However, I actually find that it’s quite common to feel some sense of this as the year draws to a close, especially when we’re not satisfied with what we’ve achieved throughout the year or the results that we were wanting to create haven’t come to fruition.

I noticed in myself these past few weeks, actually, a growing sense of weariness.  It surprised me a bit, but because I was able to step out of it and become an observer, I was then able to move beyond it more quickly than I have in the past.

How about you?  What is your feeling state these days as 2011 comes to a close?

If you do indeed find yourself in a state of weariness, or you have experienced this state at one time or another, listen in to the tip below for some suggestions on how to shift out of this energy quickly and with ease.  There’s no need to feel alone, and there is no reason to stay stuck.

Just click on the triangle; the tip is 5 minutes long.

After listening, leave a comment to let you me know what your usual response is when you’re experiencing a state of weariness, and what you’re now going to do differently in order to move out of it more quickly.

Not a pleasant experience, that’s for sure. 

In today’s audio post I share my own experience recently with really being in the zone, feeling like I could take on the world and really excited about moving forward…and then, from what felt like out of nowhere, having a technology curve ball thrown my way. 

How did I handle it?  Well, after a few choice words, I… tune in below to hear the whole story.  (Just click on the sideways triangle; the audio is about 4 minutes long).

What are some ways that you deal with things that come up that really put a wrench in your progress?  Leave a comment to let me know.

Just for a moment, I would like you to visualize your own internal energy gauge, similar to the fuel tank gauge in your car. At the end of a typical day, what does your energy gauge indicate? If the needle moved a bit, but you still ended up in the quarter or half tank range, then you probably have some good habits in place already. But if the vision that you saw was the gauge on empty, then perhaps it is time for you to consider a lifestyle makeover. Read on to see if you can identify with any of the following habits that can lead to these deficiencies.

1. Not enough sleep

Are you staying up late, night after night, to try to get more done on your to-do list? Has your body been signaling you that it needs more rest, but you continue to ignore it and push past the exhaustion? When you begin your day in an already fatigued state, it is very difficult to make up for this as the day progresses. Certainly losing some sleep occasionally is a fact of life, but if you are chronically sleep-deprived your energy will never reach its optimal levels.

Consider going to bed earlier whenever possible, as even an extra hour can do wonders. Also, where in your day can you build in some downtime or extra rest?

2. Skipping breakfast

Okay, so you’ve dragged yourself out of bed and once again you’re running late. You grab a cup of coffee and move forward in your day. You’re counting on the caffeine to kick in to give you enough of a boost to make it through your hectic morning. You can’t remember the last time you sat down at the table and had a healthy meal to start your day.

Here’s something to keep in mind: the word breakfast means to break the fast. You’ve gone without fuel for several hours while you sleep, and now it’s time to break that fast with some solid fuel. Your body needs food that it can convert to energy. You can’t expect your body to function, day after day, on low-quality fuel. We don’t expect our cars to run without the proper fuel, so why do we expect our bodies to?

3. Relying on caffeine

You start your day with coffee, and then as you go through your day and feel your energy dwindling you reach for a can of soda to once again give you a boost. The problem is, as you know, that quick energy boost never lasts quite long enough. And so you go through your day on what amounts to a roller-coaster ride of energy levels.

Your body needs to be well-hydrated throughout the day in order to decrease the opportunity for fatigue. Caffeine actually dehydrates you, which causes you to be even more thirsty and feeling rundown, and unfortunately leads you to reach for yet another caffeinated drink.

It’s also important to realize how much caffeine taxes your liver, causing it to work overtime in trying to process the caffeine and the other chemicals that have gone into your body. When energy is devoted to this task, less energy is left for you as you go through your day.

4. Multi-tasking

I live in the real world, so I certainly acknowledge that there are times when multi-tasking is necessary. However, when did it officially become the norm? When you spend the majority of your day focused on several tasks at a time, you may find yourself feeling scattered and having a harder time concentrating. Soon you will feel depleted and wiped out, even if you’ve been sitting most of the day. This happens because your brain is exhausted from all of these constant demands.

