The subject of fatigue came up several times, especially related to sleep.  In one way, we are coming full circle to Step One, however, in that post I did not touch on something that affects more than 22 million American adults.  That would be Sleep Apnea.  Unfortunately, 80% of people don’t even know they have it, and not only do they spend their life feeling tired and depressed, it’s downright dangerous.

The Greek word for “Apnea” means “without breath.”  Sleep Apnea therefore means that you stop breathing while you sleep.

Here is where the danger comes in.  Sleep Apnea was cited as one of the reasons my father passed away at 73.  When your body is lacking in oxygen, pressure is put on your heart, which can lead to heart failure.  A few other side effects include:

Weight Gain/Retention – High Blood Pressure – Diabetes – Stroke – Depression- Fatigue

What is really crazy is that the effects continue throughout the day…even when you are awake and breathing normally.  So please take this very seriously and get tested if you are constantly fatigued or even have the symptoms listed above.  Being obese and snoring are not the only obvious clues that there might be a problem as we previously thought.  This is a great site with a short video that may be helpful. 

Remember back in Step Four, we discussed stress?  Whether you have Sleep Apnea or not, please do the breathing exercises I taught each day.  This will help pull oxygen into your cells.  Many people with COPD have issues with fatigue due to the very fact that they cannot breathe in the correct amount of oxygen to feed their cells. 

In Step Two, we talked about nutrition and Step Nine was about nutrient deficiencies.  EFA’s…or…Essential Fatty Acids are key when it comes to getting oxygen into your cells.  To know which EFA’s are most helpful, Dr. Axe has a great post that lists the top 15. (The whole post is great though, and can serve as a refresher on many things I’ve taught in this series!) 

And of course we can’t leave out Step Three which was on exercise.  This further proves why exercise alleviates fatigue.  It forces us to bring more oxygen into our cells.

This concludes our 10 part series on fatigue, and how to increase your energy levels.  If you found this helpful, please share with your friends, co-workers and loved ones.  As you can see, there is much more to it than meets the eye, and by delving into the deeper issues, you may be able to affect much more than just energy…you may actually become healthier over all.

My love to all of you, and my prayer as always is that God blesses your endeavors!

For His glory…

Cynthia

The post Step Ten to Increased Energy – Oxygen Deprivation appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Remember, symptoms are not diseases. 

High cholesterol for instance is only a symptom that something is wrong.  It doesn’t mean that you have a statin deficiency!

Here are just a few categories of medications that cause fatigue, and how it happens:

Blood Pressure Medications – (High Blood Pressure) By depressing the entire nervous system, as well as depleting the body of the vitamins and nutrients it needs to produce energy.

Statin Drugs – (Cholesterol) Due to inhibiting muscle growth and the production of energy at the cellular level

Benzodiazepines – (Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression) Due to their sedation effect

Proton Pump Inhibitors – (Acid Reflux) By depleting your magnesium stores

Antidepressants – (Depression, Anxiety and Chronic Pain) Due to inhibiting and blocking natural hormone production

Antibiotics – Due to destroyed good intestinal bacteria

Diuretics – Due to severe mineral deficiencies

Now, I’m definitely not saying that you should just stop taking these medications cold turkey and without the assistance of a doctor.  That would be dangerous!  What you want to do, is make sure that you are working with a doctor who understands the side effects, and is in your corner on trying to get off of them.  Also, this doctor needs to understand what lifestyle changes need to be made, and/or have you work with their health coach for support.  This may involve finding a new doctor who has the same sensibilities that you do.  If you need help searching, just reach out to me, and I will see what I can do to help!

The post Step Eight to Increased Energy – Pharmaceuticals appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Mold.  Mycotoxins.  Heavy Metals.

Mold is found in over 50% of homes and commercial buildings in this country.  Not surprisingly, 95% of people with mold and other toxic poisoning experience not only a lack of energy, but even debilitating fatigue.  Most often, due to a lack of understanding in our medical system, either the symptoms are not taken seriously, or they are mistaken as other issues.  Some doctors estimate that at least half of their patients have been infected with environmental toxins.  Auto-immune diseases are often brought on by toxicity.  Diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue, Lyme, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Parkinson’s, MS?  These are examples of diagnosis’s that may benefit from further testing for mold, mycotoxins and heavy metals.  When was the last time your doctor asked you about your home and work environment?  I’m guessing that this was never brought up.

