3 Things That Drain Your Physical Energy
The 2012 Summer Olympics are underway. This is the chance for athletes from all over the world to demonstrate peak displays of physical strength, agility, stamina, and conditioning. Many Olympians train their whole lives for the opportunity to compete in the Games. To them, sport training is practically a full-time career.
While you might not be an Olympic athlete, there are a ton of things in your everyday that zap your physical energy, leaving you too tired to even watch the Olympic Games, much less participate. Here are some of those everyday elements that you should avoid to keep your physical energy up.
1. Bad sleep
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of physical health, but many of us tend to ignore a good night’s rest or suffer through conditions that make sleep impossible. Just one bad night can throw off your system.
Eight hours is the average amount of sleep, though many people require a little less or a little more. Remember that quality is just as important as quantity. Eight hours won’t matter if you spend all that time tossing and turning. Your body needs to reach deep sleep to get the full benefits. During deep sleep, your pulse rate and blood pressure drop, allowing your body to just rest and recharge for the day to come.
2. Overwork
It’s amazing how sitting in one place for eight hours can completely drain your mind and body, but office work can do exactly that.
A study in 2004 found that one in three employees was chronically overworked. The main culprit is stress. A bottomless inbox, assignments left and right, messages that need answering, and the revolving office politics all put you in a constant state of stress. Stress sets off your fight-or-flight response, causing an increase in blood flow and heart rate. While this was a useful response back when our prehistoric ancestors had to deal with various natural hazards, in the office it can completely drain your system.
Find a way to balance the stresses of work. Take frequent short breaks throughout the work day. Don’t let the worries of work hound you when you’re out of the office.
3. A sedentary life
When you’re already tired from a hard day at the office, the last thing you want to do is go out for a run or get in some core strength exercises. You can barely muster the strength to make dinner, but sitting on your behind all night will only make you even more tired.
It might seem counterintuitive, but exercise is actually the best way to refresh your body and kick the fatigue. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an intense weight training workout either. A simple 15 minute walk can work wonders, boosting your energy and squashing fatigue.