If you’re on the phone with a client, you’re checking your email, and you’re filling out some paperwork all at the same time, this starts to take a huge toll on your energy levels. Although a lot of you probably feel quite accomplished in the area of multi-tasking, we’re actually not designed as human beings to be in this state day in and day out.

5. Poor Eating Habits

Think about what you ate yesterday, or what you eat on a typical day. Would you consider your list to be an example of good, solid nutrition? I am betting that the answer is no. When you go through the day trying to function on heavily processed foods that add nothing to your body (except perhaps for some extra pounds), it’s no wonder that by the afternoon or early evening you feel like you’re running on fumes. A lot of us take more care in feeding our pets than we do ourselves.

It’s also important to keep in mind that how we eat affects us as well. If you’re always rushing through a meal, or eating in your car, or again eating while doing 2 or 3 other tasks, your digestive system can’t do its job. As a result, the food isn’t converted properly to fuel and more energy is tied up in trying to get the digestive process going.

Is low energy an issue for you? Is it keeping you from leading the life that you desire? Did you see yourself in any of the above? If so, what I encourage you to consider is which of these habits you are willing to change. If all 5 apply to you, don’t try to tackle them all at once. Instead, pick one or two to work on starting today. Like with any habits that we want to change, you will be more successful if you focus on replacing a negative habit with a new, more positive one. Just trying to stop something isn’t usually the best approach.

Your body really does want to be there for you, but in order for it to do that you need to provide it with what it needs to function at its best. Just like with the car analogy, if you never changed the oil in your car, kept the same tires for years, and kept driving even though the fuel gauge was on empty, you would never expect the car to continue to perform for you. Isn’t it time you stop expecting this from your body?

If you’d like to learn more about developing a healthier lifestyle and managing your energy, please visit http://www.TheEnergizedWoman.com. While there, you can access a free 60 minute audio entitled: "The Top 12 Energy Drains of Women 35 & Over (And What You Can Do About Them Starting Today!)."

If you would like to use this article in your newsletter or blog, please feel free to do so as long as you include my credit information listed below, with the live link intact.

Copyright 2010 – The Energized Woman – All Rights Reserved.

Amy E. Willard is passionate about helping women 35+ create healthy lifestyle changes that stick and more effectively manage their valuable, personal energy.  Her mission at The Energized Woman is to support these women in increasing their energy and taking charge of their health so that they can be their best selves and bring their gifts to the world. For more tips and resources, please visit http://www.TheEnergizedWoman.com.

I’ve been talking a lot about how our lifestyle habits and choices impact our energy levels, and in today’s post I’d like to shift to a different area of our lives.  When it comes to your energy levels and overall health, you really can’t separate the physical from the mental.  They really are intertwined, and I would imagine that is why there is such a growing body of mind-body medicine and research.  Even as you make changes to improve your daily lifestyle habits, if you’re still experiencing a great deal of mental stress it can really wreak havoc on your health, energy levels, and well-being.

The focus for today is on a particular type of mental stress that seems to be affecting so many people these days:  finances.  Whether we’re actually talking about our own financial situation or listening to stories either in the news or from friends and family members, the emotions that are stirred up can really begin to take their toll.  Depression-like symptoms are showing up in a lot of individuals, as the pressure from a challenging financial picture continues to increase.  Sleep problems are on the rise, and relationships are suffering.  The uncertainty that so many families are experiencing has brought stress to a whole new level.

Although I don’t encourage dwelling in the land of negativity, I do believe that when it comes to dealing with a negative financial situation an important first step is to get honest.  So many of us have been living in a state of denial for so long, and I can understand that part of it is that there’s a deep fear of really facing the situation.  But, just like in so many areas of your life, nothing can truly change and improve until you acknowledge what is really happening.  And continuing to withhold the truth from others, as well as yourself, can absolutely wreak havoc on you physically and emotionally.

