Live Your Best Life — With Limited Energy by Jodie Renner reviewed by Elma Schemenauer

My get-up-and-go got up and left. Could it be you saying that? Could it be someone you know? This book could help. The author personally grapples with chronic fatigue syndrome. However, her advice also applies to people with a variety of other energy-draining conditions. They include long Covid, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, MS, arthritis, heart problems, and aging.

 

Here's a sampling of the book's chapter titles:

 

How to Avoid Draining Your "Body Battery"

Make Your Home Your Refuge

Ideas for Making Housekeeping More Manageable

Manage Your Daily "Energy Envelope"

Plan for and Take Advantage of Your Best Time of Day

Strategies for Managing Brain Fog

Use Technology to Make Your Life Easier

Self-Defeating Thoughts, Attitudes, and Actions

Tips for a Nutritious, Energy-Producing Diet

Best and Worst Foods for Digestion and Gut Health

Pace Yourself!

What About Exercise?

Helping Others Understand Your Limited Energy

Air Travel

Mobility Aids

 

Live Your Best Life — With Limited Energy is an exceptionally clear and accessible book. The author writes in an easily understandable style. The information is well-organized. It moves logically and intuitively from one idea to the next. There's some repetition, but I don't mind it. The author explains that some people "will only have the energy and focus to read a few or some of the chapters. I would hate to see some readers miss out on critical information because they were too fatigued to read every chapter."

 

The format of the book is wonderful. The type is large enough even for people with limited vision. The author writes in short sections, each with a clear, meaningful heading. She sometimes uses lists to help readers process information. For example, she provides lists of recommended foods, tips on sleeping better, and environmental chemicals that may cause distress.

 

I particularly like the practical, realistic advice the author gives. Examples:

 

"Pockets in every outfit—the bigger, the better—will save you steps and effort when carrying things from room to room."

 

"Take photos of small print on meds bottles, food labels, or menus, then enlarge them…to read it."

 

"Use Post-it notes (to help you remember things). Stick them on mirrors, by your door, on your desk or table, on the kitchen counter,…."

 

"Sugar might give you a quick burst of energy, but…it can make you expend energy you don't really have, resulting in a deficit or low, leaving you feeling worse than before you had the sugar."

 

"Watch for all the different types of added sugar, including corn syrup, cane syrup, brown rice syrup, fructose, dextrose, maltose, and sucrose."

 

"When you…choose packaged food, check the label for ingredients you recognize as actual food rather than chemicals."

 

In the back of the book are several useful appendices. They include:

 

Some Easy, Healthy, Delicious Recipes

Electrolytes

Malfunctioning Mitochondria

Long COVID or Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

Fibromyalgia

Other Possible Conditions or Comorbidities

 

Also in the back of the book is a list of works cited. These include books, articles, and websites. Some readers may want to consult them for further information.

Live Your Best Life — With Limited Energy is available in paperback and e-book on all Amazon sites. Here's the link to Amazon ca: https://www.amazon.ca/LIVE-YOUR-BEST-LIMITED-ENERGY-ebook/dp/B0C44548TV/ . The book will be available elsewhere starting in September 2023.