Just a few symptoms of mold exposure include:

Weakness – Aches – Muscle Cramps – Unusual Pain – Headaches – Light Sensitivity – Red Eyes – Blurred Vision – Tearing – Sinus Problems – Cough – Shortness of Breath – Asthma – Abdominal Pain – Diarrhea – Joint Pain – Morning Stiffness – Memory Issues – Focus/Concentration Issues – Word Recollection Issues – Decreased Learning Ability – Confusion – Skin Sensitivity – Mood Swings – Appetite Swings – Sweats (especially at night) – Temperature Regulation – Excessive Thirst – Increased Urination – Static Shocks – Numbness – Tingling – Vertigo- Metallic Taste – Tremors – Heart Palpitations – High Blood Pressure – Chest Pain – Anxiety – Hormonal Disruptions

I have 24 of these symptoms, many of which had been diagnosed as something else in the past. Of course the answer was to prescribe a drug that would cover up the symptom and ignore the underlying issue.  I’m not blaming my past doctors, as they just didn’t get the education needed to address toxin based illnesses.  Thank goodness there are resources now to turn to, but we need to be our own advocate in most cases.

One of Holistic Christian Life members recommended a site called momsAWARE, where I found an excellent CBN news clip that goes into detail about one family and their story.

Heavy metal toxicity also has many of the same symptoms.  Both of these can be tested easily through blood and urine.  Some doctors prefer hair analysis for heavy metals. 

So, we know what mold is, but what about mycotoxins?  Mycotoxins are the byproduct of fungal growth and are found in the air, clothing, upholstery, drapes, wood…any porous material.  They can cause death in humans and animals.  They get through drywall, plastic, mortar, etc.  So you took care of the mold?  Mycotoxins can still be in the home/building, and probably are.  My doctor had me do a couple tests to make sure my exposure was only from my home in Chicago and not my current one.  You can’t start healing the body until you know that you are out of danger.   The first is a swab test for mycotoxins that she obtained from Realtime Labs.  It’s a simple test where you swab your heating and air vents.  The second was a mold test where you use a dusting cloth on your surfaces and send it in for testing.  We used Mycometrics.

You can be healed, so don’t despair if you get bad news!

After you know that you are out of danger, it’s time to start the healing process of the body by killing the toxins.  It’s a process, but the good news is that it can be done!  Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker is a premier authority, and many doctors follow his protocol.  His site includes a directory of doctors who are certified in his method.

Dr. Shoemaker was also interviewed by Suzanne Somers for her book Tox-Sick.  This book was also very enlightening about other ways we can protect ourselves from toxins other than mold.

If you would like to study this further, here are just a couple resources that I recommend:

Dr. Jill Carnahan (Make sure that you read her story…I’m sure that you will want to follow her work as I do)

Surviving Toxic Mold

Dave Asprey as a great video called “Moldy”

I pray this posts helps you!  If you have any reason to believe that you have been exposed to mold, know that you’ve been in a building with previous water damage, smell a musty odor at home or work, etc…this is definitely worth checking out.  I can attest to it!

All for the glory of God, our Father.

Leviticus 36“The priest shall then command that they empty the house before the priest goes in to look at the mark, so that everything in the house need not become unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to look at the house. 37“So he shall look at the mark, and if the mark on the walls of the house has greenish or reddish depressions and appears deeper than the surface, 38then the priest shall come out of the house, to the doorway, and quarantine the house for seven days.…

The post Step Seven to Increased Energy – Toxins appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Hormones are affected by what you eat, how much exercise you get, how much stress you are under, and our growth and aging processes.  Environmental issues also play a role, such as EMF exposure, as do chemicals like fluoride and other toxins.

I’m going to go over just a few, how they can go awry, and how to be tested if you want definitive answers.  Similar to my post on genetics, I’ve learned a lot through my own personal experience and working with my clients.

Adrenals:

Estrogens, Progesterone, Pregnenolone, DHEA, Cortisol and Testosterone – If these are out of balance, fatigue is one of the many symptoms that set in.  If your adrenals are constantly under pressure from mis-managed stress, they will affect these hormones.   Again, I feel I must stress that these imbalances can also lead to diseases like cancer.  So getting tested is a good idea even if you think your fatigue is the least of your worries.  It may be a symptom of something more.  Along with getting these levels tested, I also recommend a “cortisol slope” test.  If it is high in the morning, this is good…but it should sustain you throughout the day.  If you experience afternoon fatigue it may be a sign of adrenal stress.  For instance, when I first got tested, mine crashed around 11am.  The good news?  This can be healed. 

