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Tackling Tiredness with Exercise

Fixing an Energy Crisis by Recharging and Energizing with Running

May 26, 2008

Fatigue will stop anyone from living in active and healthy ways. Athletes should test for signs of an energy crisis. Running is one way to tackle fatigue.

Feeling tired, totally spent, or drained can happen at anytime. Being tired is one way that body and mind signal a medical or psychological problem or that usually good health has become poor.

No athlete is immune from tiredness. Tennis champion Martina Navratilova, with a record 9 Wimbledon singles titles and 58 Grand Slam titles, reflects on her experiences of fatigue in Shape Your Self: An Inspiration Guide to Achieving Your Personal Best (Rodale 2006) and encourages someone tired of being tired to test whether they are in energy crisis.

There are several medical conditions –including chronic fatigue syndrome, auto-immune conditions and cancers – where fatigue features in the clinical diagnosis. If feeling tired has been preceded by a time of having severe flu-like symptoms (feeling depressed, treatment for thyroid-related symptoms or a major life stressor such as business, politics, bereavement, worries about financial debt, break up of a close relationship) then the best way forward is to see a medical doctor as soon as possible for an examination.

Living in Energy Crisis

Someone who is "tired with feeling tired" can assess the state of her energy crisis by considering the following statements from Martina Navratilova’s energy quiz in Shape Your Self (2006):

I have periodic bouts of fatigue and tiredness.
I have trouble getting a good night’s sleep.
I get tired easily.
I often feel too tired for sex.
I feel too run-down to exercise.
I feel like taking naps most days of the week.

Positive responses to three or more statements confirm a fatigue that could respond to a personal intervention to improve general health from being poor. In Shape Your Self (2006), Martina Navratilova focuses on three key ingredients for someone to devise a personal strategy to rebalance her life towards tackling fatigue:

food, diet and nutrition
sleep quality
stress reduction

Go Running To Recharge and Energize When Feeling Tired

When crashing out in bed has greater appeal than playing favourite sports, to go running is extraordinary advice from the experts.

It is “difficult to explain” admits the Runner’s World Guide to Running (Rodale 2006) “Running is something of an energy paradox, because most people assume running tires you out, which seems a logical assumption, but it’s wrong. In fact, runners report having more energy than non-exercisers.”

Going running – preferably past the toxic ten minute barrier - can recharge and energize when feeling tired. If a visit to a doctor confirms that there is no known physical or psychological cause of fatigue, try putting the best foot forward to do some good towards a recovery. Getting over the threshold will take strength and a belief in the benefits of exercise to fix fatigue. Find a running kit and get outdoors to resolve an energy crisis.

The copyright of the article Tackling Tiredness with Exercise in Running Training & Fitness is owned by Susan Morris. Permission to republish Tackling Tiredness with Exercise in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.