Staying Healthy

Losing steam? Avoid these energy zappers

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What may seem like harmless lifestyle habits may really be robbing you of your get-up-and-go.

Let's face it: we all get more fatigued as we get older. It's part of the aging process: we lose mitochondria (energy-producing engines in the cells) and we produce less adenosine triphosphate (ATP) — the molecule that delivers energy to cells throughout our body. Other causes of fatigue, such as medication side effects or chronic illness like depression or heart disease, can increase the feeling of tiredness or sluggishness.

But age- and disease-related factors aren't the only drains on your energy. Your lifestyle habits may be to blame for some of your daily fatigue. The following energy zappers are common culprits that you can change.

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