5 Ways to Feel More Energetic

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Most of us think we are leading healthy lifestyles, but yet throughout the day we have a lack of energy. It may be easy to grab a cup of coffee or energy drink for quick pick me up, but why not try adding some energy boosting habits into your lifestyle instead.

Don’t Sleep In on the Weekends: Let’s say you get up everyday at 6:30 but on weekends you like to sleep in, sometimes till noon. This is a really bad idea as you’re combating two negative factors the circadian rhythm of your body and sleep inertia. From the time we were cavemen our bodies adjusted to patterns of day night and temperature changes, waking when the sun came up and going to bed when the sun went down. This was observed by French scientist Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan in the 1700’s. It’s a real phenomenon that has been documented in single cell organisms, plants, and many members of animal kingdom. Once you find a rhtym that works for you stick to it and don’t change. Sleep inertia is usually felt when you sleep in well past your normal waking time. You’ll wake up feeling sluggish and tired and feel like you can’t find the right gears for several hours. If you’re traveling or need to catch up on sleep for one reason or another a better solution is to take short naps of 30 to 60 minutes over the next few days whenever possible.

Breakfast The Most Important Meal of the Day, Not the Biggest: Have you ever been to a breakfast meeting or buffet with full spread of food. You’re sitting through your meeting and about an hour later you’re having a hard time staying awake. What happens is your body is diverting blood flow away from your brain and using it for digestion instead. Try to stay away from foods with a lot of calories and fats, like a bagel slathered in cream cheese. Instead opt for two eggs, some toast with a little jelly or jam. Not only does it have fewer calories but you’ll stay alert and awake.

Don’t Skip Snacks: So you’ve decided you’re going lose a little weight by cutting out all those midday snacks, but you may be doing more harm than good. Try not to go more than 4 hours with food if possible. The longer you go without food the hungrier you will be when you finally do eat. It takes between 20-30 minutes for your stomach to communicate to your brain that it’s full. By eating small snacks throughout the day you are keeping your stomach partially full and are less likely to overeat for your big meals. That doesn’t mean you should eat a bag of Doritos without a care in the world. Try to eat foods that are high in water content like fruits, vegetables, a small salad, or even a soup. A small bit of cheese or nuts is another healthy choice. Remember what we said about eating a big breakfast, the same holds true for lunch and dinner.

Stay Hydrated, Especially before you Exercise: We’ve all heard the eight glasses of water a day. Most health experts now recommend dividing your weight in half to determine the number of ounces you should drink each day. For example if you weight 180 pounds you should be drinking 90 ounces of water a day. Sports drinks may give you a little more energy but is not the right choice if you are looking to lose weight (see Understanding Sports Drinks) so be careful what you are choosing. Try to make sure you drink plenty of fluids at least 30 to 60 minutes before you exercise. It’s like filling up your gas tank before a big car trip, this way you won’t run out of energy in the middle of your workout.

Don’t Skip the Warm up or Cool Down When Exercising: Almost everyone knows the importance of stretching and warming up your muscles prior to exercising, but many of us forget the importance of giving our muscles a chance to recover and cool done after a good workout. Stretching and giving your body a chance to cool down after your workout are just as important as the warm-up. For a 30 to 60 minute workout as a rule of thumb you should spend 5 to 7 minutes stretching and cooling down when you are finished.

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