Bad news, the holidays are already over and the recovery is already pointing the tip of its nose. What to do against the fatigue of this new school year to preserve (or regain) our “energy” capital? Here is a strategy to apply to avoid fatigue…
When we hear “tired”, each of us fishes out memories of a time when we felt exhausted, exhausted, or simply empty.
What fatigue is it?
For this one, it will be a purely physical fatigue appeared after intense effort. A move for example. Lugging crates, furniture and boxes for an entire day can drain your energy reserves.
This type of fatigue does not pose a major problem: all you need to do is rest and sleep well for it to disappear. Difficulties arise when physical effort is associated with annoyances, conflicts, painful emotions. Recovery then becomes slower, more difficult, or even impossible.
Not all fatigue is created equal. There’s the physical fatigue which affects the body (mainly the muscles) and the nervous fatigue which globally disturbs the entire nervous system, including the brain.
There is also the emotional fatiguelinked to the multiplication of situations capable of provoking powerful emotions, especially when they are unpleasant and disturbing.
It is extremely rare to feel tired only physically, emotionally or nervously. These three forms of fatigue engender each other, mix, influence each other… In addition, this year, the start of the new school year involves new challenges: we don’t really know what to expect.
Nervous and emotional fatigue is therefore omnipresent around us. It is she who is likely to reappear more quickly than in previous years, bringing in her wake additional physical and emotional fatigue. Now is the time for prevention!
Imagine a racehorse, a crack on which rest the hopes of both bettors and its owner. He trained day after day, swallowing the lengths of track. He is in full possession of his faculties. However, he and his jockey know well that they have to save energy for the end of the race. Together, the man and the animal will thus balance the efforts in order to get the best out of the equine organism.
It is precisely what you will do when you return to preserve your energy capital as much as possible, but also your inner peace and your joy of living. With a few targeted gestures, you will be able to make the benefits of summer last until the next vacation!
Full of good nutrients against fatigue
During the summer, you changed your diet. On the one hand, you ate lighter: refreshing salads instead of hearty winter dishes. But at the same time, you may have consumed more sugar (ah! good ice cream that makes you forget the heat for a few minutes…), more alcohol (aperitifs with friends), adopted a more disjointed eating rhythm…
Your main objective will be to provide your body everything he needs to function well (with a boost for energy foods), but also to help it eliminate waste from your summer behaviors.
We can never say it enough: it is on a daily basis that you should harmonize your diet. No exclusions or deprivations (untenable in the long term), but balanced meals providing enough fresh vegetables and fruits.
You will thus be able, without effort, to reinforce your mineral and vitamin status. It is also important to avoid the excess of acidity which nourishes chronic fatigue (see Dr. Rougier’s interview below).
- Organize your meals around fresh vegetables, the color of which you will vary every day since it is linked to the components of the product: beta-carotene for those of orange color, anti-oxidants in the violent ones and the reds, minerals galore in the greens…
- Include a small portion of protein (white meat, poultry, fish, etc.) for amino acid intake. Once a day is enough.
- Add a reasonable portion of whole or semi-whole grains: rice, main, pasta, quinoa…
- And for dessert (optional), yogurt or fruit.
A good detox and it starts again…
After summer, autumn is coming and it will be an excellent time to lighten your diet for about ten days (less fat, no sugar or alcohol).
- If you feel up to it, embark on a two or three-day diet, during which you will only eat unseasoned fresh vegetables and/or fruit: grapes, artichokes, zucchini, melon… All accompanied by draining herbal teas (orthosiphon, meadowsweet, piloselle, etc.).
- Your body, thus cleansed, will benefit all the more from the beneficial nutrients that you provide to it.
Foods to replenish energy are generally rich in stimulating vitamins (especially vitamin C). The following foods are rightfully fatigue-fighting and immune-boosting stars:
- the lemon : antacid, draining (especially for the liver) and rich in vitamin C. To add as a seasoning or to take on an empty stomach for a draining treatment (the juice of half a lemon diluted with water at room temperature, to be taken in the morning on an empty stomach for 10 days).
