To ask what your biggest energy boosters are?! Some mums get so much shit done!

[upsidedown2017]

I'm knackered. All the time. If you have plenty of energy please tell me what you're eating/drinking/sleeping/doing!

I shouldn't feel like this in my 30s should I?

Any suggestions for what I can do to improve things?

@TigerTown oh that's my issue too. I can't possibly wake at 4am every day can I? I've considered it as would love to exercise & shower & make food before the kids are up but i can't stomach 4am 😬😬

@Summerlovin24

This! I know I need to do this. I always always put housework before anything else but it never ends and my house doesn't even look particularly clean/tidy in spite of the amount I do! Need to prioritise other things.

To those who are fasting with only 1 or 1.5 meals a day can I ask how much fruit & veg you manage to pack in? Are you having a very big meal? Intrigued how this works!

Indeed, upside - sacrificing lots of time and energy to the great god HOUSEWORK is draining many (mostly) women. A division of chores or simply keeping the kitchen and bathroom/toilet relatively clean and not stressing about other rooms too much helps. No one wants to live in chaos - but as said here by pp - housework is ever present and a time and energy suck if it's prioritised above all else.

I agree with housework taking up too much time if you let it. It's also perfectly possible to eat well and efficiently. I batch cook but also keep down the number of ingredients so making food doesn't take forever. I've also been very good at spending an hour when I get home from the supermarket washing, peeling and cutting up fruit and veg. It's a huge time saver.

tiger That was me. It's hell. I was working long hours too having taken an 8 week leave after my 2nd was born. Best way to approach is to get what sleep you can and get a king sized bed. We now have 3DC ages 6 and under and last night we were all in bed together.

upsidedown2017 - I eat masses of vegetables but very little to zero fruit. Sometimes I'll have a bowl of frozen berries with coconut milk but rarely, as I'm usually full from dinner.

I guess I eat in one meal, a decent sized portion of meat and then two vegetable sides. So last night I scoffed half a roasted cauliflower and some mashed rutabaga (hugely filling) with a butterfly pork chop. If I had room, I'd have eaten half an avocado as well for the fat (but I didn't because I forgot it was in the fridge).
I don't really do salads that much at dinner because I always feel like I want to eat something hearty, so steamed vegetables/roast vegetables are the order of choice.

@Annelind well said! That's it, from today onwards I'm putting my health first. It's truly more important that I get back on the fitness and healthy eating bandwagon!

How do you get past the horrid initial stage where you are still craving carbs and sugar ???

I'm afraid turning off all the tech and just getting on with it is what works for me. I'm not always good at actually doing it, but feeling like you're achieving something is far more energising than "resting" on your phone.

TheGrumpySquirrel - after I've eaten sugar/booze, I have maybe one day of cravings and hunger and the next day I'm fine.
If you've been consuming sugar on a long term basis you may have carb flu and crave for about 3 days or so, maybe a week.
I generally eat a load of fat on these days to combat the cravings, avocados, almonds etc.
As the cravings go, my appetite stabilized itself and I don't feel anything except genuine hunger for real food rather than sugar/carbs.

Oh, and exercise if you can, around 7pm is good - I find this helps with evening cravings.
It also helps reduce the appetite and makes the hours between dinner and bedtime!

Running. No caffeine. Early nights. A massively involved and helpful DH. I'm pretty good at being energised and motivated generally but definitely more so the more I exercise and the more (healthy stuff) I eat. I have had a tendency over the years to eat too low cal in my constant striving for an amazing figure but these days I try to focus more on what I eat rather than limiting the amount I eat iyswim. A couple days of wine and junk food without a run and I can really feel the lethargy.

Sometimes I just let myself go to bed and sleep if needs be, we are all going to be a bit more sleepy at this time of year because of the lack of light

My issue is not how early or late I go to bed but staying asleep.

Dp gets up at anywhere between 4-5.30am.

He daren't move and I am awake. I have tried separate bedrooms but he only has to switch on the light downstairs and I am awake.
I have tried Valerian which works intermittently. When it does work the following morning I feel great but I really need something to knock me out and keep me knocked out for 8 hours.
I don't want to go down the prescription sleeping pills route.

Having kids in a routine, with sleep etc is key also encouraging solo play time.
preparing meals, tidying up as I go along and when she’s napping I sit down and have a coffee and switch off for a few hours.

I’m a nanny btw

We're stuck in a rut of DS being ill every week with nursery bugs then passing to DD. This means a lot of broken nights.
Interestingly, 3 weeks ago I decided I finally had to do something about the baby weight. Aso I started eating only Greek yogurt and a coffee for breakfast. I've also been eating mostly carb free lunches, eg some ham, chicken or tuna with veg. Previously I was eating a giant bowl of cereal for breakfast and a doorstep sandwich for lunch. I'm amazed how much more energy I have just from that simple change. I think the big thing is that I was having a blood sugar crash mid morning, and I then ate biscuits etc to keep me going.

@WhyamIBoredathome I'm really going to try the low carb route ... I think you're onto something!

No sugar, no refined carbs. Lots of veg, and a good nights sleep. Drink plenty of water. If you eat crap, you feel crap. It's taken me years to realise but now I feel amazing everyday and have loads of energy.

@JaneEyre70 what's a typical day of food look like for you? I want to feel amazing every day too!

Great tips but surely by going to bed v early it cuts down the amount of time that you have to 'do stuff' so defeats the object of 'getting more done'?

Having said that if you feel less exhausted it's obviously a good strategy.....

Following with interest !