Thyroid:

There are many reasons for a thyroid that isn’t functioning optimally.  It may be that your adrenals are looking to your thyroid too often for help.  It may be that you have intestinal permeability (aka: leaky gut syndrome,) gluten is getting through your digestive tract and into the rest of your body where it doesn’t belong.  Whatever the cause, make sure that your doctor knows what a full thyroid panel looks like, and is going by functionally optimal numbers.  This is quite different from what most doctors were taught in med school.  I can point you in the direction of some good resources online if you would like to compare your numbers.

Melatonin and Seratonin:

Often just associated with sleeping and waking, melatonin and seratonin have many functions within the body.  Dr. Mercola has a great article on this.  Typically we know that people struggle with not being able to sleep due to melatonin deficiencies, however, some have an excess that needs to be regulated.  This can affect your energy throughout the day, but can be remedied. 

Leptin, Ghrelin, and Insulin:

Typically these hormones are related to food regulation…cause and effect.  It is key to understand these hormones when trying to lose weight.  For our purposes today, the message is this – any hormone that is produced in the gut, or is related to food intake, is also at the mercy of the nourishment your body is given.  Bad nourishment equals hormone dysfunction and low energy.  Good nourishment has the opposite effect. 

A person whose diet too low in fat will typically have hormonal issues and fatigue.  Hormones are created with fat and cholesterol.

This is just touching on some key hormones that play a part in energy production and fatigue.  How do you know what is going on in your body?  Aside from the blood test for thyroid function, a simple adrenal test will tell you a lot.  The latest in adrenal testing is called the DUTCH Test.  It’s a dried urine test which is easy to do.  It is the most comprehensive test on the market today, surpassing blood and even saliva tests.  However, I’ve used saliva testing for great results in the past.  Depending on which one your doctor chooses, a personal protocol will be created based on the results.  If your doctor isn’t familiar with these tests or doesn’t understand the importance of them, I can point you in the right direction to get the job done.

Next up?  Weight.  I promise you that it will go beyond the obvious!

Like this post?  Please share it! 

The post Step Six to Increased Energy – Hormones appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Here’s what you can do…

First, I’m not saying that you should run out get your genetics tested now.  The first steps involve living a healthy lifestyle. (See steps 1-4 so far.)  Give it time.  Cleaning up what you put in your body and on your body will help keep new toxins out.  Increasing your water consumption will help flush toxins out.  Exercising regularly will help release toxins.  Proper sleep habits will support detoxification through your liver, kidneys, brain, etc.  Stress management will ensure that you’re making the right decisions about your health.  If after 6 months you are not feeling your best, it might be time to consider the next steps.  If you’ve already looked into adrenal and thyroid issues, you’re on the right track.  If these tests have come up normal, genetic testing is a good option.

After my initial test results came in from my cardiologist, I decided to drill down further to get specifics.  I used 23andMe.

The next step is to have your results read.  I used a couple different companies, but here is a great run down on your options. 

The next step is to work with a practitioner who understands genetic SNPs, and how to work with them.

Knowing your genetic profile gives you an advantage to overcome pain, fatigue, and head off disease.

So why have I told you about my own issues?  I have the belief that God uses whatever we go through for the purpose of helping others.  If I hadn’t looked into my genes further, I wouldn’t have the answers I have today.  I would have also continued to feel confused and like an imposter as a health coach.  In light of what I know now, I realize that He saved my life.  If I hadn’t become a health coach, and hadn’t been practicing what I teach, you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog today.  There wouldn’t be a Holistic Christian Life, a My Beautiful Lent, or The Holistic Christian Woman.  I just wouldn’t have had the energy or clarity of mind.  Thanks be to God in all things…in sickness and in health!

Next week…Hormones!

The post Step Five to Increased Energy – Genetics appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Knowing how to manage your stress is  key for not getting your energy zapped

When I was attending school to get certified as a health coach, one of my teachers was Dr. Andrew Weil.  He led us all through a stress reducing exercise that involved a breathing technique.  This is the one he taught us to use whenever we start to feel overwhelmed, or know that we are approaching a stressful situation.

