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Do you find that you always seem to be tired, even though you’re sleeping eight hours, exercising, and eating a healthy diet? You may be surprised to discover four causes of tiredness that you can start changing now.

• You’re not eating enough. If you’ve been watching calories and trying to lose weight, you may not be eating enough calories or the right calories to power through your day. Starting your day with a sugary pastry or skipping breakfast altogether may be setting you up for failure right out of bed. Instead, make breakfast your most important meal of the day and set yourself up for all day energy by adding protein and complex carbohydrates to your breakfast plate. Try an egg with a piece of whole wheat toast to see whether your afternoon blood sugar crash is why you feel tired too often.


• You’re eating too much of the wrong foods. Maintaining a healthy diet is a constant balancing act of ensuring that you’re eating enough calories to sustain your day to day activities and not an excess of empty, nutrient-free calories. Too much caffeine, fat, or sugar all cause blood sugar spikes, stomach pain, and a loss of energy. If this sounds like it may be the root of your problem, start cutting back each day on nutrient-free junk food, sugary beverages, and caffeine and see if your quality of sleep and energy levels begin to improve.


• Your workout is too late. While any exercise is better than no exercise, if you generally hit FitClub too close to bedtime, you may be costing yourself higher quality sleep. If it works for your schedule, try working out earlier in the evening or first thing in the morning to see if that helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Exercise raises the body’s temperature and heart rate, and for some people, that may inhibit sleep. Making just small adjustments in your daily schedule might be an easy fix.


• You sleep too much. It seems counterintuitive, but routinely getting more sleep than your body needs may actually lower your energy levels, according to research done by Harvard University. While the solution may require experimentation to find what’s right for you, this can be easily fixed and solve your problem. You need to find out how many hours of sleep are best for you body. For most people, that number is seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Then, you have to stick with it. Even brief variations from your optimal sleep schedule like vacations and weekends can throw your body’s natural ability to achieve quality sleep into flux.

The dark days of winter can take their toll on everyone, leading us all to feel a mix of cabin fever and fatigue. If you feel it happening to you, make time for yourself at FitClub and then try incorporating one of the solutions above to see if you can even out your energy levels for your best self. If fatigue continues to be a problem or if it keeps you from your day to day tasks or activities you enjoy, talk to your doctor to make sure you don’t have a medical condition that is interfering with your energy or sleep.