This should be a cautionary tale for anyone who easily believe any and every social media hypes…

(Source: youtube.com)

Hi there,

I’m happy to hear that you love my blog. That said, I’d like to apologize for the late reply, hopefully you are feeling better.

What’s the difference between tiredness and fatigue?

By consulting with a health professional, tests will be performed, and you will receive a clear diagnosis of the cause of your chronic fatigue. The important thing to keep in mind here is that one’s diet varies according to their state of health – for instance a cancer patient won’t have the same diet as a diabetic individual. Fatigue and a lack of energy are a big problem for many people, but these problems can only be addressed if you know what is wrong. Based on your diagnosis, you and your doctor can work together to develop a lifestyle plan that suits you. Treatment is focused on the underlying cause of tiredness.

I cannot stress enough that the first thing for you to do is to go see a doctor. If you have a family doctor, then book an appointment as soon as you can. Note that most family physicians tend to be general practitioner also called a GP or generalist, meaning they do not specialize in one particular area of medicine. Once you test results come back, if your GP cannot assist you, he or she will refer you to a practitioner that specializes in your condition. Let’s say you suffer from hormonal issues, you’ll probably be referred to an endocrinologist, but then again, a GP may be sufficiently knowledgeable to help you.

Different type of tiredness

Given that my postsecondary background is in social sciences, I can only answer your question from this perspective. In this regard, I’d like to emphasis that there are different types of tiredness. Causes of fatigue can be psychological, physiological, and psychosocial; someone can be drained on many different levels. Are you feeling spiritually, mentally, emotionally or physically tired? Generally speaking fatigue can be classified as:

• Physical fatigue: A person finds it physically hard to do the things they normally do or used to do, for example, climbing stairs. It includes muscle weakness. Diagnosis may involve a strength test.
  
• Mental fatigue: A person finds it harder to concentrate on things and stay on task. The person may feel sleepy, or have difficulty staying awake while working. Note here that spiritual distress and emotional exhaustion would fall in this category.
  

Thinking versus expressing:
While the terms mental health and emotional health are sometimes used interchangeably, they are distinctly different. That said, you really can’t have one without the other and an imbalance in one can pull the other out of balance as well.

A good way to think about mental and emotional health is like a tag team. Mental health refers to your ability to process information. Emotional health, on the other hand, refers to your ability to express feelings which are based upon the information you have processed. So, if your cognitive function is hindered by depression or anxiety, for example, you may struggle with accurately identifying a situation. This can then trigger inappropriate responses because those responses are based upon inaccurate thoughts.

• Emotional exhaustion usually occurs when someone experiences a period of excessive stress in their work or personal life.
  
• Spiritual distress: Spiritual distress is a disturbance in a person’s belief system. As an approved nursing diagnosis, spiritual distress is defined as “a disruption in the life principle that pervades a person’s entire being and that integrates and transcends one’s biological and psychological nature." 
  

Even if the underlying reason for your extreme lethargy is found to be physiological – don’t neglect working on your mental and spiritual well-being. Someone may be physically energetic, but mentally drained and vice versa. I have always been a firm believer in the mind, body and spirit being interconnected. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association

Mental health and physical health are fundamentally linked. People living with a serious mental illness are at higher risk of experiencing a wide range of chronic physical conditions. Conversely, people living with chronic physical health conditions experience depression and anxiety at twice the rate of the general population. Co-existing mental and physical conditions can diminish quality of life and lead to longer illness duration and worse health outcomes. This situation also generates economic costs to society due to lost work productivity and increased health service use.

Understanding the links between mind and body is the first step in developing strategies to reduce the incidence of co-existing conditions and support those already living with mental illnesses and chronic physical conditions.

Mind – body and soul

The 7 dimensions of health postulates that health/wellness goes beyond exercising and eating healthy. Wellness is the pursuit of continued growth and balance in the seven dimensions of wellness. Too many people think about “wellness” in terms of physical health only; as something we achieve by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, etc. The word invokes thoughts of nutrition, exercise, weight management, blood pressure, etc. Wellness, however, is much more than physical health, it involves much more than your pant size. Wellness is a mindset and a holistic way of life. It means that we take responsibility for the quality of our lives, striving for balance in all areas. Wellness doesn’t accidentally happen. We have to pursue it—intentionally. Wellness is a full integration of physical, mental and spiritual well-being. It is a complex interaction that leads to quality of life.

• Wellness is commonly viewed as having seven dimensions. Each dimension contributes to our own sense of wellness or quality of life, and each affects and overlaps the others. At times one may be more prominent than others, but neglect of any one dimension for any length of time has adverse effects on overall health.
  

Closing thoughts

Although, I don’t really have any diet tips for your condition, I hope that you will take into consideration some of the lifestyle advices I have briefly discussed.

Best of luck!
Steph 😊

Hi there,

I’m glad that you are trying to improve your daily intake of protein and trust me I feel your pain. As a varsity athlete, I too struggle at times, so don’t worry too much. Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is not always the easiest goal to achieve.