• Sit up straight and place the tip of your tongue up against the back of your front teeth. Keep it there through the entire breathing process.  Put one hand on your chest and another on your belly.
• Breathe in silently through your nose to the count of 4, making sure your belly is going out, and your chest remains still.
• Hold your breath to the count of 7.
• Exhale through your mouth to the count of 8, making an audible “whoosh” sound.  Note that you are exhaling longer than inhaling.  This pushes the carbon dioxide out of your body.

Do four repetitions.  You will be engaging para-sympathetic breathing which lowers your cortisol and feeds oxygen to your cells.  This is quite the opposite of the energy zapping effect of shallow breathing from your chest only, and your brain struggling from a lack of oxygen. 

Know what you can control, and give the rest to God

I would be remiss as a Christian if I didn’t bring up that the most harmful stress can be fooling ourselves into thinking that we have control over things that are only controlled by God.  This reminds me of Luke 12:22-31 –

 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

Of course Luke is not just talking about food and clothing.  He is taking about God’s love for us, and the fact that He will provide for us.  We are really just along for the ride.  What we don’t have control over can just be given right back to Him where it belongs.  We are under stress when we think we’re in the driver’s seat.  Each morning, I like to write down the things that put me on edge for the day…things that cause me to feel stressed.  Then, I move the ones that are out of my control over to my prayer column.  I pray for His will to be done, and for guidance on what to do with the issues that I do have control over.  It gives my day perspective.

Now let’s get back to the physical ramifications of unchecked stress.  There are several physiological things that happen when you are not handling your stress well, one is that your HPA axis works over time.  This is the way it’s supposed to work:

You see a lion coming toward you…

Your Hypothalamus tells your Pituitary that you need to run…

Your Pituitary tells your Adrenals to pump some cortisol so that you will run fast. 

When you are under constant stress, your adrenal glands are pumping cortisol constantly, and they can get fatigued.  This is when they rely on your thyroid to jump in and help.  Then your thyroid gets wacky.  One thing leads to another, and one of the major symptoms that something is wrong, is fatigue.  If you feel you are under stress a lot, and don’t have energy, this is something to look at.  There are several types of doctors who know how to do a simple saliva test to figure out if this is the cause of excessive fatigue.   If yours is not familiar with testing adrenals, a functional medicine, integrative medicine or naturopathic doctor will know.  Knowing how to handle your stress, and heal your adrenals will get you back on track.  The good news is that you can heal!

Next week…Genetics

The post Step Four to Increased Energy – Managing Stress appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Commit to wanting to be healthy, have less fatigue, and improve energy

In a study published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 2008, University of Georgia researchers found that inactive folks who normally complained of fatigue could increase energy by 20% while decreasing fatigue by as much as 65% by simply participating in regular, low-intensity exercise.  Exercise gives us energy by increasing circulation, strengthening heart muscles, acting on our central nervous system, and creating endorphins…not to mention getting rid of toxins though our lymphatic system.

But what is exercise?  It can be a stroll around your block and some easy stretches, or it can be a high intensity dance aerobics class or Crossfit.  It can be a sport you love, or a way to slow down and also connect with your breathing and state of mind.  Basically it’s movement that goes beyond walking around the house or office, or reaching for the remote.  In Dan Buettners’s Blue Zone study, those who just did daily chores like gardening, walking to the market and back, etc. were some of the healthiest and longest living people in the world.  In other words, they didn’t have gym memberships that made them healthy.  What they did have was REGULAR exercise on a daily basis.  The type that got their heart rates up a bit, but not necessarily putting a lot of stress on their bodies.  As we’ll cover in upcoming episodes, stress, even physical stress, can sap energy.  So you can exercise too much.

Figure out what you like to do

In the study out last year that shows that “sitting is the new smoking,” they chronicle the health issues that come from a lack of movement.  I found a great PDF on this. 

 I can tell you first hand that after sitting at my desk all afternoon writing blog posts, or working on my new book, the last thing I want to do is exercise.  If I don’t exercise in the morning, I’m toast.  So if you have a sitting job, it makes sense to get your body moving in the morning.  You have to understand your body and what your days look like and schedule it in.  What someone once told me makes perfect sense “What gets scheduled, gets done.”  Don’t wander around wondering if you “feel” like exercising.  Do I feel like going to the gym?  Do I feel like going for a walk?  Should I call my friends and ask them if they want to play tennis?  For almost everyone I know, they don’t feel like it until they are actually doing it.  And then, energy happens and fatigue goes away!

