What Is Your Body Telling You?

If Your Energy Has Evaporated...

Q: Should you skip your workout or not?

A: Unless your fatigue is accompanied by some sign of illness (such as a fever) or injury, exercise will help you ditch the lack of energy. A recent University of Georgia study found that when persistently tired men and women exercised 20 minutes a day, three days a week for six weeks, they reduced their fatigue by half and, in a separate measurement, boosted energy by 20 percent compared with their nonexercising peers. "Exercise releases chemicals that jump-start parts of the brain associated with energy and fatigue," says study author Tim Puetz, exercise scientist and researcher. "A regular exercise program could potentially 'rewire' these brain areas over time, leading to reduced feelings of fatigue and a permanently 'charged battery.'"