There isn’t a mother out there who can’t relate to fatigue and lack of energy. We all expect it during a baby’s first year, but many mothers are surprised at how simply being responsible for another being, even when that being is, say, 12 years old, can zap your energy. Fortunately there’s a registered dietitian who gets it and offers up help.
“Moms of all ages and stages, from the day that they decide to become a mom—not even the day they become a mom, but the day they decide to become a mom—are giving out their energy to another or to several others,” says Ashley Koff, RD, co-author of Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged. “One of the things that can set us up for the greatest energy imbalance is turning it on and not getting that proper energy back in.”
From her practice, Ashley has seen how moms generally cope with energy problems. “We all know people, moms especially, that can ‘get it all done,’” Koff explains. “She’s exercising; she’s got a meal on the table; she’s got a job or her interests; she’s handling things for her partner and for her kids. When I see them in my office, however, they generally have one or the other type of severe energy problem.
“In all of these instances, what’s happening is that they are trying to use their energy to put out the fires or they are ‘band-aiding’ as opposed to really looking at the origin or the source of what is optimal health, what is true energy,” says Koff. “I teach people from the get-go to not look at caffeine or sugared energy as the desirable energy but to really look at quality energy, sustained energy. We’re always going to have highs and lows, but the more we can make it in the middle ground, the better it will be for our bodies and for our beings.”
Given a typical day, it’s not surprising that moms everywhere are frantically grasping for energy solutions. “We wake up in the morning and we’re exhausted,” Koff continues. “When our body is exhausted, then we turn to white sugar or caffeine and we start our day off this way.”
When moms turn to the general market for solutions—especially packaged food products that promise “increased energy”—these really don’t work and can make for a vicious circle, Koff warns. Many of the products that promise energy contain refined sugars and caffeine that result in subsequent energy crashes.
Instead, Koff advises lifestyle changes instead of quick fixes. In her book, Koff offers ideas for permanent changes. “We didn’t want readers to feel like we were giving somebody a six-week or an eight-week plan that they go on and come off,” Koff points out.
Here you’ll find some tips from Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged by Ashley Koff, RD, and Kathy Kaehler (Hay House, 2011).
- Eat roughly every three hours.
- At each meal or snack one serving of healthy carb, protein or fat equals one hour of protein; so if you have a mini meal with all three, you’re good for three hours.
- Every single food as it exists in nature is considered an “allowable” food.
- Mom energy is not about high energy but sustained energy—not revving up with caffeine and sugar, which results in highs and lows.
- Indulge in a different kind of fast food—the kind that uses healthy ingredients that can be easily assembled—and avoid overly processed convenience foods and fast-food restaurants.
- Try an apple with some nuts instead of an “energy bar.”
- Eat foods found in nature with recognizable ingredients as much as possible.
- Remember, there is no single approach in optimizing energy; no one diet or exercise alone will balance you body’s complex system.
Tips for a less frantic, energy-zapping lifestyle outside the kitchen:
- Organizing tasks into a prioritized system (for example, must be done today, tomorrow, or can wait) will keep you focused and conserving energy.
- Structure your day so that you are in control of every minute.
- Each day try to take a 10-minute mind trip: find a comfortable place, close your eyes, and imagine in detail a place that relaxes you; this simple exercise can go a long way in calming you down and refocusing energy.
- Keep a tidy house; just the sight of a clean house can be energizing.
