Shadowing Practice: Why you always feel tired | 5 energy + sleep mistakes you're making - Learn English Speaking with Video

Put a finger up if you are chronically exhausted, depending on caffeine, and you haven't had a good night's sleep since elementary school.

Wait, I'm kind of exposing myself right now.

If this is you, you probably gaslight yourself thinking that you're lazy, unmotivated, or broken.

But the truth is, there is nothing wrong with you.

You're just running on empty because you've never been able to fully rest.

And this used to be me, waking up at 5 a.m since high school, pushing myself to work out when I hadn't even fully recovered the night before, and feeling so burnt out and hopeless all the time.

But after fixing these five things, I am happy to report that I have 10X the quality of my life

and I am no longer on the verge of crashing out every day.

These are the five biggest energy and sleep mistakes you're probably making without even realizing it.

And I'm gonna tell you how to fix them by tonight so you can wake up tomorrow and live your best life.

The first energy and sleep mistake you're making is living on a stress rollercoaster.

Do you ever feel so tired during the day and you're ready to go to bed, but as soon as your head hits that pillow, you're wide awake.

It's like your body is tired, but wired at the same time.

This is because your stress hormones are imbalanced.

When you are constantly stressed out about work, school, your social life, and you love scrolling on TikTok till 1 a.m., this raises cortisol in your body, which is your stress hormone.

And when you overthink about studying, working, or what to wear tomorrow, your mind doesn't get a chance to fully rest.

You're constantly having these looping thoughts, which creates more stress.

And so all of this results in a dysregulated nervous system.

Basically, your body doesn't know when it's safe to relax.

And even when you lay down at night, you can't fall asleep.

So how can we fix this?

The most effective thing you can do every day is a 10-minute low-stimulus night routine.

This means no phone, dim lights, and some sort of low-stimulus activity, like reading, journaling, meditating.

You essentially want to signal your brain that it's okay and safe to relax.

But if you scroll on social media, start texting all your friends and binge watch a show,

this creates conflict in your mind because you're telling it to pay attention and stay awake even though it's night.

The other thing that might be causing your stress levels to stay high is working out too late.

If you work out right before you sleep, this can keep adrenaline and cortisol elevated

and it'll be harder for your body to get into that relaxed state and fall asleep.

But I know some people like to work out in the evening.

So if that's you, try to space it out at least one to two hours before bed

and then follow it up with the 10-minute low-stimulus routine.

This will help your mind and body settle down and prepare for sleep.

This habit has done wonders for me because I am unfortunately a very anxious sleeper, so usually I will have a lot of racing thoughts at night.

But calming down my nervous system and staying away from social media at night has helped so much with falling asleep.

Now, if you're on the other side of the spectrum, this can also affect your sleep and energy because the other mistake you might be making is you're not moving enough.

Sitting too long during the day actually makes you more tired.

Your body relies on light exposure and physical movement to regulate your circadian rhythm.

So when you're sedentary all day, your brain doesn't get strong signals that it's daytime, and this can make it harder to feel naturally tired at night.

Less physical activity also gives you less deep sleep, because not all sleep is created equal.

Basically, when you're not moving much, your body doesn't build up enough sleep pressure, which is called adenosine.

As a result, you may not feel tired enough at night and you'll get less deep restorative sleep, which is what gives you that refreshed feeling in the morning.

Sitting for long periods also just makes you feel sluggish.

Not moving decreases blood circulation and oxygen to your muscles and brain, resulting in that foggy drained feeling.

So even though you've been sitting, you still feel like you have no energy.

And it becomes this vicious cycle of low movement leads to low energy, leads to poor sleep, which leads to even lower energy the next day.

So one of the easiest ways to fix this is just by adding small breaks of movement throughout the day.

And I'm talking only 10 to 15 minutes at a time, because I don't know about you, but I don't have time to go jogging for an hour after work.

But I know how hard it is to stay consistent with exercise, especially if you're busy or you don't want to leave your house and go to a gym.

So this is why I love working out at home.

And one of my favorite at-home workouts right now is using my rowing machine from Kingsmith.

One of my favorite things about this machine is that it is super compact and foldable unlike others.

It literally folds into the same size as a 26-inch suitcase.

So if you live in a smaller apartment, it doesn't take up tons of space like other exercise equipment.

And it is the quickest low-impact way to get your blood flowing.

There's no jumping, no lunging, or anything that would put pressure on your joints.

Instead, rowing combines cardio and strength training in one, making it perfect for at-home movement without feeling like you need a whole gym setup.

I will literally just hop on for 10 minutes between my work breaks, and it just wakes my body back up and improves my energy.

And what's so cool about this machine compared to others is

that it uses dual resistance of 77 pounds water resistance and 33 pounds magnetic resistance.

And you can even adjust the resistance level to fit your training needs.

So this makes the rower perfect for the entire family and my dad actually really loves it.

He uses it all the time.

It also comes with its own app for tracking your workout data and is compatible with the KinoMap app, which offers guided rowing workouts from professional coaches and fun competitive challenges.

And the best part is when you're done, the machine folds back up and is out of the way.

If you're interested in checking out this rowing machine or any of the other Kingsmith fitness products, I'll put the link down below.

Thank you so much to Kingsmith for keeping my health in check and for sponsoring this video.

The third mistake you're probably making that is ruining your sleep

and energy is consuming way too much caffeine and sugar and doing it at the wrong time.

If you are someone who drinks coffee first thing in the morning and again in the afternoon, you are ruining your natural energy cycles.

