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We all have those days when energy levels feel low and you just want to stay in bed scrolling on your phone or crash on your couch to binge-watch something.
It happens to me too.
And even though the idea of “I feel low energy, I should rest” sounds logical, it’s not always the solution. Resting is great and necessary when you’re exhausted, sleep deprived, or sick, for example. But if you just feel low energy without an apparent reason, resting is unlikely to help you feel more energized.
Today’s newsletter shows you what actually does.
Where this information comes from
In a brand-new study published last week, the authors conducted a meta-analysis, meaning they used data from several published studies and analyzed them together to obtain more robust findings than you can from a single study.
In this analysis, the team collected 67 datasets from 14 countries, totaling 8,223 participants. That’s a lot of data!
The data contained 2 types of information:
Physical activity data from wearable devices (such as smartwatches)
Participants’ evaluations of their current affective well-being
The authors analyzed the relationships between them in both directions (i.e., how affective well-being predicts physical activity and how physical activity could influence affective well-being).
The results (and the recommendation for what to do when you feel low energy)
The strongest effect the researchers found was that subjective energy levels (a component of affective well-being) significantly increased after physical activity. They report that, on average, the simple transition from sitting to walking comes with a subjective energy increase of 0.62 points on a 4-point scale.
And that’s why the recommendation when you feel low energy and want to feel more energized and awake is to engage in some physical activity, even if it’s just a short walk. Physical activity also increases positive feelings, as reported in the study.
It may sound counterintuitive at first, but if you think about it, it makes sense. Whenever you had one of these low-energy moments or days, did resting make you feel more energized? Probably not.
How to get yourself to engage in physical activity on low-energy days
Especially when you already feel you don’t have the energy to do anything, it can be hard to start being physically active. Here are some tips to help you:
Aim for progress, not perfection:
A 10-minute workout is better than no workout. If you can commit to just 10 minutes, that’s already a win (and maybe you’ll feel a lot better after these 10 minutes and decide to continue!).
Any workout is better than no workout: Maybe you don’t go to the gym, but you can take a brisk walk!
Increase your positive feelings: The same study mentioned above also found that people with higher positive feelings were more likely to engage in physical activity. Listening to your favorite song, watching a funny video, or having a nice conversation could help you feel better, and your better mood could help you start moving.
Make physical activity itself more enjoyable: find tweaks to making it more fun for you, for example, you could listen to music or a podcast while working out or find a workout partner.
Wrapping up
The logic of “I feel low energy, I should rest” doesn’t always apply because even though it feels intuitively correct, your subjective energy levels most likely won’t increase. Of course, as already mentioned, this should not discourage you from resting when you’re exhausted, sick, sleep deprived, or anything else that really requires you to rest. In these cases, rest is essential.
But if your problem is simply low energy levels and you want to feel more energized and positive, do something counterintuitive: get physical activity and watch your energy levels and mood improve!
Recommendation of the week: Ageless Runner
Ageless Runner is a weekly newsletter for runners over 40, sharing training tips, injury prevention, and motivation to help you stay strong, consistent, and running for life.
Plus: when you subscribe, you get their free stretching guide. Here’s the link if you’re interested.
That’s it for today!
And now?
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Until next time!
Best wishes,
Patricia (Dr. Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com
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