Tired all the time? Get moving
This advice may seem to go against the grain, but hear me out: If you're fatigued—exercise!
One of the most common complaints I hear from my patients is, "I'm tired all the time!" I even refer to it as TATT (tired all the time), and it is as debilitating to its sufferers as any other disease.
A study supports what I've told them—and you—all along: Exercising will help you feel better, not worse. According to the study results, you could boost your energy level by 20 percent. Even better, you could decrease that tired feeling by 65 percent. All you have to do is find a moderate, low-intensity exercise and stick with it.
To really measure the impact, they tested their theory out on sedentary individuals. The participants suffered from significant levels of fatigue, but just short of a diagnosis for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. One researcher estimates that 25 percent of our population suffers from this level of fatigue.
Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups:
1) 20 minutes, three times per week of moderate-level aerobic exercise for a period of six weeks
2) 20 minutes, three times per week of lower-intensity aerobics for six weeks
3) No exercise for the length of the study
Those who exercise, regardless of their level of intensity, experienced the 20 percent increase in energy compared to the control group. What was especially promising, though, was the more significant decrease in fatigue: a 65 percent decrease in the low-intensity group compared to only 49 percent in the moderate- intensity group.
It just goes to show there's always a tipping point, and more is not always better.
