Thyroid and low energy

As a marathon runner with a full time career and a family to take care of, the biggest currency for me is energy. Energy is key to getting it all done and it’s always in high demand. There’s never too much. To make matters worse I have a thyroid disease which at times manifests itself as extreme exhaustion.

For those of you who have this particular issue I offer a few tips that work very well for me and I don’t take any hormone replacements as they are horrible for your health. Understanding what your body needs and/or lacks, how it responds to certain foods is key to not only managing the symptoms but even more importantly improving thyroid health naturally. 

1. Coconut oil is fantastic! Please buy organic, cold pressed only, to get maximum benefit. It has a warming effect which is particularly helpful as many thyroid sufferers experience intense cold intolerance. One teaspoon a day on an empty stomach is all you need to start feeling better.

2. Watch your simple carb intake. Keeping blood sugar level is vital as you can actually experience symptoms of hypoglycemia, or worse, a diabetic seizure, if you let it drop too much. Keep in mind that the high/low blood sugar swings put the body under a lot of stress. To remedy that, combine high glycemic index(GI) foods with low glycemic foods. Practical example would be eating a slice of bread(high GI) with peanut butter(low GI). Peanut better(or any other protein) helps to level off the glycemic index of the total food consumed and it won’t cause the spikes and drops the way a slice of bread with cream cheese or jelly would. 

3. Exercise on a regular basis. This causes a positive stimulus to the thyroid. Haven’t you ever experienced a sluggish start but felt better after a workout? Moderate exercise is a proven way to jump start your lagging thyroid as it literally improves metabolism, manages low energy and sometimes even severe fatigue that many of us experience.

4. Eat foods like Brazil nuts and eggs. They have great amounts of selenium which is necessary for thyroid to work properly. Just two or three Brazil nuts is enough for a daily doze of selenium.

5. Cut artificial junk to a minimum. Fact is, junk is toxic to the body and the stress it puts on your thyroid will only damage it further.

6. Consume foods that contain antioxidants, like most fruit, especially berries, cocoa powder, dark chocolate.

7. Watch your iron levels. If you let it drop too much, it will cause additional fatigue which will be compounded and will feel severe. It is particularly important for runners to monitor their iron levels as you lose it through the pounding motion.

8. Vitamin D is a must. This vitamin is actually a hormone and it directly affects your thyroid. There are many studies linking low vitamin D to low thyroid as a possible reason for thyroid desease. So, unless it’s summertime and you can go outside to get some sun, please take a D3 vitamin on a regular basis.

On a personal note, as much as I don’t like to talk about my health issues, I want people to know that you can still do it all. Just learn as much as you can, stay away from drugs, and don’t give up. For my runner sufferers, I strongly urge you to take a look at UCAN bars to fuel your runs. Originally developed not as a sports gimmick but to treat childhood hypoglycemia and diabetes, this was intended to control blood sugar and provide steady energy. A non GMO product made with coconut oil, corn starch, cocoa powder, peanut butter and many other good ingredients.

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