Dr Oz: 7-Day Challenge To Beat Exhaustion & Gain Energy

Dr Oz: Overcome Your Exhaustion

It was the final day of detox week and Dr Oz was ready to help his viewers overcome their exhaustion in just seven days. Members of Oz Nation revealed what they would do if they weren’t so exhausted and they responded with everything from playing with their kids more to finally cleaning out their garage. To join in the conversation, Dr Oz welcomed CBS News medical contributor Dr Holly Phillips.

Dr Oz: “The Exhaustion Breakthrough”

He had a 7-day exhaustion challenge that would finally put you in charge of your energy. Dr Phillips wrote a book titled The Exhaustion Breakthrough and explained that the breakthrough is knowing that “fatigue is not your fate.” She said women create busy lives for themselves but secretly feel that the price they pay for that is being too exhausted to truly enjoy those lives. Dr Phillips believes that it shouldn’t have to be like that, so she researched things that can drain your energy, and things that you can fix to get your energy back.

Dr Phillips said she was tired for 20 years straight and had severe debilitating exhaustion. She said she “lost” the battle. She ended up being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and treating it helped some. But what made the biggest difference for her was changing simple lifestyle factors in order to gain more energy during the day. Some of the things she put together in her 7-day exhaustion breakthrough challenge.

Dr Oz: Sleep By Yourself

Dr Oz challenged a few of his viewers to follow the plan to see f it would work for them. Dr Oz then welcomed those three women to come on the show and share the results. All three of them shared that they felt super energized and definitely better.

The first step of the exhaustion breakthrough challenge was to sleep solo. Dr Phillips explained that the idea is that the quality of your sleep is so important, and your partner can often interrupt the sleep cycles your body needs. She said you partner will forgive you and maybe even love you more if you’re well-rested, so it’s certainly worth a try. Dr Oz was curious to see how that conversation would go, so one woman actually filmed the conversation with her husband. When he was told he would be sleeping on the couch, he said, “You better find another Dr Oz challenge.”

Katrina shared that she ended up sleeping on the couch and slept a lot better because her husband snores. She felt a lot more refreshed and said she was feeling excellent.

Dr Oz: Keep A Fatigue Diary

The next step of the plan was to keep a fatigue diary. Dr Phillips said the fatigue diary is probably the most important part of the challenge. Dr Phillips explained that with the diary, you’re tracking your energy on an hour-by-hour basis to find out when you have the most and least energy. Measure your energy on a scale of 1-10.

Stephanie used a fatigue diary and found it helpful because she was able to figure out that when her stress level went up, her energy level went down. Her energy level dips when she gets home from work and she was able to see that.

Dr Oz: Scan Your Body For Tension

Step three of the plan was to scan your body for tension spots. One woman filmed herself performing the stretches by closing her eyes, and rolling her shoulders in order to release tension in her neck and shoulders. She explained that she does the exercise for her whole body.

Dr Phillips explained that checking into your body every hour allows you to pay attention to the areas holding the most tension. By really focusing on the way your body feels, you can notice spine misalignment and other ailments that can drain your energy.

Dr Oz: Eat More Magnesium & Iron

Step four of the plan is to eat a clean diet with magnesium- and iron-rich foods. Dr Phillips explained that magnesium helps to convert glucose into energy and fuel. Even a small deficiency in magnesium can cause fatigue, and actually the number one symptom of iron deficiency is fatigue. Iron helps your body make oxygen which helps circulate blood throughout the body.

JoAnna shared that during the program, she was able to introduce her kids to a healthier lifestyle as well. She typically started her day with Greek yogurt and flax seeds. She also had a green shake twice a day, made up of apple, kale, spinach, and lemon. She said it helped her energy in the morning and kept her going all day long.

JoAnna said she had trouble giving up her glass of wine and frozen burrito. She also missed her little bags of snacks.

Dr Oz: Make A To-Don’t List

Step five of the plan was to make a to-don’t list. Dr Phillips said you take your to-do list and ask yourself if you can delegate it, if it can wait, or if it can be simplified. If the answer to most of those things is yes, take it off your to-do list and add it to you to-don’t list to give yourself more time. Stephanie said she found the list difficult, but it worked for her. She actually learned how to say no to her kids, which helped her a lot, especially when her son asked for her help on a last-minute project, close to midnight.

Dr Phillips said almost everything in the challenge can be adapted so that you can do it for a very long time. Dr Phillips said people come away with a better sense of their personal energy, as well as a sense of motivation and encouragement that they can fight fatigue and win.