# Low energy and tiredness > Tiredness is a common reason to skip activity, but doing less can leave you feeling more tired. Start with a very small amount you could manage on most days, such as a 5–10 minute walk, and build up slowly. If your tiredness is unusual for you or doesn't settle, get it checked by a doctor. - Type: Guide - Topic: Habits & Motivation › Overcoming Barriers - Reviewed by: Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod, Podiatrist (2026-10-21) - URL: https://twikka.com/learn/low-energy-and-tiredness - Updated: 2026-10-21 - **Tiredness and inactivity can feed each other:** doing less can leave you feeling more tired and more breathless [1]. - **Start very small:** a 5–10 minute walk, or an even shorter gentle movement, is a fine place to begin [2]. - **Pick an amount you could do on most days,** including low-energy ones, not just good days [3]. - **Exercise doesn't reliably cure tiredness** [4], but a little gentle movement on a low-energy day is better than none [3]. - **Tiredness that is unusual for you or doesn't settle** is worth getting checked by a doctor [2]. ## What if you're too tired to exercise? Start smaller than you think you need to. Tiredness makes it harder to stay motivated, so it's natural to avoid activity, but being less active can then make you feel more tired [1]. People often slow down or cut back in quiet, subtle ways, which can speed up the loss of fitness and make the tiredness harder to recognise [5]. A very small start usually works better than waiting until you feel energetic [2]. It helps to be realistic about what movement can do. On average, a single session of exercise makes little difference to how tired you feel, and the effect varies a lot from person to person [4]. So the aim isn't to feel energised straight away. It's to keep a little movement going. The WHO says some physical activity is better than none, and many benefits are seen at 150–300 minutes of moderate activity a week [6]. That total is a direction, not a place you need to start. How to begin: - **Start with a 5–10 minute walk,** or an even shorter gentle movement. Add a little time or distance only when it feels manageable [2][3]. - **Start below what you think you can manage.** Doing a little often is better than doing a lot occasionally [3]. - **On a low-energy day, do a little gentle movement** rather than nothing [3]. - **Build up slowly.** It might take longer than you expect [3]. > **Try this:** This week, take a 5-minute walk on as many days as you can manage, at a time you usually feel least tired. Next week, add a minute or two only if the walk felt manageable. ## When to check with a health professional Tiredness that is unusual for you, doesn't ease with rest and sleep, has lasted a few weeks, or is getting worse isn't an emergency, and it isn't something to push through or ease off for. Get it checked by a doctor. Tiredness can be linked to long-term conditions, such as autoimmune, sleep or endocrine conditions, so it's better to check than to guess the cause [2]. If you're starting exercise after a long break, it's always a good idea to see your doctor first. For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio. If you have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), talk to your doctor before starting an exercise programme [7]. Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn't safe. For a sore muscle or joint, ease off. If other new symptoms appear as you build up, see a doctor or other health professional, especially if they persist or get worse [6]. ## Quick answers ### Is a 5-minute walk worth doing? Yes. Activity of any length counts towards the weekly amounts, and some activity is better than none. A 5–10 minute walk is a sensible place to start when your energy is low. Once that feels manageable, add a little time or distance rather than jumping to a long session. ### What is the best time of day to exercise when I'm tired? The best time is the one that suits your energy. Notice how you feel at different times of day over a week or so, then use your higher-energy times. A short walk at that time is enough to begin with. If it's unclear, pick a time you can manage on most days. ### How do I avoid overdoing it on good days? Hold back a little on good days so you don't crash afterwards. Keep close to the amount you could manage on a low-energy day, and add time or distance slowly. If activity leaves you more tired or sore for longer than you expected, go back to the previous level. ## Sources 1. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Breathlessness: Managing your energy levels (leaflet 8). https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/leaflet-8-managing-your-energy-levels/ 2. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Fatigue management. https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/patient-information-pages/fatigue-management 3. Whittington Health NHS Trust. Managing your activity with fatigue and/or pain. https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/default.asp?c=46664 4. Loy BD, O'Connor PJ, Dishman RK (2013). The effect of a single bout of exercise on energy and fatigue states: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Fatigue Biomedicine Health & Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1080/21641846.2013.843266 5. Wanigatunga AA et al. (2018). Perceived Fatigability and Objective Physical Activity in Mid- to Late-Life. The Journals of Gerontology Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5905638/ 6. Bull FC et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955 7. Larun L et al. (2019). Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6953363/ --- Source: Twikka (https://twikka.com/learn/low-energy-and-tiredness). General information about physical activity, not medical advice.