- the fennel. It is rich in water, therefore draining. It provides a wide range of easily assimilated vitamins and minerals.
- the cauliflower. Very rich in vitamin C, it also provides easily assimilated carbohydrates (for energy), antioxidants and even proteins.
- L’orange. It contains less vitamin C than lemon, but it is very easily assimilated. It also provides gentle fibers that contribute to intestinal health. As a bonus, it promotes the absorption of other nutrients.
- The kiwi. Another champion of vitamin C that can be found on all the stalls in autumn and winter.
A quick reminder: vitamin C is involved in dozens of metabolic operations. When the body lacks it, it “slows down”. It does not feel immediately, but when you perceive fatigue, depression and the first infections, you will understand that you are lacking in vitamin C. No need to wait!
It is better to take the lead by regularly taking vitamin C supplements:
- Choose a vitamin C of natural origin (more easily metabolized by the body), combined with flavonoids which further promote its absorption.
- Count at least three weeks of treatment. You will eventually renew, if you feel the need, after a ten-day break.
Find your intellectual performance
Another positive objective: to stimulate your thinking, concentration and memorization skills. The more you have these abilities, the more you will gain in serenity and strength against fatigue.
Feeding your brain well is essential! Include in your meals oleaginous dried fruits (walnuts, almonds, etc.). They are perfect for a snack in the morning and afternoon. Also think about oily fish (salmon, herring, sardines…) which provide good essential fatty acids.
Our daily life is punctuated by biological cycles to which we are all subject. In the same way that we are hungry around noon and sleepy after dark, our intellectual and memory functioning has its “peak hours”. Try to respect them.
- In the morning, go at your own pace. Are you the type to hang around before you get started, or to go for it without thinking? In both cases, respect yourself and move forward quietly. From 10 a.m., you can tackle tasks that require concentration and attention.
- At the end of the morning, your intellectual acuity decreases. Adapt your intellectual activity to this decline. Slow down gradually or just do less demanding tasks.
- After lunch, it’s time for a break. No need to force yourself, your mind is fallow. A short break (a quarter of an hour) will be enough to boost you again.
- From 3 p.m., your mind wakes up. Now is the time to embark on activities that require you to use your memory and your analytical skills, they are at the top!
Get your sleep right
Impossible to avoid fatigue when you sleep badly! It’s almost a truism. Alas, those who have fragile sleep find their difficulties intensify as worries awake. Everything you put in place to balance your diet, cope with fatigue and improve your intellectual functioning will have a positive impact on your sleep.
Other gestures will complete the device such as adjusting your rhythm. The same biological rhythms which affect our mental acuity, also organize our sleep. There are early risers and late risers, early risers and late risers. It’s like that ! If it’s impossible to completely change your pace, you can recalibrate it so that it doesn’t disrupt your social life.
- You fall asleep and wake up too early. Protect yourself from light in the morning (before 10 a.m.) by wearing sunglasses, even in winter. Conversely, get as much light as possible at the end of the day: take a walk outside, walk home from work, play sports outside…
- You fall asleep and wake up too late. It is in the morning that you must take the light, and in the evening that you must avoid it.
The natural pharmacopoeia is a gold mine for those who have trouble sleeping. Some plants are gentle (linden, chamomile…), others more powerful (hawthorn, passionflower, valerian…). Here are our favorites.
- To avoid nocturnal awakenings. Opt for escholtzia, a variety of poppy native to the southern United States. Although it has no psychotropic properties (it’s not a drug!), it still has the ability to improve the quality of sleep, especially for those who suffer from unwanted nocturnal awakenings.
- To fall asleep more easily. Try marjoram. This common aromatic plant from the Mediterranean basin is deeply soothing, which promotes a serene entry into sleep.
Hang in there ! Even if this very special start of the school year seems a bit scary to you, you have many tools to make it a success…