Who couldn’t use more energy? Fortunately, there are several natural ways to keep your body’s fuel tank full.
Get Ready to Crank up the Energy
You won’t worry about dragging yourself through your workday if you try these suggestions.
1. Eat Smaller Meals for Persistent Energy
Skip the old routine of three large meals per day in favor of smaller meals spaced evenly apart. The more modest meals will give you a boost without forcing your body to slow down to digest a massive amount of calories.
2. Eat Foods That Give You Energy
That collapse in energy that you feel after eating a candy bar is what happens when your blood sugar level suddenly rises and then crashes.
Image via American Heart Association
To avoid that feeling, choose foods that are less likely to have that effect because they’re made of complex carbohydrates. Your body absorbs complex carbohydrates much slower.
Instead of white bread, eat whole grain bread. The taste and texture may take a couple of days to get used to, but your body will thank you with more energy.
When it comes to starches, swap the white rice for brown rice. Once again, allow yourself enough time to adapt to the new taste.
For snacks, drop the candy bar in favor of fruit such as blueberries which help with concentration. If you insist on having a candy bar, choose a high-end dark chocolate bar with at least 70% cacao.
Additional energy foods to consume include quinoa, almonds, bananas, salmon, kale, spinach, sauerkraut and asparagus.
These foods are packed with vitamins for energy such as the B vitamins and minerals like iron and magnesium.
3. Stay Hydrated for More Energy
Don’t neglect your body’s primary fuel. Dehydration will sap your energy.
4. Get the Proper Amount of Sleep for Energy
You can feel tired after not getting enough sleep as well as after getting too much sleep.
Sleep guidelines are just that — guidelines. You’ll need to experiment to determine the exact amount of sleep to achieve alertness the next day.
Don’t worry if your amount of sleep is unusual when compared to that of your family or friends. Everyone’s different. If being different results in you brimming with energy, it’s worth it to be different.
5. Exercise Your Way to More Energy
Some people avoid exercising, thinking that it will only make them feel even more exhausted. However, a little exertion may be what’s needed.
A brisk workout which taxes your cardiovascular system will prompt your body to release hormones that make you feel alive.
6. Lose the Stress to Gain More Energy
You’ve no doubt experienced the draining effect that constant worry has on the mind. It seems that all your energy goes toward thinking about your problem, so there’s little left to enjoy life.
Find an outlet for your stress such as talking to a friend or a professional mental health expert. The very act of talking about your situation with someone can make the problem seem smaller and manageable.
When your stress level drops, you’ll notice your energy level climb.
7. Spend Time Outdoors for Energy
You don’t have to be Daniel Boone to benefit from this tip. It’s not about camping and roughing it in the wilderness. It’s about leaving the office for a few minutes to be closer to nature.
Even if you’re not a big fan of the great outdoors, try taking a short walk in a nearby green space. You might be surprised at how much better of an energy boost you receive.
8. Open a Window to Get More Energy
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Modern homes and office buildings do a great job of lowering the heating and cooling bills by creating nearly airtight environments. Unfortunately, that means that we’re often breathing heavily polluted air.
Opening a window for an hour or so can completely exchange the air in a modestly-sized room. The fresher the air, the better we feel.
9. Adjust the Temperature for More Energy
Some of us fall asleep when the room gets chilly while others nod when the room becomes warm.
Determine which temperature setting is your productivity kryptonite then adjust accordingly.
10. Sniff Your Way to More Energy
Smell is a powerful sense.
One whiff of a fragrance and we may be overwhelmed with unconscious feelings of inferiority or failure. A different scent may give us the impression that we could take on the world and win.
If you’ve never tried aromatherapy, you owe it to yourself to visit a store where essential oils are sold.
Spend a few minutes sampling the fragrances. No one will have to tell you which one is right for you. When you get the sensation that you’re a rock star, you’ve found your match.
It’s Time for You to Get Energized
Don’t become overwhelmed by all the available options you have to gain energy.
Choose the method that would be easiest for you to implement. Start there. Then you can gradually try the other suggestions.
It will take a while to try them all, but you’ll be able to do it. After all, you’ll have plenty of energy.