Consistent fatigue and weariness are two of the most common health complaints of adults, many people see their doctor looking for ways to increase energy. Not many of the causes of fatigue have a medical solution though.
Each person has a maximum amount of energy available each day, and if you want to increase energy you need to look at ways to maximise what you have, and put into action a plan so you’re not wasting what you’ve got.
Here are four tips to help you increase energy.
Recharging Your Batteries With Sleep
Most adults need 7 – 8 hours of sleep on a regular basis to feel at their best. I’m afraid this is a fact for most of us and there’s no way around it if you want to feel great.
A really common thing I come across is that people just don’t give themselves enough time in bed. This is like charging your phone up to 50-75% of its full power, and expecting it to last like it would if it had been fully charged.
As well as sufficient quantity you need good quality sleep too to increase energy, otherwise you don’t feel refreshed.
The typical Western diet which is filled with refined and processed food can wreck sleep quality by altering hormone levels. Reducing this kind of ‘food’, and eating unprocessed whole foods instead will even out you hormone levels, and over time improve your sleep.
You can find out more how to do that at Uber Energy, as well as techniques on how to overcome insomnia.
Getting the Right Fuel
As well as needing the right food for good sleep, you need it to increase energy levels too. Imagine what your car would run like if you put the wrong fuel into it. Your body is similar.
A big part of the Western diet is made of processed and refined products, rather than real food.
Many of the smaller nutrients, e.g. vitamins and minerals, are lost in the refining process. You need these to effectively release the energy from the calories you’re eating. Without them energy production will be sluggish.
Have a look at what regularly eat. How much of it is real, fresh food? How much of it is refined packaged stuff? Do you need to make some changes?
Creating More Energy
We still have the same genes as our Hunter Gatherer ancestors, and we have bodies that are programmed to be active.
When you work in harmony with your body and keep it active, your body uses the calories from your food to create energy. You feel good, and you’ve got plenty of energy to get through the day.
If your routine doesn’t involve a great deal of activity, your body adapts to that by storing energy instead of making it available. It might mean you’re putting on weight or finding it hard to lose too.
You don’t need to spend a lot of time exercising. People can feel loads better just by taking a 20-30 minute walk every day. You get the best results by doing this outside.
Setting Boundaries
Even if your batteries are 100% charged at the beginning of the day, you still only have 100% charge – your energy is not limitless!
You need to make decisions about where you ‘spend’ your energy.
A common reason for people to feel tired and need to increase energy is that they have no boundaries in their life. They “yes” to just about everything. Sometimes they don’t want to say “yes”, but they do because they don’t want to upset anyone.
You may have to take a look at where your energy is currently going, and make decisions about what you are going to continue saying “yes” to, and what they are now going to start saying “no” to. This is a skill which can be learned – I cover this in Uber Energy.
Increase Energy
The water in this leaking bucket represents your energy.
To increase energy you want to make sure it’s full to start with, by doing things like getting enough good quality sleep, giving your body the nutrition it needs, and getting some exercise.
You then want to plug the leaks – this involves things like saying no more often, and stopping doing things that are draining you, e.g. eating low energy food.
If you’d like to learn more, I’ve created a 5 part video course that goes through these issues (and many more) in more depth. There’s a free video you can watch to get a taste of what it’s like, check it out here.
Have a fantastic week.
Dr Julie