<p>I have had some anemia problems for the past couple of years, and noticed an uptick in my energy when I started working on raising my iron level (both diet changes and tablets).</p>
<p>Regarding exercise, I used to work out in the evening, but lately have just NOT been able to get motivated. I switched over to a 20 minute workout in the morning right when I get up. If I have time to walk the dog or get some other exercise in the evening, it is a bonus, but at least I did SOMETHING. I try to follow it with a healthy breakfast, too. I rent tv series from Netflix and watch them while I exercise (half hour shows are perfect, as they really only have almost exactly 20 minutes of actual content!). I have been doing this for about a month, and I think it is a pattern that will stick.</p>
<p>Thanks 1moremom…That is really good to know :)</p>
<p>Knowledge is power and all the power we can get, esp as busy Moms, is so beneficial…we ,as a family, have slowly been switching to the brown rice/whole grain pastas etc…Yummy…</p>
<p>Love when we find whole grain pizza too.Kids enjoy that now also…</p>
<p>I dragged myself around for years thinking I was just busy and getting too old to keep up with it only to discover I had a hypothyroid. Once medication got my thyroid levels right I was a new person. Testing also discovered a vitamin D deficiency, so I take vitamin D now also.</p>
<p>Isn’t somebody going to going to suggest getting checked for depression? Seems like we can’t get through a health problem thread on CC without at least one person suggesting the root of the problem is clinical depression, no matter what the symptoms.</p>
<p>I may or may not be vitamin D deficient, but I have a lot more energy since taking it. You don’t need to see an endocrinologist to have your Vit D, B12, Thyroid, anemia checked. Also, look at your life. Are you doing to much? Do you need to say no?</p>
<p>I’ve always thought that I was a “low energy” person. Unfortunately, I have the kind of mind that makes continuous mental to do lists, but I don’t have the energy to folllow through. I am hypothyroid, and take synthroid which is monitored twice a year. But I do think I have other autoimmune issues that haven’t been addressed and I don’t know where to start.</p>
<p>I’m about to turn 60. Don’t think there’s really a cure for that. We do slow down a bit.</p>
<p>But I do agree with no processed sugar and exercise.</p>
<p>I am surprised MiamaDAP that you’re so sensitive to such a little weight gain. I would be a basket case if I were because the steroids for my asthma really pile on pounds.</p>
<p>Does anyone who gets B12 shots have autoimmune issues? I react badly to virtually every type of shot, so I wonder if it’s different if it’s a mere vitamin.</p>
<p>I presume that even B12 will have to arrive in a stabilizer in the shot, though a doctor or nurse would know better than I. Often the preservatives in shots are what cause the problem.</p>
<p>There are subcutaneous B12 tabs that work pretty well. I don’t take them because I have very iron rich blood, but my H has often been prescribed them.</p>
<p>More mundane an approach, but I take oral B vitamins, just the ordinary ones off the shelf at the coop or drugstore, B100s or B50s. Yes, urine color indicates that I’m flushing some of these vitamins away, but I have less energy if I happen to miss a day. Certain protein powders and brewers yeast in a drink really ramp up the energy level as well. </p>
<p>I also have much less energy if I eat refined carbs for breakfast, rather than an egg or fruit and whole grains. </p>
<p>One of the challenges of the empty nest phase is fewer immediate imperatives, which can feel like less energy. Before I did a lot, because I had to. Now, there is some choice, and I’m choosing inactivity a little too often and easily.</p>
<p>Will just weigh in with a couple of thoughts. </p>
<p>Do you drink a fair amount of water? I do… but I recently read that being mildly dehydrated leads to fatigue. Water could be a fairly simple “lifestyle change.”</p>
<p>Are you in or nearing menopause? I found that when I was in perimenopause (which seemed to go on forever, lol) I had daily fatigue. Wanted a nap virtually every day (couldn’t always do it of course, but since I worked for myself… I could nap lots of days). I figured this was just how my life would be.</p>
<p>Magically, that changed after a few years. That near-daily fatigue disappeared and has stayed away. </p>
<p>Yes… I am one of the “oldsters” of cc. But I throw this in just in case it gives a “light at the end of the tunnel” ray of hope.</p>
<p>Not that you shouldn’t do all the wonderful healthful things suggested :).</p>
<p>Ask for metabolic blood work. The normal CBC that your Dr. does will not check for several things, including vit D. Mine was very low, Rx level low. I’ll echo others to check your thyroid. For some, even what falls in ‘normal’ levels isn’t going to do it. Mine has to be on the very low end or I’m toast.</p>
<p>Now I’m just grumpy, grumpy, grumpy. I put myself in time-out. I asked my mom about this as the Dr. kept saying I was way too young. Nope Mom was younger than me. She said she wanted to slaughter anyone in her line of sight for about a year. Funny, I just thought that was my parents divorce!</p>
<p>I’ve been avoiding the diet and exercise thread as well. Too much peer pressure! :)</p>
<p>The CBC does not check Vit D which is not typically part of routine labs. A CBC may indicate a low B12 but a B12 level also has to be ordered separately. The CBC or “complete blood count” measures the cells in the blood: White, red, and platelet count. It will show anemia.</p>