By that, I mean two things: First, that these tricks really don’t require a ton of active work or commitment, and second, that I believe 'lazy procrastinators' can fix their supposed laziness and procrastination by following these tips.
Am I a lazy procrastinator?
I see a lot of people who think that they must be lazy or doing something wrong because they’re exhausted all the time and they aren’t seeing results. But if you’re exhausted all the time, of course you’re going to feel lazy! And if you aren’t seeing results- and you can’t figure out why- feeling discouraged is just natural.
I don’t believe laziness is as common as a personality trait as my patients do. I do believe that fatigue is common, and that fixing underlying causes of fatigue will do a lot toward making people feel less 'lazy'. Once you fix your energy level, motivation and results will follow.
Fix Your Fatigue
Feeling tired and unmotivated does not make you lazy. It makes you fatigued.
People experience chronic fatigue for many reasons, some simple and some less so. Some of the most common are very basic, such as a lack of quality sleep. Chronic stress leads to chronically bad sleep, which is a terrible cycle, especially when you add in the additional stress of trying and failing to lose weight and get on track while all of these are happening. If this sounds familiar, try a nightly dose of adrenal formula or a bedtime acupressure routine to help you get the sleep you need.
Allergies can also cause fatigue. When you’re allergic to something, your body produces histamines in response to whatever you’re allergic to. Histamines make you feel fatigued, and if you aren’t even aware of the allergy, you may be exposing yourself to the allergen repeatedly and consistently. Those constant exposure and histamine production are very good reasons to feel fatigued. If you can figure out what you’re allergic to, and to avoid it, you might find your energy level benefitting very greatly.
Your sugar consumption may also be to blame for your fatigue. Cutting back on added sugar can help you to even out your energy and blood sugar levels, which is a good idea for many reasons. Watch out for sugar in the obvious places, like sweets and baked goods, but also think of the sugar in wine, fruit juice, and simple carbohydrates in white bread and pasta.
Plan Your Food Intake
This one does take some work initially, but it eliminates game-time decisions and work throughout the week.
Plan what you’re going to eat throughout the week, and make sure you have good choices available to you. When you need a quick meal, you’re going to be more likely to make a good choice if you are already committed to a plan for the week, and if you have the right food around (be it at your office or your house) to stick to your plan.
You’re only human. When you’re stressed and short on time, you still need to eat. If you plan ahead, you can make sure that convenience and healthy options are one and the same. Also consider that when you eat healthy meals, you’re combating fatigue at the same time.
Eat Your Veggies!
How many servings of vegetables do you eat per day? How many do you think you need?
Try seven cups of vegetables. I’m willing to bet that your estimate of how much you should eat (and the reality of how much you do eat) is far below that.
You need to consume about seven cups of vegetables per day to get the 4 700 mg of potassium that your body needs.
Why is potassium so important? It is because low potassium levels can wreak havoc with your blood sugar, and can cause you to crave sugar and sweets, which isn’t what you really need. Your body doesn’t always know best— cravings for sweets rarely evince a need for simple sugars. Try eating your vegetables- lots and lots of vegetables- and see if you find yourself craving sweets less and less often. When you eat the right foods, your body won’t even want the sugar!
Eat Protein at Breakfast
If none of these tips sound achievable to you, this one is as simple as it gets: eat protein for breakfast.
Americans seem to associate breakfast with lots of carbohydrate-laden food. Cereals, bread, waffles, pancakes, muffins, and pastries all contain tons of carbs. You may think you’re making a healthy choice with, for example, a bran muffin or a whole-grain cereal, but you could be doing a lot better.
Carbohydrates won’t do a good job of keeping you full or controlling your blood sugar. Protein, on the other hand, will do just that. Bacon and eggs are good choices, believe it or not (as long as you’re not eating a side of white bread with it). Add nuts and seeds to oatmeal or nut butter to a slice of whole grain toast for other options to include protein in the morning. If you’re not grouchy and hungry all morning, you’re less likely to crave sweets and feel fatigued throughout the day. Easy!
If you feel tempted to label yourself a lazy procrastinator, consider what might be working against you before you throw in the towel.
Dr. Eric Berg
08/31/2023
