Lack of energy

How often have you felt tired during the day with no real explanation? A lack of energy can be very frustrating, especially if you feel like you are doing everything right like eating well and getting enough sleep.

What could be causing your energy levels to be low?

Even if you eat a balanced diet, you might not be getting the correct amount of vitamins and minerals. There are many lifestyle factors that may cause our bodies to become depleted of nutrients.

Active people burn through nutrients at a higher rate than those leading sedentary lifestyles. When we move, our muscles use calcium and magnesium and our body needs more iron to carry extra oxygen around the body. We also have a greater requirement for zinc and vitamin C to help speed up tissue recovery and repair. Exercise can really boost energy levels, but only if we are taking in enough vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies in good working order.

Caffeine and alcohol consumption can have a diuretic effect on the body, causing you to excrete increased amounts of water soluble nutrients (B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and many more). Tea has the added problem of containing tannins, which bind to some minerals and prevent them from being absorbed in the digestive system. If you drink any of these beverages, make sure you do so away from your vitamin and mineral supplements.

Stress is a huge tax on our energy levels. Most people whose energy levels are low are experiencing stress in some aspect of their lives. Remember, you can become stressed just by working long hours or burning the candle at both ends. Stress depletes our bodies of essential nutrients such as B vitamins and magnesium, which are key nutrients required to produce energy. When we are low in these nutrients our energy levels can decline and exhaustion can set in.

And it’s not just vitamins and minerals that your body needs to fight fatigue. Are you eating enough protein? A lack of protein in the diet can lead to a lack of energy as the body’s insulin levels increase after carbohydrate-heavy meals, causing fatigue and sleepiness. To prevent this, try eating more protein with each meal. Some good ideas to boost energy levels are a handful of nuts and seeds, a tub of yoghurt or a hardboiled egg, or try taking some spirulina tablets which provide a plant-based source of protein.

A few simple supplements can make all the difference to energy levels, by either putting back into the body nutrients which are lacking, or making your stores are topped up in readiness for times when your body has a greater need. A good quality, well-absorbed multivitamin and mineral complex is a great place to start, and is a simple addition to a balanced diet. For more information on vitamin and mineral supplements, click here.