Scott Williams
In the fast-paced society, you need to be at the top of your energy level to deal with the many challenges that you face during the day. However, many factors can leave you feeling like you’re running on empty. The more you push yourself beyond your energy reserves, the more you are putting your health at risk. If you want to be at your highest level of performance, here are five pitfalls to avoid.
Dehydration
Even mild dehydration will slow down circulation in your body, depriving your muscles of much-needed oxygen. This can, in turn, significantly deplete your energy reserves. Severe dehydration can leave you feeling nauseous and entirely out of commission. To keep from becoming too dehydrated, be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Sugar
Sugar is an incredibly addictive substance and can be found in just about every processed food. While it can make you feel energetic shortly after consuming it, it also makes your insulin levels rise before quickly dropping off. This sudden dip in your blood sugar will leave you struggling to concentrate and stay on your feet. To avoid a sugar crash, try to stick with eating unprocessed foods and avoid foods with added sugar.
Poor Sleep
When you don’t get enough sleep, you can’t be at your best. Sleep deprivation can impair your memory, alter your mood, increase your risk of chronic illnesses, like heart disease and diabetes, and cause you to gain weight. Try going to bed an hour earlier at night if you find that you are sleep-deprived and watch alcohol intake.
Stress
One of the leading causes of depleted energy is stress. When your body responds to stress, adrenaline courses through your body, and cortisol levels spike. When you have ongoing stress, all of your body’s systems are affected including your cardiovascular system and immune system, leading to your energy reserves becoming chronically depleted.
Spending Too Much Time Inside
Being cooped up inside all day, without sunlight and fresh air, you will likely find yourself fatigued. Often the air indoor is stuffy and infused with toxins like chemicals from synthetic materials and air fresheners. Artificial lighting can also deplete your energy and may cause you to have trouble falling asleep, and wake up still drained.
Many things in your life could be affecting your energy levels. However, starting with the above five areas is a great way for you to start feeling more alert and refreshed and ready for the day.
Increase Your Energy Levels with These 5 Tips
It is becoming more challenging to maintain high levels of energy because of our full lives, high workload, and bad habits. Having enough energy to tackle all your responsibilities is essential for getting things done. If you’re struggling with fatigue, and finding it more challenging to keep your energy high, here are a few tips to help you eliminate fatigue and accomplish all your tasks during the day.
Tip #1 – Limit Screen Time
According to a recent study conducted by Dr. Marc Bergman, a neuroscientist at the University of Michigan, television isn’t as restful as you may think. As you age, smartphones and TVs have fewer and fewer stress-reducing benefits. Rather than turning to a screen to unwind, it is recommended that you read, talk with friends, work out, or go for a walk. Disconnecting from technology can help to clear your mind before bed, resulting in improved quality of sleep and increased energy.
Tip #2 – Exercise
Even though you may feel like skipping the workout at the end of an especially exhausting day, you shouldn’t because it has been proven that exercise gives you energy. It also helps you sleep more soundly, gives your cells more energy to burn, and increases the circulation of oxygen throughout your body, as well as relieving stress.
Tip #3 – Maintain a Balanced Diet
Get more energy by consuming vegetables and lean proteins throughout the day. When you are stressed and suffering from fatigue, you may be tempted to reach for an unhealthy snack like chips and cookies. However, if you want to maintain a high level of energy throughout the day, you need to consume healthy snacks and meals. Reach for vegetables, nuts, and whole grains to help you replenish your energy.
Tip #4 – Stay Hydrated
One of the first symptoms you’ll experience when you become dehydrated is fatigue. Help manage your energy levels and your metabolism by making sure you drink enough water throughout the day. Nutritionists and doctors say that we should be getting eight, eight-ounce glasses of water every day.
Tip #5 – Limit Caffeine
While studies show a couple of cups of coffee in the morning and one in the afternoon, before 2 p.m. can be useful for you, it is essential that you don’t overdo it. Too much caffeine can lead to feelings of anxiety, insomnia, rapid heart rate, and fatigue. You don’t have to continue to suffer from fatigue. Follow these simple tips to eliminate exhaustion and increase your energy levels.
Extra tips to help boost you to better days.
Develop Self-Awareness
If you don’t possess any self-awareness, then you won’t have a clear idea of what is draining your energy. Developing self-awareness isn’t easy, but you can accomplish this with regular meditation or mindfulness. Being able to know when your energy dips can help you come up with a plan to correct the issues.
Use Your Energy More Skillfully
While self-awareness can help you identify the source of stress and energy drain, you need to know when you should stop and take a break, and make use of the information so you can know when and where to apply your energy. Taking breaks throughout the day will help boost your energy and increase your productivity.
Master Your Morning Routine
What you do when you first wake up is a major contributing factor to the amount of energy you’ll have for the rest of the day. This doesn’t require you to do anything crazy. Just waking up thirty minutes earlier than you usually do and taking time to meditate or engage in another creative activity can energize you and place you in a more optimal state of mind.
Master Your Evening Routine
The energy level that you have during the day is dependent on whether you’ve had a good night’s sleep. If you find that you lack energy throughout the day, then you need to focus on improving your quality of sleep. Here are several things that you can do to improve your sleep at night.
- Turn off your electronic devices at least one hour before bed.
- Set a regular bedtime.
- Have a nightly ritual to help calm your mind and prepare you for sleep.
Get Active
Physical exercise is a great way to increase physical energy. That being said, you don’t have to spend hours at the gym to benefit from physical activity. You can head outside for an afternoon walk, put your favorite music on and dance around your living room, or take a leisurely stroll around the block. Even if you only get active for seven minutes, you’ll see an instant boost in your energy.
There are a lot of ways to boost your physical and mental energy. Stop living a life of exhaustion and increase your energy to start living better.
