Are you a TATT person? Is TATT your reality? Don’t know what TATT even is?
TATT is the acronym for Tired All the Time, and this is an issue for a lot of people (there’s even a name for it!). Sometimes you know that it’s not motivation that you are lacking, but you just feel so incredibly tired all the time that even the things you normally love to do feels like a monumental effort. Let’s discuss a few reasons why you may be experiencing TATT:
- Lack of Sleep: Seems obvious, I know, but it’s still one of the biggest problems today. We often don’t get enough good quality When we sleep, our brains do some serious work, such as storing memories, releasing hormones regulating metabolism and energy levels and cementing neural pathways. So, if we are not sleeping well, it stands to reason we will experience confusion, feeling dazed and tired, and unable to shake off the last few kilograms you have been working so hard at losing. Solution: Get into a bedtime routine and stick to it (No Netflix binges during bed time!). You can also up your physicality during the day, and have a “winding down” routine to get your mind into sleep mode (nice warm bath, a few minutes of reading, then lights out…)
- Poor Eating Habits (Read: eating refined carbs): Believe it or not, but eating too many refined carbs during the day can make you feel sluggish and tired later on. The carbs cause a spike in blood sugar levels, triggering large amounts of insulin to be released into the bloodstream to get rid of the excess sugar. This sudden rise and fall in blood sugar levels makes you feel tired, and often lazy. Solution: Fill your body with goods that don’t impact your blood sugar so dramatically. In other words, fill up with fresh foods and Low G.I. carbohydrates.
- Sitting on your bum the whole day: Living a sedentary lifestyle can cause you to feel tired too. Ironically, and counter-intuitively, the solution for low energy caused by being inactive is exercise! You will feel the difference within the first few minutes of your workout, so stick it out!
- Food sensitivities: We all associate food allergies or intolerances with symptoms like skin rashes, headaches, gastric upsets or even a swollen tongue – but fatigue is often overlooked as a symptom. Solution: To determine if you are intolerant to certain foods, try an elimination diet. The usual suspects are gluten, soy, eggs and dairy, although you may have intolerances to any one of a rather wide spectrum of foods.
- No fuel in your tank: This one is a truth I had to learn the hard way – not consuming enough calories will leave you feeling tired and sleepy. Calories refer to the energy inherent in your food. Your body uses this energy to keep you going, but if you’re not consuming enough, your metabolism will slow down and your body goes into energy conservation mode, meaning you run at half capacity. This is what leaves you feeling tired and sleepy, and is entirely counter-productive to being fit! Solution: Fuel your body regularly with healthy, well-portioned meals and snacks throughout the day.
- Dehydration: All of the biochemical reactions and processes in your body occur within the context of water. Thus, if you are not properly hydrated, these processes slow down, leaving you feeling groggy, tired and low in energy. Solution: Keep your water bottle handy! Drink at least 2 litres of water every day, and top up when it’s hot or if you are working out (also check out our blog on The Importance of Water).
So now that we’ve debunked a couple of fitness myths, there is no reason not to be in the know anymore!
Leandri