Now on to your question I’d definitely need a bit more information to provide you with a complete answer as when it comes to protein, everyone requires a different amount based on factors such as their body weight, sex, muscle mass, physical activity, and age. Furthermore, without knowing your diet choice (e.g., pescatarian, vegan, omnivore, etc.) I can’t really make the best recommendation – if someone is vegan for instance, I would recommend a vegan-friendly type of supplement. Knowing your fitness goals would have also been very helpful; are you trying to lose fat, build muscle or just maintain a healthy lifestyle… Based on your question, I’ll assume that you are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That said, I’ll try my best to provide you with a succinct answer.

Do you really need protein powders?

Not necessarily. If you have access to a normal, healthy diet including lean proteins, then this should do the trick.

I don’t think that many people really need to use protein powder unless they are training at an extreme level. If you aren’t looking to improve your body composition and/or athletic performance or aren’t recovering from burns, I would advise you to just add more lean protein to your diet than protein powder. Speaking of your diet, it is the first thing that came to my attention after reading your question. Every time someone asks me for supplement recommendations, I always ask them if they first tried to change their diet. One important thing that I’ve learned over the years is that food supplements do not replace a healthy diet. Seeing a supplement as a solution may contribute to neglecting healthy food choices, and this has bigger consequences for long-term health.

There are too many people who think all protein is created equal and are swapping for shakes. Don’t be one of them.

You may probably be thinking that protein is protein no matter how you get it, right? Well, yes and no. Protein is an essential nutrient that builds and repairs muscle fibers. You can get the protein you need from whole foods, from supplements or from both, but there are a few important distinctions between the sources to consider as you’re planning your diet.

It might be quick to take, but simply adding protein powder to a meal is unlikely to fill you up and won’t give you as many nutrients as a proper meal. Plus, a full course means your body has to work harder to break down the food, so you use up more calories in the digestion process.

Whole foods have a major advantage over protein supplements; they stimulate the metabolism more. This is known as the “thermic effect”. Protein has the highest thermic effect of any food. Including a whole protein food with every meal can speed up your metabolic rate as much as 30% because of the energy necessary to digest, process, and absorb it. This means that out of 100 calories of a protein food such as chicken breast, the net amount of calories left over after processing it is 70. 

Just because people understand the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet doesn’t mean they always have the time or energy to do it. I understand that real life is busy and adding up some protein powder here and there may save you time. Also, if you are on a budget, it may be tempting to use protein powder as a cheaper alternative to whole food. Just make sure to consider the whole picture by carefully reading nutrition labels and trying not to rely on protein powder as a crutch. Rather than a dietary staple, they’re best as an occasional supplement to a balanced diet that focuses on real food.

Recommendations:

Before thinking about incorporating protein powder into your diet, try to make some dietary changes if you haven’t yet. If your busy work schedule or school life makes it too tempting to trade in a nutritious high protein food for a protein supplement, then

prep your meals the night before

. There are many ways to get protein without turning to a powder. Investing in some foil, Tupperware and a Mexican tuna salad could be a key step to achieving your goal. Focus on getting protein from whole foods: nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy products (yogurt, milk, cheese), legumes (beans, lentils), fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat. They’ve got far more nutrients to keep you full.

Many cereals nowadays come with added protein (e.g., Cheerios Protein Oats & Honey), you can also add nuts to your cereal, oatmeal and yogurt. I personally like to add a good amount of honey roasted peanuts to my bowl of cereals; with milk added you can easily achieve 20g of protein right there. Go for high content protein milk such as cow, goat, hemp or soy milk.

I also like to add a variety of nuts mix to my bowl of yogurt. Every time I go to Walmart, I always purchase lots of seeds and nuts:

• Great Value Roasted & Unsalted Sunflower seeds - 8g of protein per 1/3 cup.
  
• Great Value Organic Whole Chia Seeds - 7g of protein per ¼ cup.
  
• Joe’s Tasty Travels Roasted Cashews - 9 g of protein per 1/3 cup.
  
• Joe’s Tasty Travels Unsalted Roasted Almonds - 11g of protein per 1/3 cup.
  
• Joe’s Tasty Travels pumpkin seeds – 14 g of protein per 1/3 cup.
  
• Plnaters Honey Roasted Peanuts - 7g of protein for 1 oz
  

I also add fruits that have high protein content such as zante currants, raisins, passion fruit, raspberries, peaches, bananas, blackberries.

Greek yogurt has a high amount of protein content. Lately, I have been trying to reduce my dairy consumption for skincare purposes. A great alternative that I found is Daiya Greek yogurt, it’s dairy and soy free and has 8g of protein. 

Aside from Greek yogurt and cereals, many brands of bread and bagels also come with high amount of protein. I always purchase 12 grains by Country Harvest, 1 bagel contains 10g of protein. I make some delicious egg white bagel sandwiches. Here again you can easily achieve 20g of protein – even 30. I always purchase Burnbrae Farms Naturegg Simply Egg Whites from Walmart – it contains 7g of protein per ¼ cup. If I’ve had some intense cardio workout (i.e., stairmaster, Jacobs ladder and versa climber) I tend to throw in some turkey breast. If you are on a budget, I’d recommend purchasing Natural selections oven roasted turkey breast, family size club pack – it is packed with 14 g of protein. Ziggy’s extra lean cooked turkey (thin sliced) is also a good option with 17g of protein. Note that I live in Canada, so I don’t know if these products are sold where you live. But I’m sure you can find similar products. 

