Summertime is here and I have been fielding the same questions I do every year at this time. "Doctor, why do I have so little energy?" In the absence of true organic illness, it has been my experience that lifestyle choices are the culprit. In order to be healthy and well, your body needs to be sufficient and pure on a consistent basis. The problem is most of us are deficient and toxic in several areas.

First and foremost are our dietary choices. A healthy diet consists of fresh raw fruits, fresh raw or lightly cooked vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, and lean grass fed meats. I also recommend supplementing with fish oil that has been purified and packaged at the source, as well as probiotics that must contain a large quantity of Lactobacillus Plantarum.

Second is our level of exercise. Our body's genetic requirement for exercise is one hour each day of rigorous exercise. Twice weekly we should exercise to a point of exhaustion and at least twice weekly we should be performing some sort of strengthening exercise (weight training for example).

When we make poor dietary choices and don't get enough exercise, our body becomes stressed. It shifts from a state of happiness and well-being to more of a survival mode. When in survival mode your body will raise its blood pressure, blood sugar levels, heart rate, and cholesterol levels. It will sacrifice long term immunity in favor of short term survival. Serotonin will be consumed faster than it can be produced. Factual learning will be inhibited in favor of emotional learning. Your body will store fat around your abdomen for quick energy reserves. To add insult to injury, you will crave the very foods you should be avoiding because your body believes it is fighting for survival and so wishes to consume foods that will provide quick energy and high calorie loads.

It is the intelligent adaptations of your body, in response to your lifestyle that drains your energy. These adaptations also bring increased susceptibility to illness, emotional problems such as anxiety and depression, and increased likelihood of chronic disease (heart disease diabetes etc).

If you are looking for more energy and improved health in general, consider increasing your level of exercise and making consistent better dietary choices. As always, add health first before you try to remove poor choices. Gradual consistent improvement is the formula for success.