Schedule it!

The post Step Three to Increased Energy – Exercise appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Pure, clean, God created food doesn’t come with a label.  When we start messing with it however, the FDA gets involved and requires an ingredient list.  I’m thankful for that!  However, I’m not thankful that the FDA allows a lot of toxic junk in our food that has been connected to disease and even death.  If you are reading this outside of the USA, you may be in much better shape than we are, since many of the ingredients in our food may have been banned in your country.  Let’s break down the offending categories.

1. Preservatives.  Preservatives kill bacteria.  That’s why they are added to food on our grocery store shelves.  Their purpose is to extend shelf-life.  The problem is, our bodies are made up of more bacteria (good) than cells.  We are in fact, walking bacteria!  So what happens when we ingest bacteria killing preservatives?  Exactly. We are killing our selves.  Sounds logical, right?  Preservatives are the long words that are hard to pronounce.  If you were to try to replicate the recipe in your kitchen, and you don’t have a bottle of it in your kitchen, it’s a “No buy.”  An imbalance of good to bad bacteria in your body affects your hormones, which affects your sleep and your energy.
2. Artificial Anything.  Artificial means it’s created with chemicals.  In this case, chemicals that don’t belong in a human body.  Chemicals that don’t belong in your body are foreign invaders that send your body into high alert.  This creates inflammation, and inflammation has been found to be the root of disease.  When your body is on attack, it doesn’t want to sleep, and self survival comes before creating sustainable energy.
3. Glutamates…also known as Excitotoxins.  Similar to artificial ingredients, these flavor enhancers are created in chemistry labs to create cravings and addictions to processed foods.  The role of these additives is to play with your brain!  They are toxic…sometimes even more so than artificial ingredients.  However, they are allowed to sound healthy, like “Natural Flavors.”  Do you have a jar of  “Natural Flavors” in your cupboard? No?  It’s a “No Buy.” For a listing, and a deeper explanation, Dr. Russell Blaylock’s article is excellent.
4. Added Sugar.  When the low fat fad began a couple decades ago (funded by the sugar industry) sugar, along with all of the above mentioned fake ingredients, started to be added to virtually everything.  The result?  An increase in obesity and Diabetes.  Know your names of sugar…it goes by many aliases.  You cannot count on the numbers listed under Nutrition Facts, because they are typically in-accurate.  Make sure you read the ingredient label.  Sugar throws off your hormones, causes sleep disruption and shuts down your own energy production.  This includes alcohol. 
5. Fats.  Related to the low fat fad mentioned above, once traditional fats became the villain,  poor quality plant based fats started being produced.  These include Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil, Soybean Oil, etc.  Remember when people thought that Crisco and Margarine were good healthy alternatives?  We know now that this was false.  And yet…they are still on grocery store shelves.  You want good fats in your diet, such as Olive Oil, Avocados, Walnuts, Coconut Oil, etc.  Dr. Mark Hyman speaks to this subject very well, and his information will help guide you deeper.  Again, bad fats equal inflammation. Inflammation leads to disease.  This means that sleep and energy will be affected.
6. GMO’s.  The purpose behind genetically modified food is to yield larger crops by making the plants hardier.  Sounds good, right?  Problem is, the way they are made to be hardier is to enable them to be sprayed with toxic chemicals that kill all of the weeds around them, but they keep living.  This seems scary doesn’t it?  The dandelion is dead, but the corn stock lives on.  These products are bred with the toxins in their DNA so to speak.  That ends up in you.  Whether it’s directly from the plant, or the meat or dairy from the animal that was fed the plant. Despite claims by the chemical companies to the contrary…they are finding these toxins in people during autopsies.  This spells our word of the day….INFLAMMATION.  Your body is smart.  It knows that this stuff doesn’t belong in it.  This is a good site for reference.  However, here is my rule of thumb.  Did God create it that way?  No?  Then it doesn’t belong in my body.
7.  Organic.  Yes, I know it can be expensive, but don’t let this discourage you.  First, if you are on a budget, go to the EWG Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen list.  Make sure you buy the Dirty Dozen in organic, and for the rest, soak or spray with a mixture of 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water.  This will get rid of 98% of the pesticides on the outside of the produce.  Pesticides and insecticides in your body spell… (I know you’ve got this)

So, here’s the easy solution.  Strive to just by products that don’t have labels on them, and are sold as God created them.  Add 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of clean, pure, filtered water (which doesn’t leave much time to drink pop, juice, beer and other extracurricular beverages,) and you are well on your way to reducing inflammation, disease, shedding weight, getting a good nights sleep and allowing your body to create it’s own energy.