These are just a few examples of some high protein meals that I eat regularly. Think about adding some nuts and seeds to your salads as well. Also, I personally don’t eat oatmeal, but I’m pretty sure it’d be delicious if you add some chia seeds, pumpkin seeds or cashews. And instead of making your oatmeal with water try making it with milk.

P.S. nowadays you can also purchase protein pancake baking mix. You can make wonderful waffles ahead of time and put them in the freezer.

Powders:

Now, if you have tried without success to incorporate more protein within your diet, then you sure can turn to protein powders for some extra help, but again here don’t solely rely on them. Note that I am not aware of any other powders other than protein powder that would offer you the benefits of protein powder. I’ve only seen protein come in four forms: whole food, powder, liquid or bars … Is there any reason why you do not like flavoured protein powder? As I have mentioned in one on my previous post protein powder isn’t disgusting – but it’s the way one uses it that makes it disgusting. For example, I hate mixing protein powder with just plain water – it’s just yuck, I don’t know how people can just drink protein powder with water… 

If you do not like flavoured protein powders, I’d recommend looking into unflavoured protein powders.  There are various forms of protein powder out there. 

I’d also recommend that you look into BCAAs. However, other than lemonades, cocktails, popsicles, Jell-O and smoothies – there really isn’t much you can do with BCAAs. You can’t really add BCAAs to your cereals or oatmeal. ALLMAX Nutrition Aminocore Key lime pie flavour and Beyond Yourself AMRAP: Blue freeze and lemon lime flavour are my favourite brands!! I briefly touched on BCAAs in one of my old posts.

Bottom Line

As stated earlier, the biggest advantage protein powder has over whole food is convenience. The truth about protein supplements is that they offer few advantages over protein foods.  It is not necessary to consume any protein supplements to get outstanding results. There is no scientific evidence showing that you cannot meet all of your protein needs through food. However, once again if you are training at a high level, recovering from burns or cancer, or looking to change your body composition (i.e., losing fat, building muscle) – then that’s a completely different story.

Although, I strongly encourage you to first try changing your diet, don’t get me wrong here; there is nothing wrong with throwing a scoop of protein supplement here and there when life becomes too hectic, but do not solely rely on protein supplement to achieve your daily nutritional needs. Mother Nature has blessed us with an abundance of nature’s nutritional powerhouses. Focus on real food and do not believe all the hype you read. Good luck on your training for the New Year.

Cheers,
Steph 😊

(Source: mariahkicksbutt)

Apologize to your body.
Maybe
that’s where the healing begins.

(Source: thekitchn.com)

(Source: thekitchn.com)

Don’t think about what can happen in a month. Don’t think about what can happen in a year. Just focus on the 24 hours in front of you and do what you can to get closer to where you want to be.

the-exercist:

chappach:

the-exercist:

Rather than focusing on losing weight in 2019, let’s think about what we can gain. What can you add to your life to make it more satisfying? What new practices would make you happier and feel better? Consider some of these healthy resolutions for the new year:

• Get more quality sleep
• Eat vegetables at every meal
• Wash your bed sheets regularly
• Meditate
• Spend more time outside
• Actually eat your fruit before it goes bad
• Get back in touch with old friends
• Bring your own bags when grocery shopping
• Don’t watch tv or use the computer during meals
• Support local farms and food producers
  
• Take vitamins
• Learn to knit or sew
• Stretch and improve your flexibility
• Volunteer to register voters
• Concentrate on improving your posture
• Make doctor and dentist appointments regularly
• Cook and prepare lunch instead of relying on processed foods
• Replace your toothbrush
• Clean your kitchen and dishes after each meal
• Stop biting your nails
• Compliment someone every day
• Regularly donate unworn and ill-fitting clothing to a local shelter
• Wear sunscreen every day you’re outside
• Clean your pantry and throw out expired food each month
• Quit smoking
• Explore local museums and parks
• Put your laundry away
• Get an eye exam and update your prescription
• Cut down on the amount of plastic you use each day
• Re-try foods that you hate, but haven’t eaten in years
• Delete a social media account
• Moisturize and remove your makeup before going to bed
• Attend town hall meetings
• Keep a journal
• Floss

Focus on changing your behavior instead of changing your body, and then every step will be a step forward.  

Can we stop pretending that you need to take vitamin supplements if you‘re eating a relatively balanced diet and are not sick?

No one is pretending - These are a vast variety of options that are reaching out to as many different people as possible.

Some folks need vitamins. Some are sick, some cannot eat a balanced diet, and some require additional nutrients. Those are the people who may benefit from considering that resolution.

Not all of these will apply to you. That’s intended. No one is forcing you to make each and every one of these life changes, nor is that the implication here.