Living Simply with Lower Energy, Part 2

May 15, 2023

Welcome back! I received some sweet responses to me personally regarding last week’s post, Living Simply with Lower Energy, Part 1. One friend in particular was blessed by the fact that I do not clean my house every week!

One of my main goals in writing and producing content is to encourage others to live wisely and well right where they are at. It’s so easy to binge watch YouTube videos for hours while mountains of laundry surround us, the bathrooms remain a mess, and no thoughtful decorations grace our walls.

Perhaps I am too much of a realist, but I want to encourage you in how to deal with your reality—not your dream situation that only some people have on YouTube. Perhaps this is why my channel has not blossomed rapidly like others, but I truly want to help people. I believe that others need to know that they are not the only ones to struggle with life. For many people, YouTube channels and blogs are a way to escape reality, but my goal is to help you live joyfully in your current reality.

So speaking of reality, let’s get back to some simple strategies for living fully even with lower energy. Even if you don’t struggle with lower energy, I think you will find these tips helpful or at least thought-provoking.

Things I Do Living with Lower Energy

Exercise Routinely

As I mentioned in my previous post, I do not engage in hour-long, extremely intense workouts such as cross fit or some other lengthy training session. But I have found that even with lower energy, it is absolutely imperative that I exercise! Again, I cannot reiterate how important exercise is to someone who struggles with low energy. It’s almost as if our bodies just need that boost to get moving, and once in motion, we do pretty well!

My main goal for exercising is for my overall health, not to impress others or have a beach-ready body (you will not find me sitting on the beach scantily clad anyways!) By God’s grace, I want to live well right now in my mid-thirties and also maintain strength and endurance as I age. I desire to have the strength to do whatever God asks of me, no matter my age.

So what do I actually do for exercise?

Two neighbor ladies and I have recently started walking in the mornings before our kids are up, and we are having a blast together! I can’t speak for the other ladies, but I already feel so much better after our two weeks of walking together. We are not sprinting down the road. We are not carrying 10 lb weights in each hand. We are not timing ourselves. We are simply walking. What a difference just walking is making for me personally! We walk between 1.5-2 miles each session.

I’m finding that I need a balance of walking and also some sort of core-strengthening/toning for optimal overall health. I alternate between the following aerobics programs for my core-strengthening/toning.

Trim Healthy Mama Workins

This gentle program is perfect for beginners or the downright exhausted mama who knows she needs to exercise but doesn’t know where to start. The Workins offer three levels of fitness: Gentle, Steady, and Thrill. I usually do the steady level but sometimes drop down to the Gentle level. I love this program but am finding that I need a little more arm and upper body toning than is offered in these sessions.

Metabolic Aftershock

This unique program can be as intense or as slow-paced as you want. Dr. Jade Teta’s belief is that you should push yourself as far as you can and then rest. He believes that when we have the option to rest, we are incentivized to try harder. Again, this program offers multiple levels of fitness which makes it less intimidating to those just starting out in exercise or those who, like me, are not interested in overly intense workouts. The set contains a total of 9 different workouts. Though this set is a bit of investment, I love how it strengthens my body in a very manageable 15-minute session. (I would recommend looking for this set on amazon.)

Leslie Sansone

For those rainy or cold, winter days, Leslie Sansone is always a cheerful in-home walking companion. She makes walking FUN! Though nothing quite compares to walking outside, I love that I can walk several miles right in my living room using her DVDs.

I’ve spent quite a bit of “time” in this post about exercising because it is so very important to one’s overall health. No pills or even health foods can take the place of good old-fashioned exercise.

Eat Healthy (at least try!)

My main goal in this post is to prompt your thinking, not necessarily to be your health coach. I’m not going to go into great deal about how to eat healthy (there’s tons of information already out there!), but I will say that when I switched to following the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle, I started to feel so much better. It’s as if my body was finally starting to function the way it was meant to function.

If you could do two simple things to improve your diet, I would encourage you to cut out gluten and sugar. Sounds easy, but it is challenging. Eating lots of sugar and gluten makes me feel very, very tired. Do I cheat? Yes, probably more often than I should. But cutting out those two elements (for the most part) from my diet has greatly boosted my energy.

Stop and Rest

There is absolutely no shame in taking an afternoon nap (if you are able)! Not everyone has this option, but I am so grateful for the life that God has given me and the gentle way that He cares for me. Every day, I have the option to rest if I so choose, and I am so grateful for that opportunity. Several days out of the week, I lay down on the couch after my children have all scattered to their respective “quiet time locations,” and 15 minutes makes such a difference in how I feel and my energy level.

My husband often reminds me that there is no shame in “recharging your batteries” with a quick power nap.

Give my best

Though there are some days that weariness peeks around every corner, by God’s grace, I strive every day to do my very best. My best may look different than someone else’s best, but that’s okay.

Careful about Commitments

In this modern age of abundant activities, it’s easy to over commit, even to good things. I prayerfully and carefully consider an opportunity before committing to it. I ask myself, “Does God want me to do this opportunity, or do I feel pressured by someone else?” If someone else is pressuring me but I do not sense God leading me to do that activity, I politely decline. I simply cannot do everything and do it all well. So I must pick what is truly best and pleasing to the Lord.

---

Friend, if you struggle with lower energy, know that God has a special purpose for your life. You may not fully understand that purpose, but you can rest knowing that you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14) by a God Who loves you very much.

I love Isaiah 40:29-31 because these verses give me hope for each day that God will give me all the strength that I need! Right now, I have a verse card with these verses from Not Consumed sitting on my desk, and my heart is encouraged when I look over at the card.

I hope that you have a wonderful week and rest in the fact that God is able to give you all the strength you need to meet life’s challenges!

-Ashley

P.S. If you enjoy my posts, would you share this post with a friend or on your Facebook page? For privacy reasons, my husband and I are not active personally in many social media avenues, so this blog is growing slowly though organically. I would love to be a blessing to you and also your friends and family!

#energy #low #lowenergy #health #fitness #exercise #body #mind #mental #wellbeing #care #metabollicaftershock #jadeteta #lesliesansone #thm #trimhealthymama #ashleyqurollo #wellness #eat #food #eatright #eathealthy #healthyeating #healthfoods #best #commitment #time #rest #nap #sleep #reality #facing #life #youtube #video