Setting an alarm for a morning workout but snoozing right through it; turning up late for a morning Zoom catch-up because you’ve moved at the pace of a geriatric snail since waking; eating what’s at the back of the fridge in your PJs because you can’t be bothered to get dressed and go to the shops; yawning as your best friend tells you a story. Sound familiar?
Before you go in search of your missing motivation, there’s another vital ingredient you might be missing: energy, and there’s a reason why you might be feeling low on it.
According to a new study by vitamin brand Centrum, Australians are falling short of standards outlined by the Department of Health and Sleep Health Foundation, with many not getting the nutrition they need from their diet, and waking up lacking energy.
The report showed that many of us are experiencing a lack of energy, broken sleep and poor exercise habits – and that 45% of Australians struggle to get out of bed in the morning, and 1 in 2 stated they sometimes lack the energy they need to make it through the day.
And guess where we’re falling short? Yep, it’s our dietary intake of vitamins and minerals.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), only 4.2% of Australians are meeting the recommended intake of fruit and vegetables. And only 4% of us meet all three benchmarks in areas of nutrition, sleep and exercise. Eek.
Hosting a morning breakfast workshop for Centrum to reveal the research study, recipe developer and dad of three Nicholas Pearce said, “It’s no secret that nutrition delivers energy to fuel our bodies to get through whatever our day may throw at us.”
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“As a busy dad of three kids, I’m constantly battling myself to stick to healthy habits so I have the energy I need to spring out of bed in the morning and be my best self. It’s not easy and life sure does get in the way, but there’s no better feeling than sticking to good habits and waking up energetic” continued Pearce.
“While it’s mad tempting to reach for your fourth cup of coffee…an energy drink…or literally any form of caffeine when you’re taking a ride on the exhaustion train, the best form of fuel comes in the form of whole foods that are naturally high in nutrients like iron, protein and essential fatty acid,” said Pearce.
So what should we do? Skip anything with excess added sugar to avoid a blood glucose spike and drop (a.k.a a truly epic sugar crash), and opt for whole foods over packaged (or at least check those nutrition labels). You can check out a great list of those, here.
