You’re feeling tired more easily as you get older and you start feeling sorry for yourself.
Your lethargy has much to do with the changes in your body as you get older.
But that is no reason to put up the white flag and surrender, there are many things you can do to regain some of that lost energy. Do you look in the mirror and see the wrinkles creeping up on you? Are you struggling to stay awake or pay attention at work, even after a good night’s sleep? Finding it hard to keep fit and lacking the stamina for physical activity?
Why?
Your body is constantly regenerating new cells. If it didn’t, your wounds wouldn’t heal, you wouldn’t recover from the flu and you’d lose all your hair. It wouldn’t be a pretty existence. Once you hit your thirties you’ve grown to your maximum potential, there is no need to be regenerating at breakneck speed any more.
So your body relaxes and now, your metabolism slows down, your hormones dwindle, you lose muscle mass and grow ‘love handles’ (if you weren’t paying attention). Does that mean you should give up? Absolutely not!
What can I do?
It’s NEVER too late to live a full life. Your body may slow down but it doesn’t mean you have to pack it in. In fact, if you had been diligently taking care of yourself when you were younger, you wouldn’t even notice a slowdown. But no worries, there are things you can do to keep yourself fit as a fiddle:
Exercise
Yes, here we go again. Exercise is a simple way to stay in shape at all ages. Exercise not only gets your body’s metabolism up, it gets your blood moving, helps to clear your mind, prevent muscle loss and excrete toxins through sweat.
With so many benefits, what do you have to lose? Mind you, if you’ve never exercised a day in your life you should know your limits. For example, if you’ve never run long distances before, start by walking for an hour. Pace yourself and slowly introduce running into your routine over time.
Don’t forget to warm up before you begin and, don’t be ashamed to take a breather if you are tired. Adding weight-bearing exercises can help you strengthen your muscles and encourage muscle growth.
If you have pre-existing conditions like heart disease or diabetes, please discuss your exercise routine with your doctor.
They may do tests to make sure you can exercise safely.
Diet
You are what you eat, but if you’ve been stuffing yourself full of junk food, guess what you are? We, Malaysians suffer from having too many food temptations and it’s quite hard to resist. But you don’t have to give up your sweets or fried treats, just be reasonable. Merely having your (intake a tall order), I know I can make a difference to how energetic you feel. Avoid late-night bingeing as it gives you indigestion, weight gain and poor sleep. You’ll be surprised how much more energy you’ll have when you start eating better.
Supplementation
Supplements have become necessary to our modern lifestyle because we don’t have much time to eat and sleep well. But there are so many supplements out there and you’re just not sure which to choose from. Choose a supplement that targets your particular need. If you’re looking for more energy, look for supplements that contain trace minerals and antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E. These help combat the ravages of free radicals, which rob you of energy.
So stop the self-pity that you’re getting older and start moving. You only live once and, you should grab life by the horns and find what powers you today!