So today, I would like to invite you to begin the process by being honest with yourself.  What is your financial situation?  What role have you played in creating the situation?  What stories are you telling yourself about money?  What do you know that you need to do differently?  What can you start doing differently beginning today?  Also, with whom might you need to have a conversation eventually?

It takes a lot of courage to be honest with yourself.  But before you can be honest with others, you really do need to tell yourself the truth.  And, ultimately, you will experience a sense of relief and freedom when you begin to tell yourself the truth, and you will feel this on both a physical and mental level. 

If you would like more ideas for moving into a healthier place financially, please tune in to the Be Well Wednesday audio blog on 11/11.  For details, please click here.

If you are a pop drinker, I highly encourage you to take a look at this article that I came across regarding how the ingredients in a  can of soda affect your body. 

Also, at the end of the article there is a list of alternative beverages to choose instead of pop.  These healthier options may be ones that you haven’t previously considered.

Interested in checking out the article?  Please click here.

I’m a big advocate for eliminating soft drinks altogether, but if you’re not quite ready to do that then decreasing your daily consumption is a great place to start.

Today’s post was inspired by the arrival of Halloween.  For some reason this year my children have been getting more candy and treats in the weeks leading up to Halloween than I can ever remember.  I don’t buy candy when I grocery shop for my family, so having it in the house recently has, quite frankly, turned out to be a big pain.  My kids have turned into little monsters who can’t seem to get enough of the sweet stuff (and we haven’t even gone trick-or-treating yet!).  I’ve limited them to two pieces a day, but for some reason the issue is brought up way more than that and the whining is beginning to drive me a bit bonkers!!!

Okay, so back to the reason for this post.  I know that there are a lot of women out there who really struggle with their eating patterns and even at times feel out of control.  This can be especially true when it comes to sugar.  Sugar is one of those things that, unfortunately, the more you eat the more your body will crave.  In addition, many women turn to sugary foods for comfort and/or relief from emotional distress.  Does any of this ring true for your experiences with sugar?

Although I do not consider myself to be a sugar addict, I do know that I am quite sensitive to sugar.  I am well aware of the impact that it has on my moods, and all too often my immune system has suffered when I consume too much of it.  I have also experienced the instant rush that sugar can bring and then the longer-lasting crash that accompanies it.  These energy ups and downs just aren’t worth it anymore.  I’ve also learned that I need to find other ways to feel a sense of satisfaction and “sweetness” in my life that don’t involve food.

Sugar is something that I have to be extra careful with, and for the most part I stay away from simple sugar and instead do my best to make healthier choices.   I do find that it’s a slippery slope, especially around the holidays.  If I have just one or two sugary items, the next thing I know the cravings will kick in.

If you are someone who has a sensitivity to sugar or perhaps you do feel like you might be a sugar addict, I have a great resource to share with you.  It is a free e-book called “Overcoming Sugar Addiction,” written by Karly Randolph Pitman.  She is the founder of FirstOurselves.com.  If you would like to access this valuable resource, please click here to download the e-book.  You can also visit Karly’s website for additional resources on a variety of body and health issues:  http://www.FirstOurselves.com.

I have never been a proponent of the various energy drinks that are available on the market these days.  They are full of stimulants and artificial ingredients that really do our bodies more harm than good.  Unfortunately, more and more women are turning to these types of options as the demands on their lives increase and their energy reserves decrease.

Are you someone who consumes these types of beverages?  If so, I highly encourage you to click on the link below.  The article points out some of the negative effects that energy drinks can have on the body.  Although the article is directed toward college students, the information is relevant for anyone who occasionally or regularly reaches for an energy drink to keep them going. 

http://www.northernstar.info/article/8696/

It is important to keep in mind that what gives you an extra boost in the short-term may not be the best for you in the long-term.  This is certainly true in the case of Energy Drinks.