Diet and lack of energy

[Astralogic]

Hello, could someone give me some diet tips because I think what I eat might cause me to loose energy.

 

When I do my qigong practice about an hour after breakfast I end up not wanting to do it due to lack of energy. Before eating breakfast I always have enough energy but I'm just hungry and I can't focus on qigong. So what I started doing is just having a small snack instead of breakfast. These past few days I've been eating a few handfuls of peanuts to get rid of my hunger. Then I have plenty of energy for qigong.

 

For some reason eating anything other than very small amounts of food makes me lose energy.

[konchog uma]

as far as small amounts of food go, is that just first thing in the morning? or throughout the day?

 

I'm that way in the morning... i just eat fruit.

 

If its throughout the day, its possible that your metabolism is such that you should just snack throughout the day instead of eating large meals. My girlfriend goes through phases like that, then back to eating meals.

 

A good rule is "eat only when hungry and not until full." Eat until about 3/4 full, then stop.

 

One last thing, doing qigong after eating can be bad anyway cause of stagnation and circulation issues. I like to wait at least 1 hour before doing qigong or any other energy work including yoga.

 

hope you find the answer to your problem, good luck

[mYTHmAKER]

Hello, could someone give me some diet tips because I think what I eat might cause me to loose energy.

 

When I do my qigong practice about an hour after breakfast I end up not wanting to do it due to lack of energy. Before eating breakfast I always have enough energy but I'm just hungry and I can't focus on qigong. So what I started doing is just having a small snack instead of breakfast. These past few days I've been eating a few handfuls of peanuts to get rid of my hunger. Then I have plenty of energy for qigong.

 

For some reason eating anything other than very small amounts of food makes me lose energy.

 

Your body uses energy to digest food.

A piece of fruit might be better then nuts as they are more difficult to digest.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I find especially after lunch if I drink something cold with my meal I feel far more tired than if I wait about an hour after eating before drinking anything, or else just have green tea.

 

The cold over works the spleen which has to heat up the food it digests, so this makes some sense..

 

Actually, green tea can put off hunger too, and some (including myself) find it helpful, a sort of cleansing of toxins, before doing meditation. Other's have said it makes them have to go pee so not good before qi gong, personally I haven't noticed much of this unless I've already been drinking lots of fluids. May depend on how long your session is too though....

 

edit:

btw, for general afternoon drag, I suggest chewing two seed sized pieces of acorus calamus root IF you're not taking any other medications or have existing medical conditions (I'm not a certified naturopath, btw, so you should check it out thoroughly before taking it). I find this helps me and few friends VERY effectively. It doesn't give you a buzz like coffee, but normalizes energy. It is also good for people with anxiety, and I've found it useful to help fight off oncoming colds. Has many many uses.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Harmonious Emptiness

[Astralogic]

Wow, I totally forgot I made this post. I also don't like to mix eating and drinking, it dilutes the stomach acid and makes digestion slower# (and maybe even use more energy?).

 

Thanks for all your input, I'll look into this acorus calamus root. Thanks for the tip.

[Andrei]

First of all you must find how much fire, earth, metal, water, wood/wind you have in your body. Then you must establish which are your imbalances. In Ayurveda you have three main imbalances Pitta, Kapha and Vata. Pitta means too much fire, Kapha means too much mud a mixture between earth and water and Vata means too much wind. Based on this you can choose what to eat and how much and when. I would't take any advice from unknown persons on internet unless I would know exactly what is my energetic configuration. We are all different.

[Cheshire Cat]

One simple, yet hardcore tip:

 

Avoid sugar (and cane sugar) completely. Use honey.

 

Try this a few weeks and see

[ChiDragon]

What were you doing when you practice Qi Gong.....???

[dawei]

First off, follow your nature and feeling. Do what is natural. If your trying to force a change to your bodily routine and paradigm then that is ok; but you need to give it time to reset.

 

I cannot do any exercise within 2 hours of any eating... That is my body response, although I have been overtly athletic all my life; this is my reality.

 

There are a few good questions posed to you but I think we should go back to the basis:

1. What time did you last eat the night before?

2. What time do you generally wake up the next day?

3. When is your ideal practice time?

 

While 3-5am is an ideal qigong practice time due to it being the 'lung' hour, I find this works for a while and then suddenly something in the evening works better. This may be due to seasonal or other changes in the yearly cycle but I am just saying that you need to see what feels most natural for your cycle.

 

Here is a basic question: Why do you need to do qigong practice in the morning? Is it due to practical work issues or your own desire? this gets back to following your nature...

[Ish]

I usually feel more energised after eating, whatever i have.

I feel my qigong is better when i've eaten, less focused when i'm hungry.

[dawei]

I usually feel more energised after eating, whatever i have.

I feel my qigong is better when i've eaten, less focused when i'm hungry.

This may be an interesting exploration into energy which this thread is not about, but maybe it is...

 

my wife is chinese; her mom is a retired TCM doctor. They have said repeatedly for more than a year: Why do I have a high level of energy despite I appear to eat very little?

 

I said in matter of fact way: Where is energy from? Is it only from food?

 

Maybe the mind controls more than we think; also conditioning. I wrestled for many years; and have been involved in many sports over my life... the body finds the energy in sports... How do other pratices find energy???

 

After I practiced Qigong and Taiji, my energy levels jumped despite a decrease in food...

 

This is just my thought: food is overplayed as an energy source but if it is your physical, mental, emotional source of energy, then eat on...