Endorphins are what cause the runner’s high you may have heard of. When you start to feel SO good after a few minutes of running. It’s real! Endorphins are “feel-good” hormones that do wonders for increasing your overall mood and energy.
Norepinephrine and epinephrine are also released. These are known as “stress” hormones. Exercise IS a form of stress on the body and when you begin to push your body during a workout (stress it), those two hormones are released and provide you with a boost of energy. This explains why even if you’re soooo tired and don’t feel like taking your walk, if you can just force yourself to put your sneakers on and get out there, in just a few minutes of walking these hormones will kick in and you should feel a boost of energy to keep going.
#3: Increased mitochondria. Let’s bring it back to 6th-grade science class. Mitochondria are the powerhouse of our cells. They take the food we eat and turn it into fuel and the air we breathe and turn it into oxygen so that we can literally live! Lol. And guess what? Exercise works at that cellular level. Exercise stimulates your body to produce more mitochondria inside your muscle cells. More mitochondria = more energy supply.
Low-Intensity > High-Intensity
When it comes to increasing energy levels and decreasing daily fatigue, the research favors low-intensity exercises over high-intensity exercises.
For example:
Take a walk. Don’t go for a run.
Lift light weights. Don’t lift heavy weights.
Do 30 minutes of basic yoga. Don’t do a 90-minute hot yoga class.
More is NOT always better. Don’t be afraid to take things easy.
Consistency leads to results
The exercise effect might not kick in right away. If you’re totally sedentary, the first few weeks of adding in exercise can be exhausting. It’s a complete change of routine. BUT! I promise if you give it time, you will begin to feel that energy boost exercise provides.
I hope you found this helpful! :) If you want a personalized workout plan, click here. Or browse my self-paced at-home workout plans here.
Disclaimer: Thebariatrictrainer.com website offers health and fitness information and is designed for educational and entertainment purposes only. Before beginning a new fitness program, you should consult your physician or general practitioner. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult a physician, general practitioner, or other healthcare professional. do not disregard, avoid, or delay obtaining medical or health-related advice from your healthcare professional because of something you may have read on thebariatrictrainer.com. The use of information provided through thebariatrictrainer.com website is solely at your own risk and is not medical or healthcare advice.
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