Dehydration creates fatigue

Stay tuned next week for…

Exercise

The post Step Two to Increased Energy – Food appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Our first culprit is a lack of quality sleep. Sleeping is highly under-rated by our current culture.  “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is often heard.   In many corporate cultures, being able to get by on 5 hours is often a badge of honor.  Just as a side note, many of the people I used to work with in the world of high-tech, who had this point of view, are some of the sickest and saddest people I know. 

Sleep is restorative for the body and the brain.  It allows us to release toxins, balances our hormones, creates memory, enables learning, makes us more creative, enables our organs to function properly, and creates an environment for weight loss for those who desire it.  Without sleep, you have the opposite effect of everything I listed.  In order to get good quality sleep, start with following these rules just for a week and see what happens with your sleep.

• Exercise at least 30 minutes each day, preferably in the morning.
• Keep “Prayerful Silence” for at least 10 minutes each morning, when you just pray, focus on deep breathing and listen for the voice of God in stillness.
• Eat a clean/wholefoods diet.  Read labels, and keep the sleep stealing toxins out!  That includes sugar.
• Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of clean, filtered water each day.
• Create a bedtime routine and adhere to it!
  1. Schedule your sleep.  Take the time you have to wake up and count backwards 9 hours.  Go to bed at that time.  Up at 6am?  That means in bed by 9pm.
  2. Before bedtime, stop using technology for at least an hour.  If you must be in front of a screen, wear blueblocker glasses.  The blue light from your computer, cell phone, tablet, LED light bulbs, and television trigger serotonin which is the hormone that says…”Good Morning! Let’s stay awake and get things done!”
  3. Make sure your bedroom is clear of EMF’s.  That means no cell phone, no cordless phone, and the best thing…turn off your wifi at night before bed.
  4. Total darkness is key.  Make sure you don’t even have a nightlight or glowing alarm clock.
  5. Keep it cool.  Around 63 degrees is optimal.
  6. Take a 20 minute bath with Epsom salts and add a couple drops of lavender essential oil. (Make sure you rinse off afterwards, since this will also draw toxins out of your body)
  7. A small cup of Chamomile tea about an hour before you turn in.
  8. Take a book with you.  Something that takes your mind off of the day.  The goal is to read yourself to sleep.  In my scenario of being in bed by 9pm, it takes into account that reading will take place before nodding off.
  9. Before getting into bed, have an evening prayer rule.
  10. Write 3 things in your gratitude journal about what you were grateful for that day.
  11. You can also write down the 3 major things you want to accomplish the next day, so that they are out of your mind for the night.

Try these simple steps to getting a better night’s sleep, and if you are still having issues after a week, reach out to me, and we will talk about the next steps.

Next week…

Food And How It Affects Our Energy

The post Step One to Increased Energy – Sleep Quality appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Do your kids want you to play with them, or read to them, but you just can’t?

Do you have a lot of great ideas in your brain, but you just can’t seem to bring them to fruition?

One of the downfalls of our busy culture is that people are constantly tired.  Just look around you the next time you are on a plane.  The percentage of people sleeping is a good indication of the state of the general population.  There are many reasons for persistent fatigue.  Some are easy fixes, others require the help of a good doctor.  Most all require lifestyle changes.  You CAN have more energy!  You just have to want it enough to go after it.  First though, you need to know what you’re dealing with. 

Over the next few weeks, we will delve deeper into the subject of energy and fatigue, and provide practical solutions that will enable you to take action.  There are several components that affect your energy, and just knowing what they are will help you on your way.  We will be going over:

1. Sleep
2. Food and Water
3. Exercise
4. Stress
5. Genetics
6. Hormones
7. Weight
8. Pharmaceuticals
9. Nutrient deficiencies

We hope you join us on the road to more energy and a happier, more productive lifestyle!

The post The Energy Series appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.