calling all career folks, manic mums and people who feel crappy - supplements etc

[DaddyCool]

i need advice. i'm trying to juggle my home life with my career. i've been treading water with my career for about two years now since DS was born but now i've got a promotion and i need to step it up a notch. I've got no time for anything like the gym. I work all day, get home to bath DS and put him to bed, then I have dinner and possibly log back on to work from home then go to bed. there is no time for anything!

I feel like crap most days. I don't get enough sleep because of DS's sleeping habits and I need to know what kind of supplements i should be taking. right now I drink alot of strong filter coffee but i don't think that's doing me any of good! my diet is ok at home (plenty of fresh fruit and veg, no crap).

I'm looking for stuff I can consume at work. i'm thinking of substituting my coffee for green tea and i'm thinking of taking vitamin supplements and ginsang stuff or whatever. I'm not an expert on this. anyone out there who is?? Basically i need anything that will provide a boost but still be legal and healthy.

[beansprout]

Cutting down on the coffee will help a lot. Replace it with something you want to drink though, if you like green tea, great, but try other stuff. The 2 litres of water a day is very important so that is always a good idea. I drink lots of weak squash as I don't always want just water.

A good multi-vit will help, Solgar are excellent. Ginseng is good for a boost but we can't just keep boosting. Decent food and as much sleep as you can (I know, I know!) will help.

That said, I feel like crap today myself!!!

[motherinferior]

DC, are you getting any exercise? I know you don't have time for the gym, but is there any way you can get in a run/swim/good walk? I know it's difficult - I'm only just back swimming today, after a couple of weeks commuting and feeling that there was absolutely no time - but the reason I say this is because I've realised that for me exercise (which is a wellknown antidepressant too) is vital, and the difference between feeling like crap and feeling OK.

Otherwise water, try cutting out booze totally for a bit (arrghhh), and going to bed idiotically early can all help...was that article any help btw?

[Donbean]

I highly recommend chocolate......3 times a day after meals. It works for me

[Enid]

If you keep boosting with supplements with things like ginseng you will drain your adrenal glands and eventually end of with anxiety and possible panic attacks. You can't keep boosting without resting too IYKWIM. I am not a big supplements fan but a general once a day one should be OK.

Cut out the coffee! Have no more than 2 cups a day, aiming to cut it out completely. Drink plenty of water as beansprout has said. Try and give up sugar as much as possible too - gives you a quick boost then lets your sugar levels fall even lower than before.

Chew your food properly - did you know apparently 90% of digestive problems are caused by people 'rushing' their food.

You need as much 'good' sleep as you can get - make sure you stop computering/telly half an hour before bed so you can wind down completely.

There, thats my 10 cents

[flamesparrow]

Mood food pills.... will go find the link.

Did sooo much good for me.

the mood food ones

[flamesparrow]

And sleep to go with the pills

[motherinferior]

Dark chocolate, the poshest you can get, full of iron and all.

[Enid]

congrats on the promotion btw and welcome to wonderful world of juggling

[TheVillageIdiot]

Try Berocca for the occassioanl pick me up, I find it's good. Also gets rid of any hangover. Not a long term solution though.

Try eating more fresh food etc having a walk out of your office at lunchtime and build in half hour you time in the evening. Can't recommend exercise enough.

Also have you ever tried (don't laugh) yoga?

[DaddyCool]

ok. the mood food pills look interesting. that's kind of what i was looking for.

i must start walking to work more. that's probably the only thing i've got in the way of exercise.

i'm cutting out coffee as of..... NOW.

Solgar - sounds good. I'll have a peek at them in the shop.

Motherinferior - i haven't read the article yet but I will. i've printed it out and it's sitting right here on my desk.

[DillyDally]

Why isnt DS sleeping?
What time does he go to bed and wake? A different thread i know - sorry.
For supplements or suchlike, keep drinking lots and lots of water which helps with concentration or rather dehydration reduces concentration

[DaddyCool]

i've tried berroca and it seems quite good. i might start up on that again. yoga would be great but it's a time thing.

[flamesparrow]

Cutting out coffee is a must for the mood food... I ended up a jibbering idiot because i was on a strong dosage mood food, and then had lots of caffeine

Had a spotless house that day though!!!

[Enid]

don't waste your money on those pills - you need more sleep and excercise and less coffee and no booze.

[SleepyJess]

SUNFLOWER SEEDS!! Honestly! I had never ever 'gone there' with seeds before.. (except to feed the budgie!) but am giving all kinds of new stuff a try now due to buying Dr. Gillian McKeith's You Are What You Eat book (missed the series..).. and SF seeds really do give you an energy boost.. AND kill the hunger pangs! And they don't taste all that bad either..

If you can't handle the seeds alone, try the little bags of mixed fruit and seeds from Sainsburies.

Very healthy.. and do the job re energy/gap filling.

And Papillon has recommended wheatgrass to me as a coffee alternative.. (gives a healthy kick instead of an unhealthy one!)..so you might want to try that.. I will as soon as I can get some.

SJ x

[motherinferior]

If walking to work is the only opportunity, walk to work. Briskly. I sound like a crazed zealot, I know, it's just that I've had to acknowledge that exercise is for me the big difference between feeling crap and not feeling crap.

[motherinferior]

Plus a Good Breakfast.

God, you can tell I'm a mum, can't you

[DaddyCool]

i don't have breakfast. maybe i should eh. wheatgrass - what? as a tea or what?

DD - DS is just a crappy sleeper. we've tried everything. different thread i think!

the sunflower seeds thing sounds interesting. they are quite tasty as well, yes.

[beansprout]

Breakfast is a MUST!! Most important meal of the day. If you leave the house with no energy it makes it all the more tempting to want coffee when you arrive at work. Something slow release like porridge or museli? What sort of breakfast stuff do you like?

Totally agree with MI - exercise is good. The gym is all or nothing. The usual suggestions like getting off a train/tube/bus stop earlier, taking the stairs (not the lift) or going for a walk at lunchtime are all good. Stuff the gym. Not necessary.

[flamesparrow]

Is it just me that is insanely hungry midday if I have breakfast, but last til lunch if I don't?!?

[TheVillageIdiot]

No I'm the same FlameSparrow. Breakfast seems to trigger hunger throughout the day for me.

[beansprout]

There isn't anything wrong with being hungry at lunchtime! It just means your body knows what it needs!

[flamesparrow]

Meant midmorning

My last one made no sense did it??

[WideWebWitch]

Aagh, DC, I just wrote you a long post and my mouse is wonky so IE closed, how irritating! Anyway, gist was:

You need sleep, start another thread if need be, you will feel completely different once your ds sleeps. We've just come through 16mos of not enough sleep and when dd does sleep I feel human again and realise how sleep deprived and mad I was.
Agree with going to bed stupidly early (and while you're there early anyway, sex improves my mood and general state of mind too I find). We went at to bed at 8.30pm last night and as we're on 5.30 starts atm it's the only reason I'm not insane today
Lots of water
Walking to work is good, I feel better for exercise too. I think it's not always so much that doing it makes you feel great as you notice when you're not doing it that you don't feel quite as great if that makes sense.