March 12, 2011
By Jessica Forbes MS, CCN
March is Chronic Fatigue awareness month. While Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is an actual medical disorder, many of us suffer from varying levels of fatigue on a daily basis. Here are five natural ways to help fight fatigue.
1. Stay hydrated. Mild dehydration can be a major factor in fatigue, especially fatigue that occurs in the afternoon. The basic rule is that a person should drink the amount of water in ounces that is equal to their body weight in pounds divided by two. This means that a person who is 150 pounds needs around 75 ounces of water daily. This number may change based on individual needs and activity level.
2. Eat enough protein. Protein is the building block for muscle, as well as for many of the hormones involved in keeping energy levels balanced throughout the day. Protein also helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, which prevents the fatigue associated with low blood sugar. An easy way to calculate the minimum amount of grams of protein that you should aim for is to divide your body weight by 2.75 (use your ideal body weight in this calculation if you are significantly over or under weight). For example, a 150 pound person needs about 55 grams of protein to maintain that weight. Athletes, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and people who are healing or are under stress usually need more protein.
3. Eat every two to three hours. Skipping meals or leaving too much time between meals can lead to low blood sugar which may create a drop in energy levels. Eating regular, balanced meals and snacks has the added benefit of helping your body to conserve hard earned muscle tissue. If you need help, try incorporating one of our Essential Meal products as a meal or snack replacement up to twice daily. Each serving of Essential Meal provides 15 grams of protein as well as a balanced profile of other necessary nutrients.
4. Exercise. Exercise in any form helps the body to detoxify and builds muscle tissue—both of which help to keep energy levels up. If you don’t exercise regularly, it’s best to start with gentle forms of exercise such as walking or mild yoga and gradually build your way up to a more challenging workout. Overexertion during exercise can actually contribute to fatigue!
5. Sleep. This may seem like a really obvious way to fight fatigue, but many of us tend to push sleep to the bottom of the priority list. This is especially true when we are under stress, which is unfortunate since times of stress are when the body needs the most rest! If you are fatigued, make it a priority to get eight uninterrupted hours of sleep each night (starting before 10 p.m., if possible). If your schedule allows, also give yourself at least 10 or 15 minutes in the afternoon to lie down and rest even if you don’t actually fall asleep. This practice is healing and restorative to the adrenal glands, which are responsible for your stress response. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, consider adding a daily dose of a magnesium supplement such as our Essential Calm to your evening routine.
If you’ve found other ways to help fight fatigue, please share them in the comments section of this blog!

Last Saturday’s webinar on weight management had a big emphasis on blood sugar control as a key to keeping weight in check. You don’t have to have diabetes or hypoglycemia to care about blood sugar! When blood sugar is out of control (too high or too low), you may be prone to mood swings, fatigue, body fat gain, and loss of muscle. We covered several key points during the webinar to help keep blood sugar levels stable. If you missed it, contact us at
Did you know that a good night’s sleep can actually help you lose weight?
Last week, makers of corn syrup petitioned the FDA to be allowed to list their product on food labels under the name “corn sugar”. This is a (deceptive) marketing move to improve sales of corn syrup since many big food producers have replaced corn syrup in their products with sugar due to customer demand. Here is a New York Times article with more info:
We’re halfway through December, a notorious month for weight gain due to all the holiday parties and other food-related gatherings. Here are five tips to help prevent weight gain during these festivities: