10 Steps to More Energy
If you are constantly feeling tired and run down, making some lifestyle changes may provide a much-needed energy boost.
Here are ten simple strategies to help ward off fatigue and increase your energy.
1. Rule Out Medical Causes
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Conditions such as anemia, low thyroid, depression and immune disorders can also cause chronic fatigue and low energy. Talk to your doctor and have him/her run a couple of blood tests to rule out any of these or other conditions.
2. Take a multi-vitamin
Even slight deficiencies in some nutrients can lead to fatigue. For example, the mineral magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including breaking down glucose into energy. When levels are even a little low, energy can drop. Most nutrients can't be stored by your body and need to be replenished daily to avoid deficiencies.
Basic Nutrient Support provides a simple, convenient way to get the correct ratios and potencies of the 60+ vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, herbs, essential fatty acids, plant extracts and specialized nutrients that provide a foundation for good health and energy.
3. Eat Healthy, Regular Meals and Snacks
Your body needs fuel throughout the day to keep running, beginning with a healthy breakfast to jumpstart your day. Skipping meals, especially breakfast, can lead to an increasing feeling fatigue as the day goes on.
But if those meals are filled with sugar and simple carbohydrates, your energy levels will spike and then plummet shortly after eating. These rapid up and down cycles leave you feeling exhausted. The key is to keep your blood sugar balanced so energy is constant.
Eating whole grains will provide a slow and steady release of fuel so you'll feel less tired by day's end. Also include lean protein at each meal to increase mental alertness, energy, and keep you feel.
In between meals, a snack that combines protein, a little fat and some fiber will offer a quick but lasting energy boost. Follow it up with a mint; for some people, the smell and taste of mint helps wake them up.
4. And Drink Water Even More Often
Sometime what you may think is fatigue is actually thirst. Even slight dehydration can leave you feeling tired and lethargic. Stay hydrated with water throughout the day, and especially after exercise and on warm days.
Or, try boosting your energy with white tea, which is the least processed tea and requires little sweetening. White tea has the highest concentration of L-theanine, an amino acid that, according to recent research, stimulates alpha brain waves to boost alertness while producing a calming effect. And because a cup of white tea contains less caffeine (15 milligrams) than other teas (up to 50 mg) and coffee (120 mg), it's more hydrating and doesn't cause a post-caffeine slump.
Avoid high sugar beverages and alcohol; the first will cause blood sugar crashes and the latter can disrupt your sleep, leaving you more fatigued.
5. Get Enough Light
Exposure to natural light affects your circadian rhythm and can increase your energy. Opening the shades first thing in the morning – better yet, getting outside for a walk before breakfast – and throughout the day helps get and keep you alert.
6. Get Moving
Although you might not feel like you have the energy to even think about exercising, increasing your physical activity actually increases your energy. In fact, that post-workout rush of energy you feel is well-documented: Movement sends oxygen through the bloodstream to invigorate cells in your body and brain. Breaking up your activity can maximize your oxygen intake and give periodic energy boosts throughout the day.
Walking is an easy and convenient way to get moving, and realize the energy-boost benefits. Experiments conducted at California State University showed that a brisk 10-minute walk not only increased energy, but the effects lasted up to two hours. And when the daily 10-minute walks continued for three weeks, overall energy levels and mood were lifted.
7. Get Good Sleep – and Even a Nap
It just makes sense: sleeping well at night will leave you more refreshed and energized during the day. The optimal amount for adults is 7-8 hours per night for both energy levels as well as overall health.
Improve your sleep by avoiding technological devices at least an hour before bed, eliminating lights, regulating the temperature, using quiet music or white noise to fall asleep, and keeping yourself on a regular sleep schedule so you wake up more easily in the mornings and get to sleep more quickly at night.
Sometimes what is needed is a daytime nap. When our brains work overtime processing information, it can drain our energy. But studies by the National Institutes of Mental Health found that a 60-minute "power nap" can not only reverse effects of information overload, it may also help us to better retain what we have learned. Don't nap too long or too close to your normal bedtime, or it can disrupt your nighttime sleep.
8. Reduce Stress: Cut Back, Relax and Let Go
Stress, depression and other negative emotions can take a heavy toll on your energy levels. Your exhaustion may have a lot to do with how you're feeling mentally, so take the time to deal with your emotions or get help if you need it.
To reduce your stress levels, cut back on your to-do list by focusing on those that are most necessary and fulfilling. Let go of anger, which drains our energy as we fight to contain it. Find time each day to do something relaxing, whether it is gardening, playing with a pet, reading or spending time with friends. Whatever is relaxing for you will reduce tension and that will help increase energy.
Watch your attitude and make sure you're not letting yourself be overly negative. Being a pessimist may actually be making you more tired, so try looking on the positive side of things instead. Laughter is not only a stress-buster, it increases oxygen levels, so look on the lighter side of things and laugh!
9. Try something new
Getting into a rut can make your day seem boring and tedious and drain your energy levels. Whether it's at work, at home, or in your food or exercise routine, change things up, try new things and seek out new experiences to spice up your day a little and keep you alert and awake.
Or, find a way to help others in new ways. Research shows that you get a "helper's high," a rush of endorphins that lasts for hours, when you volunteer. Throughout the Bible, God calls on us to help one another, and there are countless ways we can answer that call.
10. Add Specialized Nutrients
In Energy Secrets From Around the World, we looked at natural ingredients from societies across the globe that help in dealing with fatigue. These include ginseng, taurine, rhodiola, mate, guarana, and cordyceps.
Incorporating a formula such as Energy Support into a daily plan that includes the above lifestyle changes can reduce fatigue and give you back the energy you've been missing. Look for this month's online coupon at the top of this page and get 20% Off Energy Support!