Caffeine has a six to eight hour life in your system, so if you drink it past 2 p.m., that's like having an energy drink right before bed.

You might fall asleep, but you won't hit that deep restorative sleep that your body needs.

And this is sometimes why you wake up feeling like you didn't even sleep.

It is the worst feeling in the world because I'm like, I just wasted eight hours of my life. For what?

And the same goes for sugar.

Processed sugar is probably one of the worst things you can put into your body, and it is especially detrimental to your energy.

Eating lots of sugar or refined carbohydrates like pasta and bread quickly spikes your blood sugar, and this can give you that temporary energy boost,

but then your body responds by releasing tons of insulin to bring it back down, which often overcorrects, leaving you feeling even more tired,

more foggy, and craving more sugar for another boost.

So to avoid these energy highs and lows, try to push your first dose of caffeine at least 60 to 90 minutes after waking up.

And then after 2 p.m., try to stick to herbal tea or water.

Sometimes I can have a bit of a sweet tooth, so if I'm craving something, I will usually just reach for whole foods like fruit or sweet potatoes, since they also have fiber,

which helps your body process them more slowly.

But I know diet is something a lot of people struggle with and is hard to control, So my best hack for you is just don't buy the stuff.

Obviously, if you buy all the cookies, candy, and chocolate, and it's sitting in your cupboard, of course you're gonna eat it.

But if you just don't buy it in the first place, then you can't.

So when you're shopping, just don't buy the temptations

and stick to foods that are going to fuel you in the right way.

Speaking of food, I love food.

I live to eat, but so many women do not prioritize it enough and it drives me crazy.

Listen, it is not a flex to only eat one meal a day.

You do not win a trophy for starving yourself.

If you only consume iced coffee and a granola bar and wonder why you're so tired, girl, the answer's right there.

Your body literally does not have the power to keep you awake.

Plus, if you're only eating carbs, sugar, and processed snacks all day long, then again, your blood sugar is gonna spike and crash, leaving you feeling anxious, stressed, and extra exhausted.

And then when you finally decide to eat at 9 p.m., your body is already preparing for bed.

So girlies, eating late will disrupt your sleep, unfortunately.

I know some of y'all like to have an entire feast at night, but unfortunately, it's not gonna help you.

Your body is going to be too busy digesting instead of resting.

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So if there was one thing you should do to have better energy and sleep, it would be to stop under eating and eating too late.

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Your girl loves her breakfast because I've tried to fast, I've tried to skip breakfast, but I always end up overeating later because I'm so hungry.

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So start your day right with some protein, healthy fats and carbs.

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When your meals are balanced, you won't be feeling like you're on this energy rollercoaster

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and you will have a steady release of energy throughout the whole day.

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And please, please, please, girlies, do not skip meals.

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It will only make you more tired.

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You may think you're not hungry, but really your metabolism is just messed up.

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And again, you don't win anything for being hungry.

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Trust me, when you fuel your body properly, you will be amazed at how well it can work for you.

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Okay, now this tip might surprise you because it's not obvious.

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But a huge mistake you might be making is oversleeping and sleeping at inconsistent times.

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And the reason for this is because sleeping too much actually disrupts your body's internal clock.

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When you oversleep, you throw off your circadian rhythm.

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And no, your circadian rhythm is not this woo-woo concept.

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It's actually medically true.

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When you sleep too much, your body gets confused on when to release cortisol for energy and melatonin for sleep.

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And then when you wake up, you feel groggy and sluggish.

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And even if you get the same number of hours of sleep, the timing is key.

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You can't stay up till 3 a.m on the weekends and expect to feel the same on Monday.

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Your body needs consistency to function optimally.

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So even if you get nine hours, it won't feel refreshing if your sleep schedule is all over the place.

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And if you're wondering how I know this, it's because this is the story of my life.

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I used to never wake up feeling well-rested and it's because I was waking up and sleeping at all different times.

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So try to aim for the same bedtime and wake up time every day.

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So if you normally go to bed at 10 o'clock Monday through Friday, try to sleep at that same time on the weekends.

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Your body thrives on consistency.

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So even small tweaks like this create massive energy improvements.

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Now, if you find it hard to sleep at the same time every night, again, you need to figure out your 10-minute low-stimulus routine because

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that is going to help your mind and body prepare for sleep.

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And part of this is making sure that your environment is conducive for sleep.

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Make sure your room is cool and cover any lights

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that stay on in the dark because any sort of light or noise can and will disrupt your sleep.

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I wear an eye mask, mouth tape, and earplugs when I sleep.

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And yes, I look a little crazy, but I do not care because it has improved my sleep so much.

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I guarantee when you take your sleep hygiene seriously, it will 10x the quality of your life and you will be amazed at how good you can feel.

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I used to wake up every morning not knowing how I would get through the day.

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But after cleaning up my sleep schedule and treating my body right, I actually love waking up and my mornings are my favorite part of the day.

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It sounds impossible, but I promise you will not be tired forever.

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You just need to get over your ego

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and stop thinking you can run on empty fumes for the rest of your life because eventually you will burn out.

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It's just a matter of when.

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If you liked this video and you want to learn more ways to improve your life, I made this video just for you.

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So click here to watch.

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As always, I am so proud of you and how far you've come.

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Keep putting yourself first and I'll see you in the next one.

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Bye.

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you

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing Practice: Why you always feel tired | 5 energy + sleep mistakes you're making - Learn English Speaking with Video

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What is the Shadowing Technique?