Beating your energy crisis

If your get-up-and-go has got up and gone, you're in good company. Lack of energy is so common, especially among women, that sometimes it seems normal. It's not.

Chronic fatigue, when not an effect of illness, can be the culprit. It has lots of causes, both physical and psychological. It handicaps us and keeps us from functioning well. Chronic fatigue is linked with many aliments and medications and can be an obvious consequence of being overweight or working too hard. It's a less obvious result of lifestyle, attitude and emotion.

How tired are you?
There are two kinds of being tired. “Good tired” is temporary and comes from hard physical or mental work. You'll rebound after good night's sleep. “Bad tired” is the all-day, everyday, clear-to-the-bone tired—an abnormal tired that a good night's sleep can't fix. Bad tired is the body's subtle signal that you have an imbalanced energy account. It's like a checking account; you're overdrawn and need more energy coming in, less going out or both.

Audit your energy account 

• How tired are you? How often are you tired, and when?
• How much do you sleep, and how well?
• How much exercise do you get?
• Do you eat right?
• Are you overweight? To what extent?
• How much do you smoke or drink?
• What are your working conditions like, both physically and psychologically?
• What worries or conflicts do you have?
• Do you have any illnesses, and what drugs do you take?

Balance your energy
While fatigue isn't a serious problem, it will disrupt your life. Complete the energy audit that accompanies this article. Then, start balancing your energy by following these guidelines:

• Get moving. For most women, the biggest problem is lack of exercise. You need regular exercise for good health and good energy balance.
• Eat well. Eat a well-balanced diet with regular meals. Make sure you're getting enough iron—which is necessary for the blood's oxygen supply—and vitamin C, which aids iron absorption. Also, eat frequent, light meals instead of large, heavy ones for better energy.
• Shed extra pounds. Obesity often causes fatigue. If you are overweight, start a sensible reduction program.
• Stop smoking. Smoking interferes with your body's oxygen intake, and because nicotine is a stimulant, it races your engine unnaturally. If you smoke, quit.
• Get away from work. Working too hard and too long will frustrate you and deplete your energy. Grab some personal time each day and take your vacation time to refresh and re-energize yourself.
• Stay positive. Psychological factors affect your energy just as much as the physical ones. Anger, worry, boredom and conflict can exhaust you.

If these measures don't help, see your physician for a thorough examination. Your fatigue could be a symptom of a serious condition such as a thyroid abnormality, diabetes, a blood disorder or clinical depression.