5 Reasons You're Feeling Foggy - and What to Do About It

Not feeling your best? That can impact your fitness plan. If you are not feeling good, it's harder to focus on proper diet and exercise choices.

But there is good news! Chances are there’s a reason for feeling scattered and out of sorts. And if there’s a reason, that means you can fix it! 

Poor Diet

Eating a diet filled with highly processed foods, aka junk foods, will leave you feeling foggy. There isn’t much, if any, nutrition left in these foods after they’ve been stripped of their natural state taking this and that out and adding in more chemicals than we can count to come up with something that will stay on the shelf indefinitely.

You know if you’ve ever gotten bad gas in your car how it makes your car sputter, cut out and just run poorly. Well, think of highly processed foods as bad fuel for your body.

Get more fresh whole foods into your diet to combat brain fog. Eat organic as often as possible and fill your body with the goodness that comes from real food.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Leading a life without much movement can be a cause of brain fog because your brain isn’t getting what it needs to be sharp and alert. 

Your brain needs oxygen and vital nutrients which is carried to it through the blood stream. If you don’t get your blood pumping to increase blood flow through exercise your brain is lacking the very things it needs to do its job properly. Exercise improves brain function, so get off the couch. Even a quick 10-minute walk will go a long way towards improving your brain power.

Toxic Buildup

Our bodies can get polluted from chemicals in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the foods we eat. If you don’t eat healthy and get some exercise, these toxins can build up, causing your body – and your brain – to function at sub-optimal levels.

Detoxifying can be an unpleasant experience the first time because we’re stirring up all the crud that has built up over our lifetime. The more often you do this the easier it becomes and you will feel the effects of having a cleaner body and a clearer mind.

 

Stress

If you’re under a lot of stress on a regular basis this can lead to physical and mental problems. Stress elevates a hormone in your body called cortisol that causes inflammation in your brain and body. Chronic inflammation can cause a host of issues including fatigue, damaged brain cells, depression, weight gain and glucose imbalance.

You need to have an outlet for your stress. Adding an exercise regimen will help you to not only feel better by releasing endorphins in your brain which cause you to feel good, it can even help you shed unwanted weight. You can also choose to pamper yourself by taking a hot bath, getting a massage, meditating or trying yoga.

Dehydration

If you don’t consume enough water you may suffer from dehydration. Water helps flush the waste and toxins out of your body that can accumulate in your intestinal tract. 

You should consume at minimum a half gallon of water per day. An easy way to incorporate more water into your day is to drink a full glass upon rising and another before each meal.

If you find yourself feeling foggy on a regular basis, chances are good you’re suffering from one or all of these issues. Get some exercise, eat better, drink lots of water and release your stress, and you’ll feel sharper in no time.