5 Ways To Improve Your Energy
Aside from changing body composition one of the biggest goals new clients have is improving their quality of life through increased energy. These days it almost seems expected that the majority of us are dragging ourselves around feeling tired, foggy and generally not our best, fuelled on copious amounts of caffeine which actually does little to pull us out of the funk.
And the problem is because it seems so 'normal' to feel this way, we don't realise that we don't have to suffer through life like this and there is another way! But like anything worth doing there is no magic pill or quick fix, it takes time, diligence and self awareness. But if you are willing to put in a little ground work you can soon change your energy levels for the better with a few changes to your daily life:
1. Get More Sleep
It might seem like an obvious one - but if it were that easy everyone would be doing it! Getting more sleep might not actually mean more time in bed but more 'quality' sleep while you are in bed. This means setting up a strong and supportive nighttime routine to help you fall into a deep sleep quicker and longer. Things like managing stress, avoiding electronics before bed, a dark room, minimal noise disruption and even the right temperature to sleep in can make a world of difference. Take some time to evaluate your bedroom set up and nighttime routine to see where you could better support and improve a better nights sleep.
2. Distribute Your Calories Evenly Throughout The Day
Food at the end of the day is energy, so it makes sense that if we are feeling tired we reach for a high energy snack like a chocolate bar to pep us up. What that won't give us is longer sustained energy. We want food which is going to keep our energy levels stable and high throughout the day - and for MOST (not all) this is through eating smaller more regular meals throughout the day as opposed to avoiding food all morning and then stuffing our faces in the afternoon. This has the tendency to lead to blood sugar spikes and crashes - and if you are anything like me I just know I feel better on a fuller belly.
3. Minimise Coffee
You've been doing the opposite right? Sorry to break it to you, yes, coffee is AMAZING but you can have too much of a good thing and our bodies are pretty clever. The more of something we have, the more it adapts and the more immune it becomes. This means we can end up drinking 3 or 4 coffees a day and feeling very little effect. You would be better to limit to one or two a day - or even have a period of time where you abstain completely (shock horror) to let your body reset and then slowly reintroduce it back in. Not only will you get the right spike when needed - but having less total caffeine in the day will help you get that better nights sleep at the end of the day too. Win /win!
4. Drink More Water
I'm going to guess that most of us are suffering from a certain amount of dehydration. And this could be a key component to negatively affecting your energy levels. Dehydration leads to feelings of fatigue, reduced performance, reduced focus - the list goes on. Set yourself a water target for the day and hold yourself accountable to sticking with it. Use a bottle to keep track of how much you have drunk and give yourself a daily target. Start at say 2 litres a day ad once you hit that consistently work your way up from there. I aim for 4 litres per day and measure it through drinking from a 1 litre bottle.
5. Exercise and Move More
It might seem like the last thing you want to do when you are feeling tired - but exercising and pushing yourself to move is the quickest and fastest way to get yourself out of that energy slump. Exercising will improve your circulation by getting your heart pumping and release endorphins helping you feel better all round. Not only that but it will also help you get a better night sleep so the benefits are twofold. And longer term getting into a routine with exercise will improve your mood and help you manage stress levels which is a big part of what managing energy is all about.
Being low on energy is common yes but it doesn't have to be, and a few simple life hacks could have you feeling like a new person in no time. So just try and implement one of these a week over the course of 5 weeks and see what a difference it could make to your quality of life. I promise you that you won't regret it.